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winter
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spr ing
Here is where the vin de goutte from the third-floor fermentation tanks is sent via
gravity to the French Oak wine barrels to age for 18-24 months
Winemaker Nick DeLuca on the catwalk on the third level of the winery, checks
the lines that feed the Red Wine Fermenter tanks
The famous entrance to the “caves” area of the winery at Star Lane Vineyard; due
to safety concerns, it is not open to the general public
the different areas of the caves, allowing Nick to fine tune the wines
aging there.
The caves were dug with laser guides to ensure symmetry and a Bobcat
was used to clear the dirt. The backhoe dug into the mountain and the
Bobcat removed the dirt. As they went, the initial layer was made of steel
reinforcements and a product called Shotcrete, which can only be applied
in two-inch increments, to create the 14-inch thick walls that prevent the
tunnel from collapsing. The floors are also over 12 inches thick to support
the weight of the wine and equipment needed in winemaking.
The winemaking process at Star Lane is outlined here:
The Estate grapes are picked and sorted in the field by hand, using
scissors to reduce bleeding from the stems.
The fruit is brought to the winery’s crush pad, where it rides a conveyor
belt to a sorting table.
The stems are removed.
The fruit is sorted down to the individual grape, removing shriveled
The cave is positioned below and slightly behind the production
facility so that all the wine can be transferred to the barrel without
having to be pumped. Kurt believes that, “The use of gravity is
a much more gentle way to move the wine than conventional
pumping.”
Star Lane has 26,000 square feet of caves that extend into the
hillside, contain no wood, and are entirely encased in concrete
for maximum temperature and humidity control. Using a radiant
temperature system, the winery alters the temperature for each of
Food
Wine