Timing Is Everything
At WALT, harvest is not a single event, but a deliberate sequence of decisions guided by the complexity of each vineyard. Our fruit comes from the Pacific Coast’s most distinctive sites, spanning renowned growing regions from Santa Barbara to Sonoma. Each block has its own soil, rootstock, and clone, which means each vine ripens at its own pace.
Vice President of Winemaking Megan Gunderson and her team walk the vineyards daily, tasting berries and monitoring sugar, acid, and flavor development until the fruit reaches its pinnacle of expression.
There are countless variables in the crafting of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but three requirements remain steadfast to ensure excellence:
Top fruit from the Pacific Coast’s most distinctive vineyard sites
Precision, non-interventionist winemaking
Limited, focused production
Grapes are hand-picked at night or in the early morning to preserve freshness. Once delivered to the winery, every cluster undergoes a meticulous hand-sorting process, ensuring that only pristine fruit makes it to the next stage. Pinot Noir berries are carefully destemmed, while Chardonnay is gently whole-cluster pressed to preserve purity and finesse.
Winemaking Techniques: Expression Through Detail
Every decision we make — every minute detail addressed in the winemaking process — must answer to one criterion: The wine must naturally and honestly express the vineyard site from which it was grown.
Our methodology includes native yeast fermentations, barrel aging on lees to build texture and richness, and weekly bâtonnage during extended malolactic fermentation for Chardonnay. For Pinot Noir, gentle handling and minimal intervention protect the elegance of the fruit. We do not fine or filter, which may result in a touch of haze, but guarantees the wine was made with the utmost integrity and respect for its origins.
Stem Roasting: A Signature WALT Innovation
For select Pinot Noirs, we incorporate a distinctive technique called stem roasting. This practice enhances structure, depth, and complexity in the wine while maintaining Pinot Noir’s inherent elegance.
Roasting: Grape stems are gently roasted in a chili roaster.
Integration: The roasted stems are then added back into the fermentation tanks.
Impact: This introduces additional tannins, structural tension, and spice notes.
Benefits of Stem Roasting:
Refined tannins that balance the wine’s vibrant fruit.
Structural depth and silky mouthfeel.
Complex layers of licorice, clove, and black tea alongside dark fruit flavors.
The result is Pinot Noir with greater dimension and polish — wines that linger gracefully on the palate, embodying both innovation and authenticity.
The Spirit of Harvest
Harvest at WALT is equal parts science, craft, and celebration. It is a season of long days and boundless energy, when every vineyard block is brought into the cellar with the singular goal of producing wines of precision and place.
By sourcing fruit from some of the most renowned growers along the Pacific Coast and leveraging the state-of-the-art winemaking facilities at HALL, we craft Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that embody our philosophy: expressive, site-driven wines, produced in limited quantities with uncompromising quality.