A few days ago I fired up some Oak trials for 2013 wine in the barrel. Cinsault is the varietal and it is from 126 year old vines.

Basically, this is where I infuse different types of oak (American, French, Hungarian) at certain levels to see if it adds depth and richness. If the samples come out fabulous then I add some oak to the wine.

This is the fun part and takes lots of tasting, sniffing and feeling. My incredible friend and chef Eric Sass assisted. The verdict: only 3% French oak going into this wine. And of course some love!