La Follette Pinot Noir

Hand-picked, and hand-sorted fruit. Gently destemmed and transferred to fermentation tanks without pumping. 5-7 days “cool” soaking, before fermentation was allowed to begin. Manual punching down 1-3x per day, as needed, to distribute heat and extract aroma and flavor. Skin contact ranged from 11-16 days. Gently basket-pressed. Malolactic fermentation in barrels. Aged 10 months in small 60-gallon French oak, of which 20% was new. Barrels were long air-dried for 3+ years, and of only “medium” toast so as to have as gentle impact on the wine as possible.