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| On September 1, 1995, Byron held a groundbreaking ceremony and began construction on a new 32,000 square foot gravity flow winery dedicated to the pursuit of world-class wines. The new winery, completed in 1996, combines old-world tradition with modern technology. Most modern wineries use pumps, which shear grape stems, seeds and skins, allowing tannins and harsh compounds to leach out and impart a bitter, harsh mouthfeel to wine. With the innovative new multi-level facility, Byron Winery has returned to old-world gravity flow techniques, allowing gentle movement of the grapes, juice and wine throughout the winemaking process. Grapes are carefully sorted on specially designed tables on the upper level of the winery before dropping to the press or crusher-stemmer below. Pinot Noir fermenters are moved into position with an electric tank transporter. This innovative invention of the gravity flow concept specifically benefits small-lot Pinot Noir winemaking. A scissors lift equipped with a pneumatic punch-down device is used for optimum extraction. Wines are gravity racked to French oak barrels and aged in one of four temperature and humidity-controlled barrel chais. |
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The small lots of wine are kept separate from harvest through winemaking with over 170 separate lots of Pinot Noir alone. Native yeasts are used for most wines at Byron, to best express the distinctive terroir of Byron's vineyards. Quality-enhancing techniques rarely used in the modern era but employed commonly at Byron include frequent small lot punchdowns, the use of a basket press and fresh egg-white fining of Pinot Noir, and milk-fining of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc. Wines are gravity racked to French oak barrels and aged in one of four still-air cooled barrel chais, separately controlled to manage the many small lots during different stages in the winemaking process. |
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 The Winemaker | Vintage Charts |
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| Byron > Inside Byron > Winery Facilities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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