Fermentation with Oak

1
Fermentation with OakDesigning a Barrel Program

• Joshua Maloney
• Red Winemaker
• Chateau Ste. Michelle

2
Overview

• Fermentation with Oak
• Goals
• Factors that influence effect
• Common Methods
• Examples
• Designing a Barrel Program
• General Overview of CSM Red Barrel Program
• Evaluation and Evolution of the Program
• Personal Experiences
• Not necessarily universally accepted practices

3
Fermentation with Oak
4
Fermentation with OakWhat is the Goal?

• Affecting Style
• Level of Expression / Integration
• Oak Expression Quantity of Oak Aroma and
  Flavor, not necessarily quality
• Oak Integration Oak aromas or flavors that are
  virtually indiscernible from the grape aromas or
  flavors
• Alteration / Removal of specific aromas
• Vegetal aromas

5
Factors that influence Expression Integration

• Type of Oak
• Toast Level / Oak Source affects type and quality
  of tannin
• Relationship between surface area/volume and
  extraction rate
• Higher Surface Area/Volume ratio corresponds to
  faster extraction

6
Factors that influence Expression Integration

• Temperature
• Higher temperatures correspond to faster
  extraction rates
• They also correspond to faster fermentation rates
• Condition of the wine
• Solids
• Clean wines tend to extract oak faster than
  Dirty wines

7
Expression vs. Integration

• Faster Extraction
• High expression, Low integration
• Slower Extraction
• Low expression, High integration

8
Design Oak Fermentation Protocols for different
outcomes

• High Expression / Low Integration
• Use Chips, not barrels
• Ferment Warm Fast
• Get the juice as clean as possible
• Low Expression / High Integration
• Use barrels
• Ferment cool Slow
• Let the juice stay dirty

9
Fermentation with Oak is not just for Whites

• MLF for Reds in Barrel
• Better integration
• Cooler barrel room temperatures slow down MLF
• Safe winemaking doesnt always make the best wine
• Importance of monitoring
• Primary Fermentation and Oak Contact
• Oak Chips

10
Oak Chips and Red Fermentation

• Goals for Fermentation
• Differ from goals for Aging
• Reduction / Elimination of Vegetal characters
• Little to no perceptible Oak character
• Addition Rates and observed effect

11
Oak Chip Addition Rates
Chip Size Desired Effect Dust / Flour Small Chips Large Chips
Reduction in Vegetal Aromas ½ - 1lbs. per ton 1 3 lbs. per ton 2 6 lbs. per ton
Reduce Vegetal Aromas / Add Mild Oak Aroma 1 2 lbs. per ton 3 6 lbs. per ton 6 12 lbs. per ton
Reduce Vegetal Aromas / Add Pronounced Oak Aroma and Tannin 2 lbs. per ton 6 lbs. per ton 12 lbs. per ton
12
Designing a Barrel Program
13
Chateau Ste. MichelleRed Program Overview

• 44,000 barrels total
• 2009 Barrel Purchase
• 6,000 barrels total
• 75 different barrel types
• 1/3 French, 2/3 American
• Quantity determined by case volume
• Desired (budgeted) New Oak x Case volume of
  barrels
• Dont forget about total barrel needs (i.e. used
  barrels)

14
Evaluation

• Barrels vs. Grapes
• Both having growing seasons
• Variability
• Both use human hands to be fashioned into an end
  product
• If you scrutinize your grapes, you should also
  scrutinize your barrels
• Evaluation is key
• Improving barrel usage
• Guarding against changes at cooperage
• Customizing for your purpose

15
Barrel Trial Method

• Create Mother Lot
• Fill multiple barrel types
• FO Trial / AO Trial / Syrah Trial
• Evaluate at regular intervals
• Impressions and impact change over time
• The best barrel at 6 months might be the worst at
  18 months
• Use evaluations to influence barrel purchases and
  applications

16
Other Points to Consider

• Taste with your Coopers
• Show them their barrels in context with their
  competitors
• Point out benchmarks, make changes to
  underperforming barrels
• Find coopers that speak your language
• Continual Evaluation and Evolution
• Keep working with Coopers to get better barrels,
  even from your top performers
• Make small changes from year to year

17
Thank You

• Questions?
• Joshua.Maloney_at_ste-michelle.com