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The Family | Meet The Family | Winery Factoids | Our Story | Tasting Room | Wine Awards | Wine 101 | Commercial Filming
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Barrels 101...
There are only three factors Wilson Creek uses to affect the final style of the wine such as its body, color, flavor, tannins, et al. The three factors are... Believe it or not, wines like to breathe. Unlike stainless steel tanks, barrels allow an exchange of air through its wood. Yes, some of the wine actually evaporates through the barrels, so the barrels must be topped off to avoid any space or oxygen contact with the wine. If any of you have made it to our barrel room, you would have seen we have both barrels and stainless steel tanks. Both are needed to capture the style of the wine we are after. Typically, white wines are stored in stainless tanks, and red wines in oak barrels. Chardonnay is one of the few white wines that may benefit from barrel fermentation or barrel aging. Oak barrels have been used for thousands of years, and we still use them because it is still THE best way to age and add complex flavors to wine. We are a bit more scientific and intentional in HOW the barrels are made and used, but there is no better way or wood to perfect a wine. While there are three types of barrels that vintners can select from (America Oak, French Oak, and European Oak), the finer grains in the wood are found in French Oak trees. It is for this reason that Wilson Creek uses mostly French Oak barrels to enhance the flavor, acidity and tannins for Mike's Chardonnay and delicate Merlot creations. But when our wine maker is looking for a bolder oakiness, he likes to use older American oak barrels because of their larger grain.
French oak vs. American oakAmerican oak is becoming more popular as an alternative to French oak for making barrels in which to age wine as quality improves and vintners learn how to treat the wood to meet their needs. Marked by strong vanilla, dill and cedar notes, it is used primarily for aging Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel, for which it is the preferred oak. It's less desirable, although used occasionally, for Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Many California and Australia wineries use American oak, yet claim to use French oak because of its more prestigious image. American oak barrels sell in the $300 range, compared to more than $600+ for the French onesWe are very particular about the forests our barrels come from and the amount of "toast" each one receives. Before each barrel is ready to house the wine, it must first get toasted. That is, they get heated over a fire in the center of the barrel. Traditionally, the fire is made from the same wood scraps and chips created in the barrel making process. The toast gives the wine the oak flavors of the Cabernet and the buttery vanilla flavors found in the Chardonnay. The most common toast level is "medium toast". Without proper management a barrel can easily become the costliest part of creating a wine. A barrel's life expectancy is only three years before it needs to be replaced; and at a cost of up to $800 a barrel, that's nothing to breathe easy about – if you'll pardon the pun! A new barrel provides a higher impact on a wine and each life year of the barrel decreases the impact on the wine by about one-half. This means that a one-year old barrel will have one-half the effect of a new barrel; and a two-year old barrel will have one-quarter effect; and in year three, just one-eighth the effect of the overall style of the wine. The trick is to find the right balance for the wine you're creating. Some wines such as our Cabernet Sauvignon (what we call the "Brat" of all wines because it takes so much TLC) do well in a new French barrel; while our Mourvedre prefers the elegance and comfort of an older barrel. Of course there are some of our wines, like Chardonnay that does well in a medium oak barrel. After the three year life, we either sell the barrels or we cut the barrels in half, put top soil in it and add flowers. |
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