The 2025 harvest season was evenly paced, with the first fruit arriving on August 28th and the last batch of fruit reaching the winery on Wednesday. There were some pushes throughout the season, with one day seeing over 40 tons come in! Although this marks the end of the harvest for most, there is still a lot of work to be done in the production building. The final grapes need to be processed, fermented into wine, and then transferred to barrels for storage in the cave, where they will continue to age until they are ready for bottling. There is still so much to be seen and experience in the process – punchdowns on the crushpad, pumpovers in the production building, and wine being moved to barrels. A couple of weeks are left to see the production team in action; when are you visiting?!

In the last harvest update, we highlighted the very physical process of the punchdown. If you missed it, you can read about it here. For larger fermentation tanks, we utilize pumpovers instead of punchdowns. Unlike punchdowns, pumpovers use more equipment based on the scale and thickness of the cap, which can be several feet thick! For a pumpover, we spray the wine back over the cap using a hose. Pumpovers achieve the same effects as punchdowns, including extracting colors, flavors, and tannins, controlling fermentation temperature, and providing oxygenation to keep the fermentation process on track.

The traditional methods of cap management are pumpovers and punch downs. However, B Cellars is never afraid to experiment with winemaking techniques that add complexity, rich tannins, and intense color. In 2021, we started using a technique that was widely used in Europe during the 19th century: the submerged cap. In contrast to punch downs and pumpovers, this method allows you to keep the cap in contact with the fermenting juice at all times. Traditionally, you would leave it alone until fermentation is complete, but we love mixing traditional techniques with new world advances. We use the pump-over method alongside a submerged cap to extract every bit of flavor from the skins and pulp

At B Cellars, we believe great wines are born from a balance of nature, craftsmanship, and time. Once fermentation is complete, our wines are aged in French oak barrels within our cave. We work with over ten different cooperages, which gives our winemaking team the flexibility to select barrels that are best suited to specific vineyard lots, varietals, and styles. We age most of our red wines in 60% new French Oak and 40% used barrels. This balance allows us to capture the nuanced influence of new oak without overpowering the fruit’s natural expression.

Patience is essential in our winemaking process. Our wines age in barrels for a duration that ranges from eight months to nearly three years, depending on the varietal and vintage. During this aging period, the slow oxygen exchange through the oak’s pores helps the wine evolve; tannins integrate, aromas develop, and the texture becomes more complex.