Winemaking

Paul Kreider - Owner and Winemaker

Some words about our wines

My winemaking philosophy is simple: intervene minimally as grape juice turns to wine. Be prudent and clean, but don't process the wine unnecessarily. We seldom fine our wines or filter them to the extent that the bacteria and particles which make the wine alive are removed, along with character and taste. Since we also add only minimum amounts of sulfite preservative, it is common to find some sediment in the bottle. If you like, stand the bottle upright overnight and then decant the wine off of the "dust." Doing so will also allow the wine to breathe and the flavor will open up more quickly.

Many of our wines have been transported less than 30 feet from where they were made, and in most instances have not been moved since bottling. When we ship them, some need to rest for 2-3 weeks after their UPS adventure. Young red wines are perhaps the least affected, but the older the wine, the more disturbed they are by shaking and moving. Where sediment is present the wine becomes cloudy. If you open one upon arrival, you will taste the sometimes off-flavors resulting from rough handling. A short rest brings them back.

Most of our Zins are ready to open upon release; some improve slightly but all should be consumed within 8 years of vintage. When our zinfandel vineyard was ripped out, I discovered some outstanding sources for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Some of the Merlots need bottle age: you age them in your cellar or pay us to hold on to them. The Merlots will last longer than Zinfandels and often have improvements with age rather than color/tannin deterioration, as with Zin. I make wines I like to drink myself. That means that our Cabernet Sauvignons and other red varietals are fermented to produce an accessible fruity wine rather than a hard tannic one.

Our Production:  When you enter the winery, you will be greeted by a warm and inviting tasting room. But behind the scenes in back is where the alchemy happens, truly a very cool place. Below left is Michael Durphy, White varietals winemaker at work, and that's me,  Paul, on the right, elbow deep in work..