Modus Operandi Cellars - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Blending

Blending is most often the final process before bottling. All wines are fermented separately, whether they are from different vineyard appellations, different blocks within a vineyard, different clones, different varieties, or even different soil variations within a vineyard. Most often, the wines will have specific, noticeable personality differences within weeks of completing fermentation.

One of the greatest talents a winemaker can have is that of blending to achieve a desired style. For complexity and a true sense of Napa Valley, my plan is to blend from several different vineyards with specific clonal selections. Certain clones for their generous fruit, power, and fleshy mouth feel, and others for their elegance, perfume, and silky texture. The end goal is to create a wine that speaks to Napa Valley as a whole, while still providing a nice balance of power and grace.

Aging and matching fruit to oak

Different wines age at different rates, again, every wine is different and my focus when it is time to put the wine to rest in barrels is on the amount of fruit and color extraction the wine is showing. The more powerful the fruit, the more powerful the oak and vice versa. Eighteen months is my minimum requirement for aging. I have no maximum... at this and all points, it is a question of taste.

Malolactic fermentation

All of my reds undergo malolactic fermentation (the secondary fermentation which changes the more sharp and tart malic acid, to the softer lactic acid). Weekly lees stirring encourage ML activity while also assisting in autolysis, or the breaking down of yeast cells which effects mouth feel giving the wine a more luscious texture.

Extended maceration or not?

At the completion of alcoholic fermentation the wines are tasted and evaluated for tannin abrasiveness. Although tannins are a necessity for the aging potential and also varietal character of Cabernet Sauvignon, tannins which are too abrasive are off putting and pull the attention away from the other beautiful subtleties of the wine and ultimately throwing the wine off balance. Extended maceration allows the young, short chain tannin molecules to bind together forming softer, more polished, long chain molecules, therefore becoming a delightful subtlety themselves. Maceration times are based on daily tastings, and can last from 10 to 30 days, or even longer.

Small lot fermentations

old scale

As a boutique wine producer, my tonnage is always small thus my fermentations are conducted in one ton bins and barrels converted for fermentation. I feel that this is much more intimate and I can get a real feel for the fermentation.

Yeast selection is a decision made closer to, if not on harvest or inoculation day due to the variability of sugar content, vegetive flavor, and winery conditions at that point in time.

I am a winemaker who believes in clean conditions for my wine. This is my baby you know, and it is my job as a parent to protect my progeny! Therefore, clean bins are a must.

Dry ice gives me a carbon dioxide blanket which protects from both fruit flies and oxidation... plastic wrap sealing the lid further protects my wine from the fruit flies.

Cap management is another way for me to dial in my fermentation and extraction. Not all cap treatments are the same and different methods need to be employed at different stages of the fermentation. From light, cap wetting, to a more vigorous aeration, there is always a (M)(O).

Selective harvesting

When harvesting the grapes I think back to what I know about Chateau d’Yquem in Sauternes. Their harvest crew will go through the vineyards and selectively pick the individual berries that match their criteria so as to only work with grapes that are truly perfect for their wine. By purchasing fruit by the acre I am able to hold myself to similar (although not quite so specific as individual grapes) standards in that I initially only harvest grapes that are fit for my baby to eat. Sorting starts in the vineyard and is continued in the winery. Yes, in MOST instances I personally harvest my fruit with help from my close friends. I use stackable, ventilated harvest bins to avoid prematurely crushed grapes. This ensues the freshness and initial health of my fruit.

Harvest Time

Determining when to harvest is, stylistically, one of the most important decisions a winemaker has to make. In the past, harvest day was determined by the numbers alone... brix, pH, TA. Nowadays, winemakers tend to rely more so on taste, focusing on ripeness and phenolic maturity. I use both taste and numbers, and I know what I want. The style desired is big, ripe, and Californian because that's what I like and that's what the weather gives us here. I look for flavor, brown seeds, ripe tannins, and slightly flaccid grapes.