No rest post harvest! The work in our vineyard continues with remontage and écoulage—two crucial steps in the winemaking process. Without giving away too many of our winemaking secrets, we thought you might enjoy learning a bit more about these fascinating techniques that play a key role in shaping the character and quality of our wines.
What is Remontage?
Remontage, or "pumping over," is a method where we pump the juice from the bottom of the fermentation tank over the cap of grape skins at the top. This process ensures that the wine extracts the optimal amount of color, tannin, and flavor from the skins, while also introducing oxygen to the fermenting wine, helping to develop complexity and structure. At Canon Chaigneau, we perform remontage three times a day, every day for two weeks straight, alternating from tank to tank, to tank to aerated vat outside the tank. It's an intense, physically demanding process, but one that is crucial to achieving the exceptional quality of our wines.
Why Do We Do It?
The cap of grape skins can dry out and trap the aromas and flavors we want to impart into the wine. By circulating the juice back over the cap, we maximize the extraction of these elements, ensuring that each bottle of our wine is rich, yet balanced, full of the bold flavors that define Château Canon Chaigneau but without being over concentrated. Plus, introducing oxygen during remontage helps in stabilizing the wine, ensuring a smoother finish.
What is Écoulage?
Once fermentation is complete, we move on to écoulage, or "racking." This process involves draining the wine from the tanks, separating the liquid from the grape skins and seeds. It's a delicate step, as it prepares the wine for the aging process.
The wine that results from écoulage is clear, with the boldest flavors now integrated. The remaining solids, known as the marc, are very gently pressed to extract not quite every last bit of liquid, to make a separate cuve of ‘vin de presse’ —a key component which we then blend into our main wine for additional flavor, depth, and complexity in our wines.
Why Does This Matter?
These processes, though labor-intensive, are essential for achieving the elegant yet powerful wines that we aim to craft. It's during this phase that we carefully monitor the wine's progress, ensuring it will meet the high standards we—and you—expect from each vintage.
As we continue through this exciting and intense period of vinification, we thank you for your continued support and patience. Orders might take a little longer as we focus our energy on perfecting the wines of this year’s harvest.