Harvest 2022 Update: Hello Carbonic

It is always fun to poke around the cellar at this time of year to see some of the innovative projects that our winemakers have up their sleeves.

On that note, our “carbonic” Grenache just went through fermentation and pressing, adding a unique twist to our upcoming Rhône blends from 2022.

This wine is a passion project of Enologist Skye Bruce, who first introduced carbonic Grenache to our winemaking mix last year, tapping into the magic of what is known as “carbonic maceration.”

Whereas most red wines are made by destemming, crushing and fermenting the grapes on the skins, carbonic wines are made by placing whole clusters and berries into a sealed tank saturated with CO2 gas. In this airless environment, the berries begin to ferment from within until they burst open when they reach an alcohol level of around three percent. After around 10 days in this environment, the wine is drained and pressed, and the remainder of the fruit sugars are fermented the traditional way.