Pinot Press Complete

Freshly pressed 2025 Volatus Pinot Noir

First red of the season is almost in barrel. We pressed the 2025 Pinot Noir the other day after a perfect 12 day fermentation. Throughout the ferm the wine looked and smelled incredible. Killer color, for a Pinot, and great fruit and spice characteristics. When the primary fermentation, converting sugar to alcohol, is complete we first drain the free run juice from the skins and solids in the fermentation bin. Free run is often considered a higher quality wine as the juice runs “free” via gravity and is not a result of a pressurized squeezing of the solids. Just over four barrels of free run this year and it is delicious. Once gravity is complete, we load the skins and solids into a large bladder press that resembles a cylindrical colander with an inflatable bag in the middle. As the bag is inflated to higher pressure, it squeezes the remaining wine from the skins. We normally press to only about 1 Bar for our reds and whites, this keeps the pressure relatively low and we do not get any of the bitter possibilities from wine trapped near the inner skins.

Next up is malolactic fermentation, often called the secondary (technically it is an enzymatic reaction and not a fermentation but no need to be super technical.) We add specific bacteria to the wine after it is pressed. This slowly converts the malic acid, which trends towards a green apple flavor, into lactic acid. The process creates a great mouthfeel and a better tasting experience for most reds and some whites, although we do not use malolactic on any of our white wines.

Wine will go into barrel this week and age for about a year before bottling next August. We will, once again, use barrels from Montgillard. Coopered in Nuits St Georges, Burgundy, France these barrels are custom made for Pinot and deliver the classic Volatus flavor profile. Paso Pinot Baby!

Fight’s On!

Bull Schmitt