Happenings

• 2010 Vintage

  Photo Journal

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  2010 Vintage Photo Journal
  
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  Day 26 - Monday 8^th March 2010
  
  Cellar Door staff get an opportunity to plunge the open top fermenters.
  
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  Day 24 - Saturday 6^th March 2010
  
  Wine Milkshake.  During fermentation yeast, formed by the transfer of sugars into alcohon, and stained pink by the juice, rises to the surface of the fermenter.
  
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  Day 23 - Friday 5^th March 2010
  
  The treasure at the end of the rainbow.  Sexton Chardonnay (Mendoza clone) begins what will be 11 months of maturation in French Oak.  These are just some of the 565 coopers that have been filled with juice so far this vintage.
  
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  Day 22 - Thursday 4^th March 2010
  
  Plunging the cold soaks and ferments.  Note the harness, as these open top fermenters sit several meters above the ground.  22 Days into vintage and we have processed 312,756 litres of juice... it is a very busy time of year.
  
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  Day 21 - Wednesday 3^rd March 2010
  
  Winemaker Penny Sear accidentally swallows some chardonnay ferment while siphoning for juice samples.  Happy Birthday to Penny for this coming Sunday!
  
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  Day 20 - Tuesday 2^nd March 2010
  
  Phylloxera is one of a number of pests and diseases that can be found in vineyards. The Yarra Valley Winegrowers Association have taken measures to prevent the spread of phylloxera this vintage. One such measure is the dipping of grape bins (pictured) in water above 70c for two minutes before being returned to the vineyards.
  
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  Day 19 - Monday 1^st March 2010
  
  Pinot from Gladysdale vineyard (undergoing a cold soak) has just been plunged for the final time today.  As the sun sets behind the winery, fermenters are wiped down and covers will go over the fruit for the night.
  
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  Day 18 - Sunday 28^th February 2010
  
  Pinot Noir continues to arrive from our growers vineyards.  Pinot in this tank is from Shaws Road - located in the Arthurs Creek area, this site is elevated and generally frost free.  The 2010 Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir is looking good.
  
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  Day 17 - Saturday 27^th February 2010
  
  After a cold soak and fermentation, the last of the fruit from the Pinot Noir ferments are shoveled straight into an airbag press where the remaining juice will be pressed from the fruit and then transferred into barrel for ageing.
  
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  Day 16 - Friday 26^th February 2010
  
  Mid-morning sunshine on the Sexton Vineyard.  This photo looks down a North-East facing slope of the Warramate ranges.  Below is the main dam on the vineyard.  Good summer rainfall kept the dam levels up and allowed us to irrigate the vines during the growing period.  Healesville sits nestled at the base of the ranges in the distance.
  
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  Day 15 - Thursday 25^th February 2010
  
  During vintage, juice samples are tested for sugar and acidity levels in the lab.  The sample on the right is of fruit that has just arrived at the winery.  It is interesting to see how the juice has darkened as it spends more time on skins and goes through fermentation. 
  
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  Day 14 - Wednesday 24th February 2010
  
  Chardonnay from the lower slopes of the Sexton Vineyard wait in the morning sunshine for picking.  After the difficulties of 2009, everyone involved with the winery are thrilled to see the fruit in such good condition come harvest.
  
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  Day 13 - Tuesday 23^rd February 2010
  
  Innocent Bystander chef Kirsty Chiaplis enjoys the fruits of the 2010 harvest between cooking pizzas. Over the past two weeks Chardonnay and Poinot Noir grapes have replaced lollies as the sugar hit of choice in the kitchen.
  
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  Day 12 - Monday 22^nd February 2010
  
  Post fermentation Pinot Noir grapes pressed by foot to extract the last of the juice.  Below, two tubs of juice already drained from the gravity flow fermenter, and the first of the French coopers that the juice will go into.
  
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  Day 11 - Sunday 21^st February 2010
  
  Winemaker Steve Flamsteed foot treads whole bunches of Chardonnay to create juice.  This is done in preparation for the addition of yeast cultures.  Whole bunches will be added on top and half way through fermentation the juice will be pressed and go straight in to French oak. 
  See a video of this process.
  
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  Day 10 - Saturday 20^th February 2010
  
  2010 Vintage Crew official photo.  We snapped them early before they became wine stained and sleep deprived.  Have a good one team.
  
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  Day 9 - Friday 19^th February 2010
  
  More chardonnay from the Sexton Vineyard is harvested - clone 95 from Block 1 on the lower slopes.  The picking team stands at 32 workers today as a big effort is being made to pick while the fruit is at its prime.  We tend to pick to taste rather than relying on the fruit reaching certain sugar levels, which explains why we are harvesting somewhat earlier than most Yarra growers.
  
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  Day 8 - Thursday 18^th February 2010
  
  Staff from our cellar door and restaurant gather around a bin of Mendoza chardonnay grapes from the Sexton Vineyard.
  Once a week the winemakers host 'wine school' for our staff, where the focus is on wines from various varities or regions.  Vintage represents a great opportunity for the staff spend time in the winery and brush up on the winemaking process.
  
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  Day 7 - Wednesday 17^th February 2010
  
  Winemaker Dave Mackintosh forgoes his morning coffee and starts the day with a sample of Pinot Gris from yesterday's pressing.  At 9am Pinot Noir from Coomb Farm Vineyard arrived at the Winery - the focus for the day will be destemming this fruit, moving it to the small batch fermenters and plunging ferments from last week.
  
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  Day 6 - Tuesday 16^th February 2010
  
  Chardonnay that has been picked on the Sexton Vineyard is being collected by tractor.  By mid afternoon it will arrive at the winery where it will be pressed into tanks.  These grapes will go towards the 2010 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay.
  
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  Day 5 - Monday 15^th February 2010
  
  After a subdued start to vintage, the real work begins tomorrow as large portions of Pinot and Chardonnay from the Sexton vineyards are due to arrive at the winery.  Winemakers Dave Mackintosh and Penny Seer (pictured) map out a plan of action for the coming days.
  
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  Day 4 - Sunday 14^th February 2010
  
  From left:  Winemakers Steve Flamsteed, Cameron Gordon and Dave Mackintosh enjoy a well earned valentines day dinner in the shadows of the barrel hall.  Each night during vintage Innocent Bystanders chefs provide meals for the vintage crew who routinely work twelve hour days during this period.
  
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  Day 3 - Saturday 13^th February 2010
  
  New French Oak barrels sit in the barrel hall waiting for use.  The use of oak in wine plays a significant role in winemaking and can have a profound effect on the resulting wine, affecting the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of the wine.
  
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  Day 2 - Friday 12^th February 2010
  
  Pinot Noir (clone 115) from Block 8 on the Sexton Vineyard is destemmed at the winery under the watchful eye of winemaker Cameron Gordon.  By the afternoon it is resting in the open fermenters.  To view a video of the destemming process click here
  
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  Day 1 - Thursday 11th February 2010
  
  The first of the harvest.  Pinot Noir (clone 115) from Block 8 on the Sexton Vineyard has just been harvested and awaits collection to be sent to the Winery 5kms away in Healesville.  There it will be made into the 2010 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir.  The picking of these grapes marked the start of the 2010 vintage.
  
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