Winemaking is both an art and a science. There are metrics you can use to judge when to pick, and what to add to the wine to manipulate it in the cellar, but you can't put a number on good taste. So how do you know when a wine is done? In short, you never really can, but winemakers have to make practical decisions. Space in the cellar is limited, and many times a wine is "done" because another wine needs that barrel or because the winery needs more product to sell. Despite these practical timing demands, winemakers find ways to do little experiments on the side because they are curious at heart. Unfortunately, those experiments can take years to complete and we don't always have enough wine to do them annually. From 2019 to 2022, I didn't have enough wine from my vineyard to take any risks, but in 2023, I finally got the massive, high-quality Pinot Noir harvest I had been hoping for ever since I started Peony Lane. I finally could experiment with extended aging. Normally, I let my wines age for two years before release. They stay in the barrel for one year until the next vintage needs that barrel, then spend an additional year in the bottle. For my experiment, I let one barrel of Estate Pinot Noir age for a second year in oak before its year in the bottle started. I knew my Pinot was good, but trust me when I say this extra barrel aging took it to another level. It's going to take time, but I plan to move all of my Pinot to this aging plan. I can't wait to share it with you, but it's going to be a bit. There is no rushing good wine.