The 2018 Avni Pinot Noir was fermented with approximately 19% whole cluster fruit. The grapes were fed bin by bin, not pumped, into small format stainless steel fermenting tanks of between 2 to 7 tons capacity. Fermentation began with gentle pump-overs and may have included one or two punch downs toward the end of the cuvasion. 2018 was unique in that the cuvaison only took place for 15 days which is shorter than usual. Extraction in 2018 naturally occurred more quickly than in past vintages. Pigeage is done traditionally by foot to ensure a gentle extraction of tannins. The fermentation occurs with ambient, “wild” yeast. After fermentation, the wines age in a combination of new and neutral French oak barriques for 12 months and four in tank prior to bottling.