November in the winery arrives like a deep exhale. After weeks of fast-moving harvest chaos—fruit arriving at all hours, tanks bubbling, bins stacked like a game of Tetris—there are two moments that feel almost sacred.
First: the day the last fruit comes off the vine.
Second: the day the final red wine is pressed from its skins.
Those milestones mark the shift from mother nature’s control to the more patient, deliberate rhythm of cellar work. The wild part of harvest—the part where flavors transform by the hour—settles into a calmer cadence. Everything becomes liquid again. Everything becomes more stable. Change slows from a sprint to a long, steady walk.
But despite what many people assume (and what we’ve been asked too many times), the end of harvest doesn’t mean the work is over. Far from it. Now comes the tending, guiding, and quiet shaping that turns juice into a wine worthy of bottle and table.
All of our Sparkling, White, and Rosé wines have completed fermentation and are now naturally clarifying—a peaceful stage where gravity does its slow magic.
Some whites, however, are spending time in Delafont stainless steel barrels on their lees. These are stirred periodically in a classic sur-lie approach that adds depth and softness without muting the vibrant fruit character. Over the last 3–4 years, we’ve gradually increased how much Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio see this treatment. The result has been wonderfully successful: the wines remain true to their clean, crisp style, but with a more rounded, complete impression on the palate. The same… simply elevated.
After pressing, the red wines rest in tank for days or weeks, allowing solids to settle. Then we rack them—gently siphoning the clear wine off the sediment—setting the stage for the next essential chapter: malolactic fermentation. This secondary fermentation quietly transforms sharper malic acid (think tart green apple) into softer lactic acid (round and gentle, like dairy). It’s a crucial step, almost mandatory for reds, softening acidity and enhancing body. This slow, steady fermentation will continue for the next 6–8 weeks before the wines are racked again. The reds are already showing promise and character—early signs of a beautifully balanced vintage ahead.
If there’s one phrase to sum up this harvest, it’s this: 2025 is a very good year.
Across the board—from sparkling varieties to Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon—the fruit came in clean, flavorful, and well balanced. It’s a promising foundation for every wine now resting in tank or barrel. But now, with the frenzy behind us, we enter the season of patience. While the cellar hums at a softer, steadier tempo, we wait. And taste. And wait some more.
Or, as any wine lover knows… It’s officially “hurry up and wait” season.
