Ferment, Rinse & Repeat

At 6:30 this morning, tank T5 was filled with 10 tons of fermenting HANNA Cabernet from our Red Ranch block 11. By 9:30, it had been drained, shoveled, cleaned, and refilled with 10 tons of block 4 Cab. In six short days, make that VERY LONG days, the tank will be ready to fill again. Pictured here: 1.Chilo stacks bins of just-picked Cab. 2. Isaac and Fernando draining T5 (only looking a little exhausted). 3. Young Cab wine draining into the cart. This will be the “free run” wine. 4. The must left behind after the free run has been drained. 5. Beginning to shovel must into a bin. 6. Fernando taking a break to adjust his safety harness. 7. Dumping a bin of must into the press. 8. Pressing the must; we keep the “free run” and the “press wine” separate. 9. Refilling the tank with freshly picked grapes.