Williamson Wines began operating out of a new, state-of-the art winery with their 2002 harvest. The winery is dedicated to the task of handcrafting small lots of premium wines using traditional methods while incorporating modern techniques.

Williamson winemaking follows a regimen dedicated to quality. Fruit is hand picked at physiological ripeness to gain maximum depth and richness in the finished wine. Small lot production is
utilized in the new state-of-the-art winemaking facility so each
lot receives the custom care required to bring it to full potential.

The grapes are picked in the cool of early morning and transported in small, clean half-ton bins to ensure the weight of the fruit does not crush the grapes at the bottom of the bin. These small bins also allow control of the quantity of fruit being introduced into the receiving hopper.

From the receiving hopper the grapes are fed to a sorting table. Here they are separated into bunches and any material other than perfect grapes is removed. This time consuming process is performed by trained hands to ensure only the best grapes and nothing else goes into the wine press. By this process the wine is truly pure without the bitterness associated with non-ripe or over-ripe grapes or
additional material such as stems, seeds or leaves.

After de-stemming with minimal crushing, whole berries are fermented using predominately native yeasts. A gentle pump-over technique helps the fermenting juice extract texture, color and flavors from the grape skins.

Malolactic fermentation and aging for up to eighteen months for red wines and twelve months for white wines are accomplished exclusively in French oak barrels using a variety of French cooperage to match style and flavor to the individual wine’s terroir. During this process the wine is tasted and racked approximately every six weeks.