We decided to pick this fruit on 9/8.  The most important thing in making rose is the acid.  We picked based solely on acid to make sure we preserved the crispness for this wine.

After pressing, the juice was moved into 4 stainless steel barrels.  From there each barrel was treated differently using different yeast strains to add different dimensions to the wine.

The fruit for this cabernet was sourced from Seven Hills and McClellan vineyards.  Both these spots are ideal for Cabernet, but since they are on opposite sides of the Walla Walla Valley, they produce two totally different styles of Cabernet.

With such different growing conditions from these two vineyards, our harvest dates were quite different.

McClellan - 10/12

Brix  24.2 - pH 3.53 - TA 5.2 g/L

Cockburn - 10/23

Brix 24.6 - pH 3.51 - TA 5.17 g/L

Both these lots of Cabernets were fully destemmed into small 2 ton fermenters.  They were inoculated with BM 45 yeast and the caps were punched down three times per day.  The fermentation was long and slow and the wine was pressed when the tannin structure was ideal.  The wine was then put into barrels, which included 25% new French oak.

Want to learn more about Yeast decision and Cap Management?  Check out our Winemaking Videos - an additional perk for our WC Members.