Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/658375
TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT WINEMAKING April 2016 WINES&VINES 55 In addition to the tanks, the winery also has two concrete eggs by Sonoma Cast Stone. Another set of tanks will be installed, and when that's done, the winery tank room will have a row of 5- to 8-ton closed-top tanks down the center of the room flanked by rows of open-tops ranging from 4 tons to 5.5 tons along the walls. Russi said he might also ac- quire a basket press to complement the exist- ing Puleo bladder press. White wines ferment in a variety of vessels including stainless steel tanks and barrels, the concrete eggs and oak barrels. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines age sur lie and are stirred once or twice a month for the first few months of aging. It's a practice Russi has used for those particular varietals, but one he's beginning to implement with more wines. "I don't do a whole lot of racking. I'm a big fan of leaving wine on the lees, and that's not just for Pinot and Chard, which is what I've always done, I'm moving more into the Zins.…It seems to help build mouthfeel as long as the lees aren't stinky." Some of Russi's preferred cooperages include Tonnellerie Allary and Tonnellerie Cavin et Fils for Pinot Noir, and Vicard, Gamba USA and Cavin for Bordeaux varieties. He said he uses almost entirely French oak, and Cabernet Sauvignon receives the most new oak at around 45%. The winery's main barrel room is accessible from the tank room via large roll-up doors that accommodate forklifts for moving and stacking barrels. Most of the space is used for finished wines, but two separate rooms have their own climate-control systems. All of the rooms are kept at a constant humidity with a SmartFog system. Another cold room is located near the crush pad and can be used to keep loaded grape bins chilled, if needed. For more inFormation, contact atP grouP at (707) 836-6840 or online at www.atPgrouP.com atpgroup Introducing the Dynamos filter from TMCI Padovan. It's the world's first patented high~solids, rotary, cross~flow filtering system that eliminates the need for filter aids. And it's only available only from ATP. Game Game Changer. Game Changer. Changer. Game Changer. Game Changer. During the 2015 harvest, a sorting crew processed between 1 ton and 1.5 tons per half hour using a vibratory sorting table and hand sorting. Grapes were then dumped into open-top tanks or moved into closed-top tanks using a must pump.