Exploring Our Barrel Program
More than just inspiring his choice of varietals, Dan Duckhorn’s travels to France also brought him into contact with the Nadalié family, famed artisan coopers who have been handcrafting some of the world’s finest wine barrels since 1902. This fortuitous encounter influenced Dan’s decision to use brand new French oak barrels for Duckhorn Vineyards’ inaugural 1978 vintage. Not only did this involve a large economic commitment on Dan’s part, at the time it also represented a forward-looking approach to crafting great California wine. Over the years, this commitment to excellence in our barrel program has become an important part of our winemaking identity, while also reflecting an enduring emphasis on quality.
The ABCs of Oak Barrels
Like a time-honored estate program, great barrel programs are not created overnight. They are established over decades, building on personal experience and a rich understanding of each vineyard source and its interaction with each forest’s wood source. Why is a
good barrel program so important? Outside of work done in the vineyard, there may be no more effective tool than what a fine oak barrel adds to the winemaker’s craft. At Duckhorn Vineyards, we see the love affair between wood and wine as a complex one, with the potential to add or accentuate depth, complexity and nuance. And while a quality barrel will not make a bad wine good, it can make a great wine transcendent.
Historically, barrels were used for transporting wine. Today, oak barrels are primarily used to age wines immediately following fermentation, and also as fermentation vessels. This contact with oak assists with the development and maturation of the wine, adding character and sophistication.
In France, the oak used for wine barrels typically originates from one of the following five forests: Allier, Tronçais, Vosges, Nevers and Limousin. Like terroir and wine grapes, the oak trees grown in each of these forests impart slightly different flavors and structures in wine. Different locations have different climates, which result in more or less tightly grained trees. In turn, the tightness of the grain has a profound influence on flavors in the final wines.
During the maturation of a wine, the porous, yet tightly grained nature of oak allows for micro levels of oxygenation and evaporation. As oxygen reaches the wine through tiny pores in the wood, it helps to soften tannins in red varietals. To ensure that there is no adverse impact on
quality through evaporation and oxygenation during aging, barrels are
“topped off” with wine as necessary.
Another factor that plays a pivotal role in an oak barrel’s influence is its toast level. At the cooperage during the bending and shaping process, a cooper will toast the inside of the barrel with fire so that it takes on a slight char. This toasting–at its various levels–can impact the tannin profile in a wine. It can also contribute different flavors during the aging process. A few of the flavors commonly found in wines exposed to oak include vanilla, cream and allspice in white wines, and chocolate, mocha, tobacco, burnt sugar, smoke and cedar in red wines. When ordering oak barrels from cooperages, winemakers specify their desired toast levels. These levels range from light to heavy toast, with several options in between. The process of pairing toast levels with a particular lot of wine is an intuitive one that requires a clear understanding of both the wine and the barrel.
Another key consideration in a good barrel program is diversity. Like a well-stocked pantry, a diversity of barrels gives a winemaker different options and different ways to respond to the inherent character of specific wines (or the personality of a vintage). As a result, many winemakers use a diverse range of barrels. This diversity most frequently encompasses an array of cooperages from different regions, the grain of the wood, and the toast level of the barrel.
The Duckhorn Way
Here at Duckhorn, we have been refining our barrel program since 1978, exploring the interplay between oak barrels from the best French coopers and wine from our Estate sources and elite partner growers. This exploration has resulted in a cutting-edge barrel program at Duckhorn Vineyards that utilizes as many as 25 different types of barrels from 18 individual coopers. As part of the winemaker’s spice rack, each type of barrel brings something unique to the table.
This said, all of the barrels we use are French oak. Though we have done experimental trials with oak from other countries, the tight-grained nature of French oak has always been our stylistic gold standard, contributing a certain elegance to our wines that is apparent in the overall sensory profile. All of these barrels are produced by hand, using wood from such forests as Allier and Tronçais. We focus on wood from these forests because of its tightness of grain– but also for a subtle spice profile that is unique to both locations. Just as important, this wood is air dried and aged for two to three years before it ever sees a drop of wine.
There are other important factors that also shape our barrel program at Duckhorn Vineyards. For instance, approximately 60 percent of the barrels we use are traditionally fire toasted, while the remainder are immersion water-bent barrels. Water-bent barrels allow a deeper penetration of toasting, while breaking down harsher elements in the wood. As a result, they can produce softer tannins and less astringent wines.
And while toast levels in oak barrels can range from light to heavy, we have found a sweet spot in the toast range of medium to medium-plus. From a stylistic standpoint, experience has taught us that these are the levels that generally frame our wines most effectively–adding oak-inspired structure and refinement. Finally, all of our barrels are the standard 60-gallon size that is traditional for Bordeaux varietals. In the winery, these barrels will only be used for two vintages.
In the end, our winemaking team pairs each lot of fruit with the barrel that suits it best. In addition, the team will occasionally age a single lot of wine in two or three different types of barrels to add complexity. “There is no formula,” says winemaker Bill Nancarrow. “And a barrel that works for a particular vineyard block in one vintage may not be right the next vintage. This said, choosing the right barrel is a process of experience, instinct and intuition. Sometimes you are accentuating a characteristic; other times you are adding depth or contrast. Either way, every year your understanding grows and you learn new things.”