P A S S I O N

...making Pinot Noir from two of the greatest growing regions in the world: Willamette Valley, Oregon and Central Otago, New Zealand.

GRAVITY

After extensively remodeling and improving the existing facility in Oregon, Gypsy Dancer Estates Pinot Noir is crafted by gravity. Pinot Noir is the most sensitive wine. Its subtle nuances, complexity and structure must be protected by handling the grapes and wine very gently. Gravity, rather than using pumps, is how we achieve this at Gypsy Dancer Estates.

The grapes are meticulously hand-sorted prior to fermentation. Using custom-designed, one-ton oak and stainless steel fermentation tanks, the whole grapes and whole clusters added are cold-soaked for five to seven days, a process wherein the tanks are chilled and the juice is urged to soak up color and phenolics (aroma) from the stems, seeds and skins. Then the temperature is raised and fermentation begins via indigenous yeasts. At ideal alcohol levels, fermentation stops and the free run wine is sent by gravity to new French oak barrels positioned a level below the fermentation hall. There the wine ages for approximately one year.

OAK TANKS

The small French neutral oak cuves in which we ferment over half our Pinot Noir in Oregon and over 90% in New Zealand are one of the unique designs of Gary’s winemaking style that have proven for years to add complexity to his wines. While the temperatures on stainless steel tanks can be manipulated through their jackets, these wooden cuves hold the heat longer because the two-inch-thick wooden sides naturally act as an insulator. Additionally, the conical shape allows less surface area through which carbon dioxide (a bi-product of fermentation) can be released, resulting in a thicker cap of stems, seeds and skins. These two elements combined allow the color, mouthfeel, tannins, and texture to better integrate into the juice, creating a more complex and concentrated wine.

STAINLESS STEEL TANKS

After experimenting with these oak cuves, Gary designed a stainless steel tank which mimics how the oak cuves perform. Meaning, he created one-ton conical, square, stainless steel tanks with thermodynamic sides. These tanks actually have a double layer of stainless steel filled with foam. Unlike the oak tanks, the temperature can be manipulated by adding glycol to the foam to cool them; unlike regular stainless steel tanks, the heat holds longer because the foam acts as an insulator.

PRESSURIZED TANKS

Because of space limitations, it was not possible to create a level below the barrel room in which blending and bottling could be conducted by gravity. Hence, Gary borrowed an idea from the pharmaceutical industry and installed pressurized tanks for blending and bottling. In lieu of gravity and pumping, nitrogen or argon gas are used to gently push the wine from tank to the bottling line.