Hello from the Sebastopol Hills. In this newsletter, I wanted to discuss one of the most obvious, but oftentimes overlooked characteristics of wine: Color! Why the color is deep in Kanzler Pinot Noir, particularly your new bottles of 2018, and how the shade relates to what you’re going to taste.
First off, where does red wine’s color come from? Not from the grape juice itself. Our strikingly pale 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir gives a close approximation of the color of fresh Pinot Noir juice. We made it from juice separated from the Pinot Noir ferments with essentially zero ‘skin contact.’ So if fresh grape juice from Pinot Noir is naturally so light, how do our red Pinot Noirs become so dark?
Most of the color in your glass comes from the grape skins, and is extracted into the wine during the winemaking process. A winemaker can enhance or suppress this extraction with a number of tools. I’m careful about which tools I use and how, because I don’t want to over-handle the grapes. Some tricks for increasing the color and tannin extraction are methods I want to avoid because I consider them harsh: crushing the fruit before it goes into tank, adding commercial enzymes to break down the skins, allowing the ferment to get very hot (heat increases extraction, just like making a cup of tea or coffee), high alcohol (alcohol is a solvent), and doing a lot of punchdowns.
Instead, I look to perhaps the most explored but still controversial (and confusing) strategy to manipulate color and tannin: adjusting the time period the juice/wine spends in contact with the skins. When a winemaker chooses to extend this contact after primary fermentation is complete, we call it “extended maceration.”
Beginning in 2018, I’ve experimented more with extended maceration and the results have been varied but overall quite promising. The trouble is that there’s no strict formula that dictates: “more maceration = more extraction = better wine.” One runs the risk of making the wine too extracted (bitter, homogeneous/boring, grapey) or of allowing spoilage organisms to get into the wine, among other potential negatives. Moreover, the progress of extended maceration isn’t linear with a defined endpoint. Sometimes the wine tastes okay at 14 days on skins, worse at 16 days, but then excellent at 20 days. So one needs the time, patience, logistical space, and persistence to watch the wine ride this rollercoaster.
I usually taste from the tank at least twice per day during extended maceration, watching for that moment the wine comes out for the better, with more color, more flavor, and silkier tannins, but still fresh and vibrant. Once the wine tastes right, we press it within 12 hours.
For context, I reckon most Pinot Noir winemakers would agree that a “standard” Pinot Noir fermentation is about 12–14 days on skins. Anything less than 12, I would consider short; anything longer than 14, I’d consider extended.
In 2018, we had one lot pressed at 12 days, the vast majority at 14–15 days, and one lot at 16 days. So this vintage we skewed longer, but not dramatically. After promising results, I went much harder in 2019: we had one lot at 12 days, one lot at 15 days, the majority at 16 days, one at 17 days, and one at 20 days.
A logistical consideration is that wineries have a limited number of tanks, so you can run into problems with space if you’re occupying a tank with extended maceration and it affects your ability to pick and process the next round of grapes. You could be doing yourself more harm than good. As with the vast majority of winemaking decisions, we let our palates be the guide while also weighing and managing every piece of a massive puzzle that changes shape at Nature’s whim.
For the most part, the techniques I use in the cellar are extremely traditional. But it’s always important to explore, learn, and try to get a bit better every year.
Keeping our wine production intentionally small, and working with the same estate fruit and three other familiar vineyards, affords me the space to be thoughtful and a little experimental. I’m thankful for this. And I’m very thankful for your appreciation of the resulting wines.
My family sends you our warmest wishes during this strange and difficult time in the world (and good cheer in bottle form). We hope you get lots of pleasure from joining us on this winemaking journey as we continue to fine-tune our craft and bring out the very best our vineyards have to offer.
ALEX KANZLER
Winemaker
