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WINEMAKING OR CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA Mendocino Pacific Ocean Manchester Ridge Vineyard Sebastopol Napa San Crossbarn Winery NV Francisco Sangiacomo Vineyard & Van der Kamp Vineyard The Secret Life of Feral Yeast By Thomas Ulrich Greg La Follette ferments using native yeast, saying, "I want fermentation to be a true multiple-organism event." Winemaker says spontaneous fermentations boost complexity A "We can do it all" ... • Bottling Lines • Barrels • Tanks • Floors and Walls •Winery Equipment • Vineyard Equipment Built by • Sterilize bottling lines • Clean stainless steel tanks • Clean and maintain barrels • Sanitize floors and walls • Steam clean equipment We'll get you all steamed up. We work well under pressure. 800-735-9277 or www.cleanwinery.com ARS/Pressure Washer Company Wework well under pressure. 46 Wines & Vines JUne 2011 week of fermenting and punching down Pinot Noir at Crossbarn Winery in Sebasto- pol, Calif., has left the air heavy with seductive aromas. The fer- mentation hall reeks of berries and tropical fruit—a sign that the yeast has begun its two-month struggle to transform this year's harvest from earthy to elegant. Only then will winemaker Greg La Follette wash the last traces of pulp from his hands and call it a day. Musty and mysterious, the freshly crushed grapes embody the climate, Clean • Sterilize • Humidify Mercier_Jan11.qxp 11/11/10 6:40 PM Page 1 geography and microflora of three North Coast vineyards. Instead of inoculating juice with commercial yeast, La Follette lets nature chart a course. Mixtures of what La Follette calls feral yeast gath- ered along with grapes from inland valley, coastal plateau and mountaintop USA West Coast Contact: Ken Deis 707.567.5711 mercierbarrels@gmail.com Pacific Northwest: Bruce Felix 503.419.7942 info@pacificwinemaking.com USA East Coast: Doug Moorhead 814.725.1314 doug@piwine.com