I am on triple secret budget probation, so cannot partake, but will interested in seeing what people think.
Has anyone had a taste yet?
How is it anaerobically aged while doing monthly battonage?
“anaerobic approach” to me is just sounds like a fancy marketing way to say they use inert gas to minimize oxidation
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Could also refer to no racking during elevage . . .
Cheers
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Is that the same thing as reductive winemaking?
a nice vigorous shake
I would say yes - but what the heck do I know?!?!?
Cheers
That’s how I read it, too.
From my understanding they fully top barrels before they stir them. Some years back after hearing of this method I designed a control experiment with Chardonnay. No stirring, “traditional” stirring (no topping prior) , topping then stirring, and stirring lees by rolling barrels on oxo racks. No stirring was preferred. There was little discernable differences amongst the aforementioned stirring methods with slight preference towards “traditional” stirring above the other methods.
On another note, I had a bottle of MR 21 Mardikian a few weeks back. What a wine! That vineyard is a winner. Kudos to you Leslie.
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I had it at the winery two months or so ago. It was a medium-minus bodied wine with fresh red fruit, generous acidity, tight and very young presenting. There were layers to the wine. Not a bruiser but more of an elegant rendition of RRV Pinot. My guess is that it needs some time or copious air to blossom.
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Thanks, David! 21 pinots were so good. We just brought in some Sexton Road for the first time yesterday. Excited to work with that fruit too!
Not sure how one can be “anaerobic” very effectively. Every time you top, when you take off the bung, air gets in. Unless they are hard-bunging, tilting the barrel to the two-o’clock position, and then remains un-topped the entire elevage. It’s a mystery to me. If they do that, then their claim it is “traditionally practiced” does not seem correct. DRC racks 2x with air and Jayer did as well, so not quite sure what they mean by “traditional.” If you top and then stir, that is highly aerative. For my 2021 Pinot, I did not rack and did not stir for 21 months, but it still got air when I topped. And I racked it with full-air to tank before bottling, which as far as I can tell, is done by every Pinot maker I hang out with in NorCal. Guessing they just meant they never racked it, but like I said, that not very common in Burgundy. Most rack after Malo.
Seems like poorly worded marketing speak to me. I don’t think there is anything technically anaerobic about a wooden barrel lol
Russian River + Ramey. I’m sure its delicious…
Bingo.
I emailed Dave Ramey, who read the posts and said, “When we said anaerobic, we meant we don’t rack and splash every three months or so.”
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Yep, made the most sense - but heck, what do I know? 
Cheers