Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Hello March... Hello 2008 Merlot

A Great Day for a Great Merlot!

We are ready to bottle our 2008 Merlot, only nine months to go and then ... the unveiling :)

Today we were fortunate to be greeted with sunshine and not rain, a slight breeze will definitly keep the crew cool but with all their hard work they should stay toasty warm.
We have our pallets all lined up and ready to go. On a good day we can bottle up to 1,800 cases! But thats when everything is running perfectly, it happens-  but not as often as one hopes!
It all begins here, in this fermenation tank. The vintage has already been blended and is awaiting the bottles.
Here is a preview of our new bottle for our new labels :) They are slightly less tapered allowing them to stack better.
Lets begin!! This pallet of bottles will be set on a table with a conveyer belt taking it through the machine in the truck to get its wonderful nectar, 08 Merlot, a label, and its capsul.
Once the bottles are finished they get a last inspection and placed in our six pack and rolled down to a pallet to be stacked and then stored; awaiting a loving cellar to call home someday!