Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
6 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2016 first press by Michelle Ball / photos by Jeremy Ball While the inaugural release of Variations Three, Four and Five Cabernet Sauvignons in 2012 focused on highlighting place, the 2014 bottlings center on oak. The project, appropriately named Battle of the Barrels, demonstrates the differences between American and French oak aging for Cabernet Sauvignon while keeping all other factors constant. Variations Oak consists of two identical bottlings aged in different oak. Both were made from the same juice, which came through the same tank and had already finished malolactic fermentation prior to transferring to barrel. Both the American and French oak barrels (roughly 20 of each) were from the same cooper, with the same amount of toast. Both were aged for nine months and bottled on the same day. "It's a great teach - ing moment because all the variables are the same except for the oak," explained Director of Winemaking Joe Hurliman. "People new to wine, or anyone tasting wines, it can really show consumers or help them discover their own palate preference." Although the discussion for the project occurred around the same time as Variations Three, Four and Five, the oak versions took longer to create. It was important to Hurliman where the Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced, since the fruit would need to hold up to 100% new oak. Fortunately, the winery works with many different Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from throughout California. After six months of tasting, he decided on a place: the Red Hills AVA off the North Coast of CA. "You have this amazing red volcanic soil profile at a much higher elevation than other parts of California," says Hurliman. "So it made me think, oh I'm going to get this amazing capability of ripeness from the solar radiation of the red soil and I'm going to be at a higher elevation so I will get more UV radiation which will produce a thicker skin. All these things combined made me decide, that's where I'm going to go." Once the wines were in barrel, Hurliman had to decide how long to age them. Not wanting to overshoot with 100% new oak on the wines, but at the same time wanting to allow the wines time to transition by not tast - ing too often, he checked on the barrels every couple of months. At around six months, he knew they were getting close and bottled to shiners after nine months of aging. At the time, they were still considering the label and how they would translate the project to paper. "We wanted the consum - ers to get in touch with wood," says David Whittemore, Marketing and PR Director for Herzog Wine Cellars; "we wanted them to feel like they were connecting with the barrel. We felt like the only way to do so was to integrate wood into this label." The process was as innovative and tedious as it sounds. Each label is a unique wood grain made from American or French oak, and in turn, no two bottles are identical. It's dif - Joe Hurliman is Director of Winemaking for Herzog Wine Cellars.