Bottle Center

Winemaking

Combining traditional French techniques with American innovation, our winemakers strive to showcase the unique expression of Laetitia's estate grapes through meticulous winemaking.

Dedicated to the production of our Burgundian varietals, Winemaker Eric Hickey has been with the winery since 1990. His responsibilities cover all aspects of still wine production and vineyard operations. His father, Dave Hickey began his career at the winery in 1985. Today, he carries on our French tradition by producing Méthode Champenoise Sparkling Wines. In this section we'll follow our father and son winemaking team of Dave and Eric through the winemaking process in detail, from grape to glass.

Pinot Noir

Respectful of its fragile nature, Pinot Noir at Laetitia is made with the utmost care and a minimum of intervention. Grapes are de-stemmed whole berry and transferred into open top fermenters where they receive a three day cold-soak prior to fermentation. Extraction is enhanced by gentle pump-overs during fermentation. After about 12 days of maceration, the wines are pressed and racked to French oak barrels where they age from ten to fifteen months with 25% to 40% new French oak barrels in the mix. After bottling, the wines age an additional six months in the bottle before being released.

White Wines

Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc at Laetitia benefit from the same gentle care given to Pinot Noir. Grapes are loaded direct-to-press after which the juice is settled and racked to French oak barrels for fermentation. Chardonnay undergoes full malolactic fermentation and monthly hand-stirring of the lees known as batonage. Pinot Blanc is only 50% barrel fermented to preserve its bright fruit profile. The white wines age for ten months in French oak.

Méthode Champenoise Sparkling Wines

Laetitia has been making traditional Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines for nearly 20 years. Estate-grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc grapes are gently pressed in European wooden basket presses, Coquard presses, the only ones of this kind in use in the United States. Though very labor-intensive to operate, the presses deliver superior quality juice with excellent clarity. The juice travels by gravity to the tank room below where it is fermented in a combination of stainless steel and older French oak barrels. After careful blending, the Cuvées are bottled and capped. Though hand riddling was practiced for many years, Laetitia now employs computerized equipment that offers very precise and time-sensitive riddling. The wines are disgorged, corked and labeled on site, the final step in the wine's 30- to 42-month journey from harvest to release.

Syrah

Syrah is characterized by its intense ruby red color, a fragrant aroma or nose, and full-bodied flavor. Syrah from Australia is called Shiraz.  Planted on cool coastal benchlands overlooking the Pacific Ocean, our vineyard has low-yielding, rocky volcanic and limestone soils that produce incredible, concentrated fruit. Our Syrah typically shows concentrated color immediately upon de-stemming. The cold soak lasts four days, and fermentation occurs over a six day period. Very little pump-over extraction is necessary since the grapes have already established good color and depth. The wine is aged for 15 months in French oak barrels, a combination of François Frères and Rousseau cooperages, with 45% new oak, and is inoculated to complete 100% malolactic fermentation. We love this wine and are proud if its quality. At Laetitia, our Syrah is a stand-alone wine, just like all of our Pinot Noirs. The Laetitia wine making philosophy is simply this: We don't blend to stretch the wines, but instead offer them to you in their pure varietal form.