38 Degrees North

The transformation of 38° North's meticulously grown fruit into our distinguished Bordeaux-style wine begins in the pre-dawn darkness, when our precisely harvested field blend arrives at our custom crush facility in Napa. This 36-month odyssey represents the culmination of our viticultural philosophy and the beginning of an equally exacting winemaking process.

What distinguishes our approach is our commitment to true field blend winemaking—our vineyard's harmonious composition of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot is harvested together and co-fermented as a unified expression of our terroir. Unlike conventional winemaking where varieties are vinified separately and later blended, our field blend approach allows these varieties to marry from the earliest stages, creating integration and complexity impossible to achieve through post-fermentation blending.

Upon arrival, our small-lot harvest undergoes rigorous optical sorting—an uncompromising selection process ensuring only perfect berries enter fermentation. This technology meticulously removes any imperfect fruit, stems, or foreign material, establishing an immaculate foundation for quality. Following sorting, the fruit undergoes careful destemming while preserving berry integrity. Our winemaking protocol emphasizes gentle handling throughout—minimizing harsh mechanical intervention that could extract bitter components. The pristine mixed berries then enter small-batch fermentation vessels (T-bins) where they undergo a cold soak (3 days at 55F, under dry ice to keep the cap as anaerobic as possible), extracting water-soluble compounds and vibrant color before co-fermentation begins.

Co-fermentation progresses deliberately, with temperatures carefully monitored (bin brought outside to raise temperature to 70-72F, then inoculated with cultured yeast, enabling fermentation to proceed at temperatures up to 88F for 10-12 days) to preserve aromatic complexity while achieving complete sugar conversion. Our European-inspired approach favors longer, cooler fermentations (approximately 3 weeks including extended maceration of 5-10 days) rather than rapid, warm extraction. This patient method develops structural complexity while avoiding harsh tannin extraction (punch downs daily during cold soak; twice daily during early and late fermentation; and 3 times daily during peak ferment), particularly important given our precise 23.5-24 Brix harvest parameters. The synergistic interaction between varieties during fermentation creates a harmony and integration that becomes the signature of our wine—Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot providing structure and depth, while Merlot contributes plushness and Cabernet Franc adds aromatic lift, all evolving together rather than as separate components.

Once fermentation completes, free-run juice is separated and the remaining fruit receives gentle pressing (membrane press at 0.2-1.2 bar over 60 minutes). The wine then begins its extended maturation journey in premium French oak barrels from central France's most distinguished forests. Our cooperage selection—Bossuet, Vicard, and Sansaud—features 150-200 year old trees with three-year air seasoning, tight grain structure, and medium-plus toast with untoasted heads.

Our signature oak program spans 20 months with a distinctive protocol: the initial 14 months in new French oak (malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel), followed by transfer to neutral barrels for the final 6 months. This thoughtful approach allows for elegant oak integration while preventing over-extraction, balancing the wood's structural contribution with our fruit's inherent character.

Throughout aging, the wine undergoes evaluation with minimal intervention, allowing the terroir expression to evolve naturally. Approximately every three months, carefully executed racking separates the wine from its lees, providing gentle oxygen exposure that softens tannins and develops textural complexity (wine is racked 3 times in new barrel, but only once in older barrel as it is transferred to a stainless steel tank one week prior to bottling). Monthly sulfur checks are made when topping up, to keep sulfur dioxide levels relatively low (30-40ppm free SO2) while high enough for microbial protection.

After 20 months of patient maturation, the wine is then prepared for bottling without aggressive fining (only crossflow filtered), preserving its complete structural and aromatic integrity. Each bottle receives nitrogen at bottling to keep dissolved oxygen at zero, and a distinctive label reflecting that vintage's unique name—a testament to our belief that every harvest tells its own story. The wines then rest in bottle for an additional 15 months (before release in the fall 3 years after harvest) allowing for integration and the beginning of tertiary development that will continue through decades of careful cellaring.