From the Tasting Room - Whole Cluster
>> Feb 1, 2007
Our Founder calls it "Pinot Noir Candy"
What does Whole Cluster and Carbonic Maceration mean?
Way back in 1993, Willamette Valley Vineyards introduced a Pinot Noir wine made in a very special way. Originally, the wine was called Whole Berry. Later, this same wine became Whole Cluster, and today it is a favorite in the Tasting Room.
Unlike traditional Pinot Noir that is aged for months in oak barrels, Whole Cluster is fermented in special stainless steel tanks and then immediately bottled in glass. Without barrel aging, there is reduced tannin and dryness in the wine. But the real secret to this light and fruity wine is the process called "Carbonic Maceration".
Normally, stems are removed from grape clusters when the grapes arrive in the winery. This "de-stemming" process gently removes the berries from the stems - there is no crushing or splitting of the berries. We put the small, wood fermenters right under the destemmer so gravity does the work - no pumping is necessary. In Pinot Noir we are a gentle as possible as we are trying to extract the good tannins from the thin skin while preventing the hard seed tannins from getting into the fermenting juice.
These destemmed berries are then cold soaked for 5 to 7 days to extract as much color and flavor prior to the presence of alcohol which can extract rougher tannins. After fermentation begins with the ""punching down" 2 to 3 times a day, this juice, skins and seeds is known as the "must".
In our Whole Cluster Pinot Noir, we minimize tannin and create a wine that is light bodied and fruity but still reflects the true varietal character of Pinot Noir. To minimize the tannin in the wine, we do not de-stem or macerate the grapes. Instead, the entire bunch-the whole cluster of grapes-is put right into stainless steel fermentation tanks. The grapes remain intact, and the juice remains inside each grape where it does absorb some tannin from the skins.
Once the steel tank is filled with clusters of grapes (and we are talking about thousands of clusters of grapes), we inoculate with yeast (in traditional Carbonic Maceration yeast is not added, relying on native yeast) and the tank is sealed and flooded with carbon dioxide. Fermentation begins in an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) with each intact grape becoming a tiny fermentation vessel. In several weeks, the juice inside each grape has been transformed into wine and we begin catching the free run juice from the bursting berries. Finally the door of the tank is opened and the must is very lightly pressed to extract the remaining liquid. The new wine is filtered to remove impurities and organic matter, resulting in a clear, clean, fruity wine that is low in tannin and dryness. From the vine to the bottle, the entire process takes just three months.
Whole Cluster 2006 has just been released. It is a light and fruity wine meant to be consumed within 1-2 years. It can be served with many sea foods, poultry, salmon, pork and pasta dishes. While it is not "sweet", it is the least dry of the red wines offered in the Tasting Room. People new to wine tasting or who prefer only sweet wines often discover Whole Cluster to be a red wine they can enjoy. It has become so popular that every previous vintage has sold out in less than a year.
Stop by the Tasting Room and sample Whole Cluster 2006. Try it-you might just like it!!
Way back in 1993, Willamette Valley Vineyards introduced a Pinot Noir wine made in a very special way. Originally, the wine was called Whole Berry. Later, this same wine became Whole Cluster, and today it is a favorite in the Tasting Room.
Unlike traditional Pinot Noir that is aged for months in oak barrels, Whole Cluster is fermented in special stainless steel tanks and then immediately bottled in glass. Without barrel aging, there is reduced tannin and dryness in the wine. But the real secret to this light and fruity wine is the process called "Carbonic Maceration".
Normally, stems are removed from grape clusters when the grapes arrive in the winery. This "de-stemming" process gently removes the berries from the stems - there is no crushing or splitting of the berries. We put the small, wood fermenters right under the destemmer so gravity does the work - no pumping is necessary. In Pinot Noir we are a gentle as possible as we are trying to extract the good tannins from the thin skin while preventing the hard seed tannins from getting into the fermenting juice.
These destemmed berries are then cold soaked for 5 to 7 days to extract as much color and flavor prior to the presence of alcohol which can extract rougher tannins. After fermentation begins with the ""punching down" 2 to 3 times a day, this juice, skins and seeds is known as the "must".
In our Whole Cluster Pinot Noir, we minimize tannin and create a wine that is light bodied and fruity but still reflects the true varietal character of Pinot Noir. To minimize the tannin in the wine, we do not de-stem or macerate the grapes. Instead, the entire bunch-the whole cluster of grapes-is put right into stainless steel fermentation tanks. The grapes remain intact, and the juice remains inside each grape where it does absorb some tannin from the skins.
Once the steel tank is filled with clusters of grapes (and we are talking about thousands of clusters of grapes), we inoculate with yeast (in traditional Carbonic Maceration yeast is not added, relying on native yeast) and the tank is sealed and flooded with carbon dioxide. Fermentation begins in an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) with each intact grape becoming a tiny fermentation vessel. In several weeks, the juice inside each grape has been transformed into wine and we begin catching the free run juice from the bursting berries. Finally the door of the tank is opened and the must is very lightly pressed to extract the remaining liquid. The new wine is filtered to remove impurities and organic matter, resulting in a clear, clean, fruity wine that is low in tannin and dryness. From the vine to the bottle, the entire process takes just three months.
Whole Cluster 2006 has just been released. It is a light and fruity wine meant to be consumed within 1-2 years. It can be served with many sea foods, poultry, salmon, pork and pasta dishes. While it is not "sweet", it is the least dry of the red wines offered in the Tasting Room. People new to wine tasting or who prefer only sweet wines often discover Whole Cluster to be a red wine they can enjoy. It has become so popular that every previous vintage has sold out in less than a year.
Stop by the Tasting Room and sample Whole Cluster 2006. Try it-you might just like it!!
1 comments:
My wife and I always seem to have a bottle of your WVV pinot noir in our house and we make a point of looking for it when shopping for wine. I had a laugh from the previous blog about a living room bookcase being the worst place for a wine rack and, of course, that's exactly where ours is. During dinner tonight, we read your label and could not understand how wine could be made without crushing. Now we know. Thanks for a great product and for your sustainable ethos - we need more of this thinking and in more places.
Jim Roehm, N. Kingstown (Wickford), Rhode Island
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