Wine Making
Owner Mike Neuffer's belief in the less is more theory of wine making thrives in all he does. After studying under Chris Camarda of Andrew Will Winery and taking several courses at UC Davis, Neuffer combined this formal training with his intense passion to produce some of the region's best wine. The fruit is handpicked and hand sorted. Whole berry fermentation takes place in two and six ton stainless steel tanks where it is punched down by hand three times a day for up to three weeks. All of the juice is free-run, eliminating bitterness and resulting in a higher quality, more voluptuous wine. After initial fermentation is completed, the juice is transferred into small French Oak barrels where it is undergoes natural malolactic fermentation for up to three months. The young wine is then racked every three to four months to naturally soften and clarify. The blending trials begin six to eight months after harvest, and depending on the wine, are aged for an additional six months to two years in barrel. All blends are judiciously assembled and bottled – unfiltered and unfined. After bottling, the wine is allowed to settle for several months before its debut and is offered exclusively to all wine club members prior to public release.