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DORVAL Winemaking
At Dorval, the vineyards craft the wine, and the barrels perfect it."
-Andrew Kerr - Winemaker / Owner
"From granite to wine, our high-altitude vineyards and unique terroir elevate every bottle with exceptional character and depth."
AUTHENTIC WINEMAKING
At Dorval Estate Winery, we take pride in our meticulous winemaking process, ensuring that every bottle reflects the essence of our grapes. In effort to extract every ounce of quality we employ several wine making techniques from old world Appassimento to modern fermentation. Our methods begins at harvest with grapes handpicked at the peak of maturity. In late August, we cut out non desired clusters and retain the desired fruit.
During vinification, we carefully de-stem the grapes without crushing them, which preserves their integrity and optimizing color extraction.
For aging, approximately 25% of the wine is matured for 8 months in a blend of French and American barriques, adding depth and character. The result is a beautifully crafted wine that captures the true spirit of our vineyard, ready to be enjoyed and celebrated.
THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
Andrew’s winemaking vision is centered on crafting the highest quality Bordeaux and Italian-style wines, alongside other innovative and disruptive winemaking techniques. At the heart of this mission is the unique terrain at three distinct sites. With soils composed of diverse ruggedness from decomposed granite, sandy loam, volcanic and calcareous clay these hillside vineyards offer our vines an exceptional foundation for wine grape growing.
For Andrew, the belief is simple: great wine begins in the vineyard and is made in the vineyard, not in the cellar.
His meticulous attention to detail encompasses every aspect of grape growing, From selecting matching the ideal soil with grapevine varietal to employing a planting structure that achieves “balance.” At Dorval Estate Winery, we’re committed to this pursuit of excellence, capturing the essence of innovation and tradition in every bottle.