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April 2018 WINES&VINES 45 WINEMAKING Anne Amie adds diammonium phosphate nu- trients, as well as metatartaric acid at warm up. "I do a fairly long cold soak to let the in- digenous population build up. At warming (slight Brix drop) I add nutrients to help them on their way. No real secret here, just common sense," Houseman said. Chapter 24 bases additions upon YAN levels, whereas Gary Farrell incorporates SpringFerm during the inoculation process and then again after fermentation ramps up, but only if necessary. Three wineries favor stem retention: Ore- gon's Anne Amie, and California's Gary Farrell and Small Vines. "I utilize whole cluster as part of my style," said Houseman of Anne Amie. "It can vary from site to site and year to year, but generally ranges from none to 30% with an average of about 15%. In 2016, if you read the vintage notes, we had a heat spike during flow- ering and had some very uneven set in some vineyards. In sites with lots of hens and chicks I did no whole cluster. In sites with better set I topped out at 15%, but the average was lower given the smaller cluster size and tannic con- centration from the skins. 10% signifies I had good set in this block, but not perfect." Heredia of Gary Farrell adds, "I just chose 20% whole cluster for this particular block. I generally like 10-15% whole clusters in Ro- chioli Pinot Noir, but the clusters and stems in this vintage looked really nice so I decided to go with a bit more. I often use higher percent- ages of whole cluster with cool, coastal vine- yards (sometimes 40-50%) because the stems harden off more evenly as the fruit ripens, but here in the Middle Reach (of the Russian River) where it is a bit warmer I tend to be a bit more careful with this technique. I think the use of 20% whole clusters in this case gives the wine a nice backbone of tannin and adds layers of spice and black tea." Sloan of Small Vines says, "I use different percentages of whole cluster, basing on dry farming. If I'm able to dry farm, I use more whole cluster." Cold soaks All the winemakers perform cold-soak macera- tions with length of maceration averaging be- tween two to nine days and temperatures between 40°-59° F. Only two wineries introduce non-native yeasts to initiate fermentation: Gary Farrell winery likes Levuline BRG, while Schug winery is partial to Assmanshausen. "I have a few favorite yeast strains, but the BRG yeast is a very strong fermenter, it gener- ates enough heat for good tannin extraction and it ferments quickly, but not too fast," He- redia said. While most practice punchdowns one to three times daily throughout fermentation, Chapter 24 eschews punchdown altogether. In contrast, Anne Amie applies modified carbonic fermentation. "I've been experimenting for a number of years with a very reductive ap- proach," Houseman says, as opposed to the traditional oxidative punchdown open-top fermentation. "I find that not only does it turn the flavor profile from red fruit to darker fruits, but it also alters the mouthfeel of the tannins. It's just another way of giving me more dimen- sions to work with for blending. Basically, I seal a floating lid on the tank at reception. The tank is gassed with CO 2 during cold soak and pumped over, as well as extended maceration. During fermentation it is creating its own CO 2 . It never receives a punchdown and the lid does not come off until digging the wine into the press." Maximum fermentation temperatures range from 75° F at Brooks, to 90° F at Anne Amie, with an average range between 85° and 87° F for the balance of wineries. Post-macer- ation typically runs 12-15 days, except for Schug and Small Vines. Gary Farrell does no punchdowns during extended maceration. "I do not want to perform any maceration tech- niques during extended maceration," Heredia said. "I only add dry ice to gas the headspace to prevent oxidation of the cap, which is float- t: 707 942 9301 f: 707 942 5037 info@nadalie.com The Highest Quality Products Based on 100 years of Experience