Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage

We’re pleased to congratulate Rosendo Leon, who has been named Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage’s 2011 Employee of the Year.

A plaque honoring him has been placed in the cooperage, alongside past honorees.

Rosendo has been with the company for 18 some years and is in charge of toasting. At any given time, he oversees ten barrels on the fires.

We sat down with him (briefly—getting time away from the toasting floor is a challenge) for a few questions.

What’s your favorite part of coopering?

Toasting. It’s all about giving our barrels the best toast possible, while they are on the fire.

Is toasting an art or science?

Both, hands down.

Do you have a favorite toast?

Definitely medium. It smells so good. You use a smaller fire than you do for medium plus or heavy toast, and the flavors and aromas are the best.

Can you tell the difference between American and French oak toasting?

Of course. American oak has a much stronger smell. French oak is much softer, with beautiful soft aromas.

More pictures of him in action can be seen in Kristopher Skinner’s audio-visual slideshow (Bay Area News Group):

Congrats again, Rosendo!

What factors aid in the formation of Brettanomyces? This yeast, which can develop in red wines, turns phenol acids into undesirable phenolic compounds such as 4-ethylphenol, which confers ink, horse sweat or manure-type aromas to the wine, depending on the concentration.

What role can barrels play in Brett in wine? Do new barrels lead to it?  Does cellobiose have a role? The Seguin Moreau R&D department, led by Dr. Andrei Prida, addressed these questions in the cooperage’s PANORAMA.

Our R&D team is collecting research on various aging pitfalls, from Brett to volatile acidity, to better assist winemakers during the winemaking process. Future topics to follow.

Answers to the above questions are below, supplemented by additional details and information in the PANORAMA, along with suggestions on reducing contamination.

1. What factors aid in the formation of Brettanomyces?

∙ Stuck or sluggish fermentations

∙ Residual sugars: A 0.5 g/l sugar concentration is sufficient for this yeast to develop and then spoil the wine

∙ Low degree of alcohol

∙ SO2 concentration inferior to 0.4 mg/L

∙ High pH (>3.65)

∙ Poor cellar hygiene

2. What role can barrels play in Brett in wine?

The barrel itself is not a source of Brett. Wood is a material with little nutritional value and isn’t particularly attractive to the yeast. Moreover, barrel oak is subjected to high temperature thermal treatment during toasting and coopering, which eliminates all possibility of the presence of Brett on the surface.

A barrel becomes a source of Brett if it is contaminated by an external element.

3. Do new barrels lead to Brett? Does cellobiose have a role in developing it?

Certain specialists refer to cellobiose, one of the sugars in the wood that can potentially be released during wine-wood contact, generally with new barrels or single-use barrels. According to them, this sugar is extracted by the wine and represents a nutritional source for Brett—it thus promotes its growth.

The R&D Department, along with university programs, has carried out research analyses on cellobiose and other sugars from wood that can potentially be extracted by the wine on toasted and untoasted woods. The results obtained using ionic chromatography (LAREAL laboratory) indicate that the quantity of releasable cellobiose does not permit the concentration of this compound to increase by more than 5 mg/L. Analysis of the other sugars shows similar results (<10-20 mg/L). This quantity of sugars supplied by the wood is thus minimal in comparison to the quantity of sugars naturally present in the wine.

*Additional questions not answered here or the pdf? Drop us a note, and we’ll get back to you.

Winemaker Christian Roguenant has a background in Champagne, where he worked for a few years, though he was raised in Burgundy.

He brings together that knowledge from the Old World and then applies it to his winemaking at Baileyana in Edna Valley (California). Christian says:

“I understand the art of blending. And how a lot of different lots blended together really make a more complex wine.”

Clones are treated separately in the vineyard and throughout the process, from picking to yeasts to barrel programs.

He loves how he is able to work with many varied vineyard sites and fruit, encompassing five different clones of Chardonnay and six different clones of Pinot Noir. The clones are respectively picked at different levels of ripeness, and each clone of Chardonnay gets it own canopy management.

From there, yeasts and barrel programs are all tailored to the specific clones as well, before Christian and the winemaking team put together blends.

After a flurry of catchup after the Unified Symposium, we are off and running for February.

While our R&D team designed the ICÔNE Elegance barrel for full-bodied reds, we have winemakers worldwide trying it in different ways to fit their barrel programs and winemaking style.

At Baileyana Winery on the Central Coast of California, winemaker Christian Roguenant focuses on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There he’s discovered a fit with ICÔNE and one specific wine.

He makes three distinct Chardonnays: El Gordo in a rich, concentrated style, Firepeak Cuvee in a California style with a French touch, and the S-Bar, which is more influenced by the French style. The S-Bar, for Select Blocks and Rows, sees only ICÔNE barrels for delicate aromatics and subtle sweet oak.

Hear what Christian has to say about the wine:

Yesterday featured the 2011 Vintage Report, organized by Fruition Sciences in Napa, California and with a keynote by Michel Rolland.

While Northern California continued to wait for rain, many local winemakers, growers, vineyard managers, and industry suppliers met to talk about the past (rainy) harvest.

Among others, notable quotes of the day came from wine consultant & Atelier Melka winemaker Philippe Melka and Silver Oak director of winemaking Daniel Baron. Though paraphrased here, Philippe said, “The 2011 vintage was like a blind date. The key—don’t panic.”

For Daniel, 2011 reminded him of the 1972 vintage. “Most of you weren’t around then. Lots and lots of rain,” he told the crowd. “Lucky for us, we won’t have to experience something like that again for another 40 years.”

Seguin Moreau R&D Manager Andrei Prida joined Steve Price of ETS Laboratories, Dr. Roger Boulton of UC Davis, and Austin Peterson of Ovid Wines, to look at how the harvest shaped fruit composition and finished wines.

Andrei’s presentation, “Predictive model of oak profile in wines. The basis for barrel recommendation,”  was based on research he has done on finding which chemicals are present in wood, and for wine, which sensory-active compounds enhance or suppress particular attributes in wine, say fresh fruit, volume, and structure.

Here’s a snapshot detailing some of the compounds and results:

A toast to the New Year from everyone at Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage.

At this beginning of 2012, we are prepping for the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, along with the Vintage Report.

And we’re going to hear from Christian Roguenant, winemaker at Baileyana Winery in the Edna Valley, on Central Coast winemaking and oak programs for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Oak on Chardonnay can be a polarizing topic in the wine world, but to everything there is a season. Christian discusses the winery’s different oak programs for Chardonnay wines, where in some instances he looks for a perceptive oak impact and in others, a preservation of minerality amidst extra creaminess.

Here in Napa in mid to late December, the hills are beginning to change from brown to green, and most of the vineyards have lost their leaves. Just before the holidays, we have 2011 harvest reports in from Southern California, as well as the Midwest and East Coast.

On the Central Coast, Michele Testa says 2011 was a difficult growing season: Growers faced high mildew and botrytis pressure throughout the year, frost damage in April, and a substantial amount of rain in early October. The year was cool and damp, with yields low throughout due to poor fruit set and growing conditions. Quality varied depending on location and variety; most winemakers with earlier ripening varieties reported good quality, while some winemakers with later ripening varieties faced botrytis issues from the October rains. Overall, the 2011 harvest was a difficult one—one that many are glad to have behind them.

Across the United States—results were mixed, depending in many cases on rain. One winery in one spot might have been spared the worst, while a nearby winery 20 miles away might have lost 50% of their crop.

Dan Brick reports: The Midwest was spared weather woes that the two coasts dealt with. Indiana had very good harvest in terms of volume and quality, seeing excellent results from the Traminette, Chambourcin (French-American hybrid), and Chancellor grapes. In Minnesota, the hardy varieties of Frontenac, LaCrescent and Marquette all performed well.

Michigan had an excellent crop as well—huge volumes and high quality. The Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris looked great, as did Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Bryan Ulbrich at Left Foot Charley in Traverse City trialed the Fraîcheur barrel for Pinot Gris, getting the distinctiveness of the acacia and the very fresh floral character.

Texas had a very tough year, owing greatly to drought. Virginia saw lots of rain, especially during the hurricane season. New York was also hit hard by rains. On the other side of the Mississippi, Colorado winemakers enjoyed a better crop than last year, though they still lost some of it.

It was a topsy-turvy harvest in California, especially the Napa & Sonoma Valleys, as well as the Central Coast (updates to follow). There were no constants—except some crazy weather patterns. And things weren’t much different in other parts of the States and Canada.

Adam Schulz reported in from the Pacific Northwest:

The Washington harvest was severely affected by a winter freeze, pre-Thanksgiving, in 2011. The estimated total crop was down across Washington 20 to 25 percent.  Rains through June and cool temperatures had vineyard managers and winemakers alike concerned about ripening by October.   September, luckily, was the warmest September in 35 years, and sped ripening along.  A warmer than usual October allowed most varietals in conservatively cropped viticultural situations to reach full physiological ripeness. Brix levels ran about two full Brix lower than usual, but flavor development was excellent, and vegetal flavors were absent in low tonnage situations. Many winemakers say that their wines will be more low-alcohol, high-acid, like those of the Bordeaux vineyards with whom they share a latitudinal parallel.

Oregon experienced their second consecutive cool vintage. Fruit set was optimized by the cool and rainy spring. The warm August and September proved a boon for Oregonian vintners, and cluster/color thinning done during veraison helped to facilitate ripening.  Many winemakers praised the flavor development and racy acidity, predicting these wines will be longer lived than some of their hotter vintage counterparts.

In southern Ontario, Mario Felx says that harvest 2011 will go down in the history books as one wild ride, with rain, heat and even more rain:

Spring began with constant rain and remained cold and wet. Add to that a late bud break, and the vintage looked like it was heading for disaster. July and August were exceptionally warm and dry. Everything began to look good as September approached, and winemakers anticipated repeating the wonderful vintage of 2010, only to face more heavy rain. Wineries were caught in the unenviable position of picking between periods of rain. Grapes that needed extended sun time exposure suffered more, though most winemakers agreed 2011 would be a good vintage for Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2011 harvest has finished here in the Napa Valley, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and a good number of barrels have shipped out and are resting in cellar. At the cooperage we aren’t done with the year but are prepping for the next already. Unified anyone? Too soon?

As we worked on our new site, we developed a spot for detailed, specific answers about oak and a chance to hear from master coopers, our sales reps (all of whom make wine), other winemakers, and from the research & development team.

For a start, we’ll be looking at controlling brettanomyces, length of aging time in specific barrels, and we’ll hear from Christian Roguenant about barrel aging Chardonnay.

Cheers,

The Seguin Moreau team