wine with roots

"To make a wine like Tribute-a wine completely connected to our Sonoma Mountain property through Biodynamics-the winemaker has to be part of the whole picture," says Mike Benziger. For him, understanding and encouraging the relationship between root systems, sunshine, vine growth and varietal personality is integral to crafting Tribute as the truest, most authentic representation of our estate vineyard.

Harvest

One to two days before picking, all compromised fruit is dropped. The decision to pick is ultimately dependent on the flavor and tannin quality of the grapes. That is the single most critical decision a winemaker will make and it is make solely on the basis of the taste. When a grape is ready to give it color, flavor, tannin and textural components, the wine almost makes itself.

For maximum freshness, grapes are picked in the cool morning hours between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Grapes are field sorted and culled again before they are carried to the winery, just a few hundred feet away. They are crushed immediately using the latest equipment, which treats the grapes gently,while extracting maximum flavor and minimum bitterness.