Post Harvest

Once the hustle and bustle of harvest has past, and the wines are put to bed to begin aging in barrel, our winemaking team begins to turn its attention to the previous vintage and next part of the cycle: blending and bottling.  This is one of my favorite parts of the cycle, though to some extent we are always blending and tasting something in the cellar.  This is a fascinating, gratifying, and sometimes nerve racking process of assessing the wines in your cellar, and using trial and error to find the right blend.  It takes a lot of time and energy to get a sense of each wine, oftentimes requiring many tastings.  Additionally, the blending process is surprisingly non-linear, and it is hard to predict what combination of lots will make the best, most harmonious wine.  For example, one would assume that putting the two best lots in the cellar would make an incredible blend.  In reality, it is not always so, and the complexity of the wine matrix, with all the subtle combinations of tannin, anthocyanin, and acidity, makes trial and error a necessity.  Taking consistent notes, tasting in a consistent manner, and having a trained group of tasters are all key elements of the tasting and blending process.  Each of the winemakers hone each blend until it is ready to present to the larger team.  Since the first vintage of Duckhorn in 1978, it has been our custom to present the final blend options to the larger group of winemakers, garnering valuable perspective and feedback on each wine, as well as giving the team a vision of what is to come.  Pictured below is the team tasting through potential 2014 Canvasback blends, which is especially fascinating for California winemakers learning about a new region.

At Duckhorn Wine Company, I am convinced we have a truly unique team dynamic.  Each of our brands has a dedicated winemaker, each a specialist in her or his field, with extensive experience in the world of wine.  In addition, these are all folks who love their craft.  As a result, we have some pretty incisive, yet wide ranging discussions on the finer points of winemaking, style concepts, blending, etc.  I feel lucky to be a part of such a dynamic team, and feel like I learn something every time we get together.