Does anyone in CA/OR/WA co-ferment?

I have a winemaker in the Rhone (Montfaucon, info HERE and [u]HERE[/u]) who co-ferments his basic red, Les Gardettes. It’s a mix of Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan and Mourvedre, all fermented together in cement. The result is what I think is a complex bottle of wine that retails for about $10. Then again, I am obviously biased. [blush2.gif]

Maybe this is a stupid question, but I am curious if winemakers in the New World co-ferment, and if so which wineries do it and what are the results? Do you feel it adds more complexity versus doing a post-fermentation assemblage?
Cheers! [gen_fro.gif]

Are you asking for nationally distributed examples that are widely available?

Pretty much everyone I know does some co-ferments. Some only with trusted vineyards, or in excellent vintages, and only when a blend is predestined, which doesn’t always happen in the world of small releases.

Mary,

No, I was just curious if this was a common practice. Most of the blends in the portfolio are post-fermentation assemblages, I didn’t know if others (especially in the New World) co-fermented and if it was a common method.
Cheers! [gen_fro.gif]

Michel,
The 2006 Old Black Magic from Edmunds St. John is a co-fermentation of grenache and several differently sourced lots of syrah.
And while I can not speak for Steve, I thought the bottling successful.
Best, Jim

Ah. It’s a very efficient use of space, and it is commonly believed to lend complexity, so if a vigneron trusts his vineyard source to produce quality fruit even in difficult vintages it’s a great way to go … The difficulty though is that you cannot turn back the clock, and many characteristics of a finished wine do not really become evident until after the wine has finished fermenting and is nearing completion of its barrel program.

As Mary mentioned, it sort of depends on what the juice is destined to become. I’ve heard of co-fementing different lots of the same grape, co-fermenting reds with whites, and adding skins of a different variety to the main grape while fermenting. So, I think everybody dabbles in it, but I wouldn’t call it “common.” Plus, it’s a matter of timing. If the varieties don’t get harvested at roughly the same time, it’s a more difficult matter to co-ferment.

We usually crush 11-12 tons from our Butterdragon Hill vineyard. Of that, usually less than a ton is Merlot. We prefer to ferment separately but doing custom crush, space at the winery hasn’t always been available so in many years, we’ve cofermented the Merlot and Cab.

We’ve never had any problems with cofermentation and in years when we’ve fermented separately, we’ve eventually blended in the Merlot anyway.

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for your responses! I’ll have to look for that Edmunds St John bottling, that sounds interesting.

In my winemaker’s case, it’s all from biodynamically-farmed vineyards that are hand-harvested. As you say, timing is important, but most of the stuff comes in at the same time (from what I’ve seen, of course this varies from year to year). Personally, I think his Les Gardettes is awesome stuff (distributed by First Crush in Seattle) and really complex for a wine at that price point. Again, I am biased, so take it for what it’s worth.

Again, thanks for all your thoughts. [notworthy.gif]
Cheers! [gen_fro.gif]

I know a winemaker that coferments wine with marijuana…

Seriously, it is done but from what I have seen at smaller producers I’ve been associated with is to keep lots separate and then blend at the end. Of course, if they end up with a component where there isn’t a lot of material they’ll just coferment.

Is that actually co-fermentation? The weed ferments too?
Ruby Doobie Doo
Gone to Pot

I doubt the weed actually ferments but the weed may cook a little during fermentation…never had the wine but did smell a glass and damn if it didn’t smell like weed laced wine

I know who you’re talking about and I’ve tasted the wine. The first time the proportions were a bit off, skewed a bit heavily to weed side. I know he was going to cut down on the amount the next time around, but I haven’t tasted it. I was given the wine blind and asked what it was. I asked jokingly if they had cofermented with oregano. I guess I was kinda close? [shock.gif]

When I was making sangiovese I always cofermented with either syrah or merlot. Does wonders for lower phenolic concentration wines like sangio. I think viognier in syrah is pretty darn good too.

Sounds like something from Anderson Valley or Sonoma Coast?

That’s hilarious…were there, um, other effects after having a glass?

I asked the same question. Apparently, the jury was still out. Or at least they couldn’t remember [haha.gif]
I told them they should have a little basket of doritos to serve with the wine…

Other than blacking out and thinking the world was made up of liquid purple, I think it didn’t affect me…

I know there are at least a couple of producers co-fermenting syrah and viognier in the Columbia Valley and I believe McCrea is one of them. I just checked and they do co-ferment for their Cuvee Orleans. As I understand it, this particular practice can be tricky because of the challenges of getting the fruit ripe at the same time.

Todd Hamina has viognier in both his syrahs but I don’t know if they were co-fermented or assembled.

I wish I could remember all that have said so but there are at least several wine makers in California that do or have done the Viognier cofermented with Syrah thing. It’s common in Northern Rhone I believe?

I’ve had two versions of the pot laced wine.
While I really liked the white one made with
Chenin Blanc the red last year was only OK…

IIRC, the ratio was 5 gal wine to 2 oz pot

I actually think we may be talking about 2 different people. [shock.gif]
The first I tasted was Malvasia (I think) but it was a full barrel. And I think the ratio was a pound of THC to the 60gallons.

I’d love to see that winery try to get that THC-laced wine past the TTB. Now THAT would be hilarious. [rofl.gif]

I think I recall hearing that some folks in the Northern Rhone co-ferment Viognier into their Syrah but most do the assemblage post-fermentation.

Pretty cool discussion, thanks folks! :sunglasses: