2016 09 19 HARVESTLB 112

Winemaking Approach

“As I make the wine, I refer back to that grape I tasted off the vine—delicious with layers of fruit, perfectly ripe. I'm creating a thread all the way through so that when our bottle is uncorked it is delivering the deliciousness of the grape on the vine. When we make wine we are telling a story.”

–VP of Winemaking + Vineyards, Jennifer Higgins

 Our approach to winemaking is straightforward and relentless: chase excellence in every detail. By keeping production small and standards incredibly high, we make no compromise and spare no expense. The result is a portfolio of small lot world-class wines that captures the essence of the vineyard and vintage, year after year.

Jen Holiday V3

Our fruit is harvested once each cluster has achieved ideal ripeness, often with multiple picking dates within a single vineyard block. At our Healdsburg winery, each harvested lot is hand sorted down to the berry and then delivered to small batch fermenters before being gently pressed.  We age each small lot separately until just prior to bottling.  Given the individual blocks, multiple harvest dates, and barrel options, the winemaking team may work with unique lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and other Bordeaux varietals for our signature Crane Creek Cuvee alone.  Harmonizing the finest lots, Jennifer targets authenticity in her final blend—a complete, balanced portrait of the perfectly ripened fruit on the vine.