Blending In: Our 2012 Reds

Pumping Wine out of French Oak Barrels

It’s been nearly two years since the red varietals, which we harvested back in the fall of 2012, were first put into the French oak barrels where they began the aging process. While they sat in there soaking up all the flavors that the oak lends to the wine, like vanilla, mocha, and caramel, we waited patiently for them to finish. Well, somewhat patiently, since this past February we eagerly dug out the wine thief for some barrel tastings. They were so good then that I brought over any container I could find in the hopes of bringing some home, but Todd said no, they need just a little more time. He also was very against the idea of pouring his precious Cabernet Franc into a tupperware container.

But now that the bottling date is finally approaching and the wines are more than ready to go, we have started moving them out of the barrels and into stainless steel tanks. Meet Lou, our wine maker Todd’s new assistant.

Hi Lou!

Lou is using the wine pump to transfer some Tempranillo into one of the tanks you see in the background. The tanks will be sealed shut until we are ready to bottle (August 4th, come see us in action!), and once in the bottle we will let them rest for a few weeks to allow them to settle and to allow any instances of bottle-shock to dissipate.

Taste-Testing the Blends

We will have several standalone varietals like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, but this is the time when we will also do any blending that Todd has planned. For instance, yesterday he and Lou were working on blending a NEW wine from our NEW Flying Press series (it’s NEW!). They basically get a bunch of glasses, put different amounts of wine into each glass, and taste them all to see which one was best. Those of us working in the tasting room that day were lucky enough to try some as well, and I’ll just say we cannot wait for you to try it.

By now you’re probably wondering, “When???? WHEN do I get to try these delicious wines!?” Some of you may have even pre-ordered them at one of our barrel tastings earlier this year. Todd says that we will start releasing the reds in mid to late September. I know, it seems like forever, but just remember that time always flies. And in the meantime, there is plenty of good wine to be had here in the tasting room! We are open daily for wine tastings and tours, and visit us on the weekend for Saturdays on the Crushpad and Sangria Sundays!