Native yeasts. One of the owners is a Fetzer and I'll bet it's that Fetzer.
At Saracina, our winemaking emphasizes a respect for tradition and for hand-crafted techniques, including the use of indigenous yeast and bacteria, minimal intervention and no filtration of the wines. For our white wines, we hand-pick and whole cluster press the grapes, use indigenous yeast fermentation and extended aging on the lees in both neutral oak barrels and small stainless steel barrels. Both the cooperage and lees contact help to express the minerality and nuance of the white grapes and lend a complexity and depth to the mouth-feel. For our red wines, we use a moderately cool soak pre-fermentation, followed by an indigenous yeast fermentation with aerative pumpovers, and finish with an extended maceration with heat. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels, one third of which are new. The blends are assembled in the summer after the prior year's harvest and bottled the following winter without filtration. These protocols, pioneered by Saracina's winemaking consultant, David Ramey, produce stylistically unique wines with lush fruit and silky, soft tannins. Our labor-intensive, artisanal approach to winemaking produces wines which are true to their varietal character and evoke an honest sense of place.
