About Winemaking

Bill tries to experiment a little with his winemaking techniques in the Praxis wines. After all, the idea of "Praxis" is to practice his craft by varying the grape sources, the clones, the fermentation and the barrel choice.

Sauvignon Blanc: The wine was fermented in stainless steel.

Viognier: The wine was fermented in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation. In our earlier vintages, Bill used some barrel fermentation, but he felt the oak overpowered the fruit in the wine so he tried this and we think it is more evenly balanced.

Pinot Noir: The Pinot was fermented in small lots and remained in French oak barrels for 7 months to add a touch of cedar, vanilla and spice to the flavor.

Syrah: Bill prefers to make a Cote Rotie style syrah rather than to replicate the Australian fruit bombs. After complete malolactic fermentation, the wine was placed in French oak barrels for a year before bottling.

Merlot: After complete malolactic fermentation, the wine was placed in American oak barrels for a year before bottling.  Bill especially likes the way the American oak marries with Merlot's characteristics.