Vineyard: Open Hand Ranch is a 10 acre, family-run organic vineyard and farm planted in the 80s. Surrounded by oak and bay trees and a diverse landscape of native plants, fruit trees and other vegetation, biodiversity and regenerative farming practices are standard practice.

Method: The Chardonnay and Pinotage were co-fermented in the “reverse saignée” method: ½ of the fruit was added to a fermenter as uncrushed whole clusters and the other half was direct-pressed juice that was pressed into those clusters and pumped over daily. This was left on the skins for 9 days when it was then pressed and aged in 7,000L neutral oak foudre.

The foot-trod Merlot was destemmed. After one week with no cap management, the wine was pressed to tank, then barreled down for 7 months in 225L neutral oak. The 2 components spent 6 months aging before racking and blending together in the bottling tank. As always, bottled unfined, unfiltered with no addition of SO2.