Meet ‘Roe,’ the newest member of the production team at CM Winery! She is a custom made concrete fermenting egg all the way from Sonoma Coast Stone in California.
Specs & Info: *476 gallon capacity → 3 tons of grapes → 200 cases of wine *8 feet tall with ~6 inch thick walls *The concrete acts as a natural insulator so the room will be able to stay at a normal cellar temperature; 65?. The egg also has a piping system built into the walls to allow for glycol to be run through for chilling and cold stabilization. *White wines ferment at a lower temperature (60? - 70?), which preserves the fruit character. *Red wines ferment at a higher temperature (70? - 80?), to allow for tannin extraction.
What CMW will use Roe for: *To highlight flavors and richness derived from yeast contact thanks to the egg’s shape *Only a slight minerality will be imparted from the concrete vessel allowing for a greater expression of terroir in the wine *The properties of egg fermenters means that less intervention is required by the winemaker. This labor reduction can be very appealing for small scale producers, like us! *Potential varietals that will be inside the egg include Chardonnay and Riesling. We hope to have the wines that Roe ferments be 100% estate grown!
