Winemaking
Winemaking At Michel-Schlumberger
There is genuine tradition in fine winemaking. Very little changes and modern techniques echo years of slow, careful evolution. At the Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate, winemaking fuses traditional wisdom with original, modern methods to produce unique wines true to the indigenous flavors of the estate-grown fruit. Assisted by a small, accomplished cadre of cellar workers, Winemaker Mike Brunson guides wine development with gentle handcrafting. Concentrating on the varietals cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, and chardonnay, Mike consistently applies the highest standards to create singular wines imprinted with the undeniable terroir and the intriguing nuances of each vintage.
The cellar strives to create the ideal conditions for nature to do its best work. While practicing traditional techniques, the cellar explores the potential of innovative methods. The winemaker is continually engaged in research: fining trials, aging experiments and cooperage analysis.
Michel-Schlumberger Cabernet Sauvignon
The Michel-Schlumberger cabernet sauvignon is a masterfully orchestrated blend, a claret wine with the backbone and abundance of cabernet sauvignon, the smoothness of merlot, and the complex aromatics of cabernet franc. The steep hillside and benchland vineyards consistently provide grapes with full berry flavors, ample acids and mature tannins. During harvest, the cellar workers crush the hand-picked grapes and move the must directly into stainless steel tanks for soaking, inoculation, and fermentation. Wild yeast is an important part of every fermentation. Some time after the primary fermentation is complete, the cellar crew uses bins to move the cap to the press and then transfers the wine into barrels where malolactic fermentation is completed. When each lot has no evident fermentation odors, the winemaker thoughtfully evaluates the wines and carefully selects a master blend with unusual complexity and consistent style.
As is prevailing practice in the finest European wineries, the winemaker encourages complete achievement of flavors by assembling the blend at first racking. The blended wine develops in small French oak cooperage for sixteen to twenty-four months. After regular racking to promote flavor and clarity, the winemaker carefully tests the wine to determine whether to fine prior to bottling. Once bottled, this claret-style cabernet sauvignon is cellared for at least one additional year before release.
Michel-Schlumberger Merlot 
Growing in cooler soils and in sunny vineyards, with many on the extremely vigor-limiting Riperia Gloria rootstock, the slow-ripening merlot produces remarkable grapes each year. These deeply colored, perfumed grapes dominate the soft, distinctive blend of merlot with other grapes as vintage nuance requires, perhaps including malbec, petit verdot, carmen? cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. This wine displays striking raspberry and cherry flavors and unusual nutmeg-like, spicy aromas. Production of Michel- Schlumberger Merlot is very limited.
Michel-Schlumberger Syrah
With different soil types and exposures, the four syrah plantings in the benchland and mountain vineyards of our estate offer the winemaker a palate of extraordinary grape flavors for composing this distinct wine. Small amounts of zinfandel, petite sirah and viognier are blended in to give spicy flavors and to lift the aromatics, while a year of aging in northern US oak barrels adds just a touch of sweet oak aroma and develops the finesse of a vigorous yet smooth finish.
Michel-Schlumberger Chardonnay
Our chardonnay grapes arrive at the winery hand-picked into shallow bins, fully-flavored. The delicate process of whole-cluster and whole-berry pressing minimizes the release of unwanted bitterness into the grape must. After pressing, the juice is allowed to settle in stainless steel tanks. It's then racked and immediately moved to French oak barrels for fermentation and aging on the lees. After fermentation, cellar workers begin a program to hand-stir the barreled chardonnay, ensuring the development of creamy texture and deep, yeast-enhanced fruit flavors. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, softening the native acids inherited from the cool benchland vineyard, without compromising the aromatic fruit. Following approximately ten to fourteen months of aging sur lies, the winemaker milk fines and bottles the wine. The finished wine is balanced and fruity with hallmark mineral and flinty flavors in the background. The elegant Michel-Schlumberger Chardonnay, European in style, remains in the estate cellar for six to twelve months before release to market.