![]() What are the challenges/considerations when making wine with this technique?Ī challenge that we face with spirits barrel aging is ensuring that the purity of fruit is maintained and that the tannins are well integrated. The barrels introduce aromas and flavor characteristics that you won’t find in other wines. Leamy: In addition to traditional barrel aging, we take a portion of the wine and age it for three months in used spirits barrels including bourbon barrels for our Red Blend, tequila barrels for our Sauvignon Blanc, and whiskey barrels for our Cabernet Sauvignon. What does Bourbon-barrel aged wine mean? How does this differ from normal wine aging? Here, he breaks down the bourbon barrel-aging concept, and explains what makes his brand unique.Ĭhris Leamy conducts a seminar on barrel aging. Leamy’s hope is that his Cooper & Thief wines get people talking, sharing and bonding. He enjoys all aspects of the winemaking process, especially its ability to bring people together. From there he transitioned to winemaking. ![]() Following a foray into beer brewing, he turned his attention to the wine world as a lab tech in Lodi, California where he found his true passion. He first worked as a microbiologist, developing a keen understanding of the technical side of the food & beverage world. His California based Cooper & Thief Cellarmasters celebrates doing things a bit differently, such as aging its full portfolio of luxury wines in not only bourbon barrels, but also in carefully selected spirits barrels, achieving bolder flavors not typically found in regular wines.Ī California native with more than 20 years of award-winning winemaking experience, Leamy graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Biological Sciences. Serving as ‘cellarmaster’ at one such wine brand is Chris Leamy. Typically featuring higher alcohol percentages than classic wines, bourbon barrel-aged wines are targeted to adventurous imbibers, those who enjoy experimentation and aren’t afraid to break with tradition. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.Bold and rich, bourbon barrel-aged wines seem to have found a permanent niche within the wine and spirits world. ![]() Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential-and they were right. ![]() One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. ![]()
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