harvest reports
Batonage
To My Friends:
Wine is a living thing. We like to get it to barrel as soon as possible so it can get on with its evolution. When new wine is racked to barrel, it is full of small grape particles and yeast cells. It looks like fresh squeezed juice complete with the pulp. After a while, this sediment settles to the bottom of the barrels. If left on the bottom too long, the sediment breaks down and causes an off odor in wine. Depending on the wine, we periodically (every one to four weeks) stir the lees and sediment off the bottom with a special tool called a baton (see photo). We stir both red and white wine barrels. The French call this process "batonage". Mixing up the sediment and lees in a barrel has several important effects on the quality of the wine:
- It introduces small amounts of oxygen, which helps soften red wine tannins.
- Stirring coats the inside of the barrels with sediment, slowing down the oaking process and better integrating the oak flavors into the wine.
- As yeast and sediment are stirred (batonaged) into the wine, they add a beautiful roundness and creaminess to the wine.
- Mixing sediment and yeast into the wine creates spice, chocolate, yeast and toast aromas and flavors.
We stir Chardonnay and Pinot Noir the most, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot twice a month. It is all done by hand, while thinking good thoughts.
Stirring coats the inside of the barrels with sediment, slowing down the oaking process and better integrating the oak flavors into the wine.
Benziger Family Vineyards
Sonoma Mountain, April 15, 2001