Winemaking

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In 1978 Milla Handley moved to Anderson Valley, which was then largely uncharted viticultural territory. In 1982, she established Handley Cellars, and in 1986 began planting her own vineyard. Since then, Milla has used organic farming methods whenever possible. She has always sought to encourage healthy, living soils, which in turn produce vines that yield more flavorful fruit. She believes that the balanced methods used in organic farming help develop a wine’s expression of regional and varietal character. For these reasons, Milla chose to pursue organic certification for the Handley Estate Vineyard, a 3-year process that was completed in August 2005. In addition to our own Estate Vineyard fruit, the winery sources grapes from other small local family growers whose farming practices are in keeping with Handley’s principles.

Every step of the way, Milla and Co-Winemaker Randy Schock adjust the winemaking program to fit the particulars of each vintage, varietal, and vineyard source. Percentage of whole berries, yeast for fermentation, punch-down regime, length of time in the fermenter, and choice of barrels are all adjusted to fit the fruit. “We use a variety of techniques to promote appropriate acidity, minerality, and aromatic qualities,” says Milla. Specialists in fermentation, she and Randy use twenty different cultured yeast strains per harvest, including natural “indigenous” yeast. “We use a range of yeasts to ensure that the combined characteristics of different vineyard lots are preserved in the final blends,” Milla continues. “We then choose from a variety of barrels from different coopers to further enhance the wine’s flavor profile. We avoid ‘over oaking’ to create flavor and structure.”

Handley Cellars wines are naturally flavorful and balanced. They express themselves beautifully when young, and become more complex and elegant as they mature.

HANDLEY CELLARS 3151 Hwy. 128 • P.O. Box 66 • Philo, CA 95466 800-733-3151 • www.handleycellars.com

Media Information: Travis Scott 800- 733-3151 • travis@handleycellars.com

In 1978 Milla Handley headed to Anderson Valley, which was then largely uncharted viticultural territory, and established Handley Cellars in 1982.

Winemaking

White Wines To create white wines with optimum flavor, color, and acidity, the Handley winemaking team employs two different de-juicing techniques: crush and press, and direct-press. Because a number of tannin and color producing compounds are found in the skins, the winemakers often select some of the lots, de-stem the berries, and crush into the press. They then macerate the must for a few hours before pressing the wine off the skins into stainless steel tanks to settle, then rack to barrels. The remaining portion is whole-cluster, direct-pressed without crushing. Depending on the grape variety and vintage conditions, Handley winemakers decide to either crush and press or direct-press the whole vintage, or apply both methods to portions of the harvest. Their

ability to master these two techniques and apply them appropriately is a testament to their skill. They are able to create wines that reflect each vintage, while retaining stylistic consistency.

Aromatic Whites Riesling Riesling is harvested with relatively neutral flavors and at optimal, balanced acidity. It is fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures with yeasts designed to enhance and preserve its delicate floral aromas and flavors.

Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer is harvested at ideal flavor and tannin development. A portion of the blend is crushed and pressed to extract the varietal character and spiciness in the skins, while the other portion is direct-pressed to retain delicate aromatics and acidity. In most vintages, about half of the fruit is fermented in neutral oak barrels, puncheons, and an oak foudre (870-gallon capacity), where the wine ages before bottling. The wines fermented in puncheons and foudre provide a creamy complexity to the blend by constantly moving the yeast lees throughout fermentation, while stainless steel fermentation helps retain the floral and spicy components of the blend.

Pinot Gris Pinot Gris is harvested and processed in the cool morning to retain the floral aromatics and minimize tannin and color extraction. Similar to Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris is usually half tank fermented to preserve freshness, while the rest ages in neutral French oak to build texture.

Sauvignon Blanc We harvest Sauvignon Blanc when the flavors are ripe and the acidity is optimal. With this grape in particular, the flavors can change rapidly within a couple of days, so the harvest date is very important. The yeasts used have

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HANDLEY CELLARS 3151 Hwy. 128 • P.O. Box 66 • Philo, CA 95466 800-733-3151 • www.handleycellars.com

Handley Cellars is located at the Deep End of northern Anderson Valley, only 30 minutes from the Mendocino coast.

Media Information: Travis Scott 800- 733-3151 • travis@handleycellars.com

Winemaking

been chosen for their proven ability to express the inherent apple, fig, gooseberry, and key lime flavors of Sauvignon Blanc while adding to the texture of the blend. Approximately half of the blend is tank fermented, while the other half is fermented in 5% or so of new French oak.

Chardonnay When making Chardonnay, a portion of the fruit is whole-cluster direct-pressed, and the remainder is crushed and pressed. The proportions of direct-pressed to crushed and pressed depend on grape flavors and balance. The Chardonnay is fermented in French oak barrels (15-20% new) using indigenous and cultured yeast. At the end of primary fermentation, the wine undergoes partial malolactic fermentation, adding a complementary richness to its crisp acidity and minerality.

Red WinesPinot Noir The Handley Cellars winemaking team ferments as many as 22 lots of Pinot Noir each vintage. When the fruit arrives at the winery it is first de-stemmed and crushed into small open topped fermenters for two to three days if cold soaking, followed by seven to ten days of fermentation. Winemakers use a number of yeasts to best express the range of red and black fruit and earthy flavors that make Pinot Noir such an intriguing wine. Pressed off the skins just before dryness, the wine settles for three days and is then gently racked into barrels, where it completes malolactic fermentation. We age our Pinot Noir on the lees for eight to ten months in a combination of new, one-year-old, and neutral French oak barrels, before bottling.

Syrah Handley Cellars produces a limited amount of Syrah with grapes from Redwood Valley, which we ferment in small, open-topped containers. After pressing and settling, the wine is racked to French and European barrels and puncheons, then aged for nine to ten months. Our goal is to create a full bodied wine with the balanced pH, and flavors of spice, earth, and berries that characterize a great Syrah.

Zinfandel Each year, Handley Cellars also produces at least one Zinfandel from Redwood Valley. This wine typically undergoes an extended seven to ten day fermentation with RP15, a California yeast strain isolated for rich, lush, balanced mouthfeel and full bodied wines. The wine is aged in a combination of Hungarian and French oak barrels for nine to ten months before bottling.

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HANDLEY CELLARS 3151 Hwy. 128 • P.O. Box 66 • Philo, CA 95466 800-733-3151 • www.handleycellars.com

Media Information: Travis Scott 800- 733-3151 • travis@handleycellars.com

In 2004 Randy Schock started working as Handley’s Cellar Master and later became the Co-Winemaker. He’s lived in Anderson Valley since 1998.