Dierberg winemaker Nick de Luca makes wines grown from the winery's two estate vineyards - one in Santa Maria and the other in the Santa Rita Hills. Both of these Central Coast locations are conducive to growing cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, inspired by the great wines of Burgundy.
Yet Nick has put his own particular stamp on the winemaking regime, especially when it comes to Pinot Noir. Most California (and Burgundian) winemakers will "punch down" the cap of Pinot Noir grapes during the fermentation process in open tanks. It's a technique that allows for gentle extraction of flavor, color and tannins.
Unlike most of his California counterparts, Nick prefers to pump over rather than punch down his fermenting Pinot Noir. "If pumping over was good enough for (the late, great Burgundian winemaker) Henri Jayer, it's good enough for me," Nick declares. The practice, which gently pumps fermenting Pinot Noir juice over the top of the grape and skin cap, is more reminiscent of Bordeaux than Burgundy. In another non-traditional step, Nick keeps his Pinot Noir sulfur-free, too, right up until bottling. "Sulfur is an antagonist to tannin and color," Nick explains. Careful handling and a pristine cellar make it all possible, yielding purity of flavor and classic Pinot character.
On the white wine front, Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed for minimum skin contact. The resulting juice is settled briefly at cellar temperature, leaving plenty of solids in solution. This juice is allowed to begin fermentation on its own yeast in barrels, where occasionally, commercial yeast is added to certain lots two thirds of the way through fermentation as an insurance policy against stuck fermentations. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation on its own, which may occur well into the spring, and is stirred in barrels on its lees bi-weekly. After 16 months in barrel, the finished wine is bottled unfiltered
Ultimately, these methods are only guidelines. "I believe strongly in the 'no recipe' approach," Nick says. "It drives my cellar crew crazy, but you have to be willing to change your mind and explore new avenues in winemaking all the time. Otherwise, both you and your wines can become stale."
With each vintage offering new challenges, Nick doesn't have to worry much about staying fresh. The Dierberg wines express the passion of everyone who is involved with them, from Jim and Mary Dierberg to the vineyard and cellar crews. The resulting quality is clearly in the bottle.
Yet Nick has put his own particular stamp on the winemaking regime, especially when it comes to Pinot Noir. Most California (and Burgundian) winemakers will "punch down" the cap of Pinot Noir grapes during the fermentation process in open tanks. It's a technique that allows for gentle extraction of flavor, color and tannins.
Unlike most of his California counterparts, Nick prefers to pump over rather than punch down his fermenting Pinot Noir. "If pumping over was good enough for (the late, great Burgundian winemaker) Henri Jayer, it's good enough for me," Nick declares. The practice, which gently pumps fermenting Pinot Noir juice over the top of the grape and skin cap, is more reminiscent of Bordeaux than Burgundy. In another non-traditional step, Nick keeps his Pinot Noir sulfur-free, too, right up until bottling. "Sulfur is an antagonist to tannin and color," Nick explains. Careful handling and a pristine cellar make it all possible, yielding purity of flavor and classic Pinot character.
On the white wine front, Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed for minimum skin contact. The resulting juice is settled briefly at cellar temperature, leaving plenty of solids in solution. This juice is allowed to begin fermentation on its own yeast in barrels, where occasionally, commercial yeast is added to certain lots two thirds of the way through fermentation as an insurance policy against stuck fermentations. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation on its own, which may occur well into the spring, and is stirred in barrels on its lees bi-weekly. After 16 months in barrel, the finished wine is bottled unfiltered
Ultimately, these methods are only guidelines. "I believe strongly in the 'no recipe' approach," Nick says. "It drives my cellar crew crazy, but you have to be willing to change your mind and explore new avenues in winemaking all the time. Otherwise, both you and your wines can become stale."
With each vintage offering new challenges, Nick doesn't have to worry much about staying fresh. The Dierberg wines express the passion of everyone who is involved with them, from Jim and Mary Dierberg to the vineyard and cellar crews. The resulting quality is clearly in the bottle.