Our French oak wood is sourced directly from the forest of Never, AlIier, Fontainbleau, Bourgogne and Limousin. These are the regions in France where the company has carefully chosen the most qualified merrandiers, who then meticulously select the trees and inspect their worthiness to be used. Once trees have been selected from a specific area within the forest, logs are harvested and transported to be sawn and then split into staves. The merrandiers tenured expertise places them in a position to guarantee the finest quality raw stave wood after processing of the logs is complete. Gamba makes its products exclusively from oak and specifically the Quercus genus, which consists of no less than three hundred species.
But a qualified cooper uses only three of them: Quercus Pendunculata, Quercus Sessilis and Quercus Alba (American White Oak). Quercus Pendunculata and Sessilis interestingly enough can both be found in the same forests in France. The Quercus Alba species can be found in many regions throughout North America though we mainly source our American White Oak from forest in Northern Iowa, Western Illinois or Minnesota. In addition to the origin of the wood, another important factor is the soil; where this particular variety of oak grows. Exposure to the sun, wind and rain affects its texture and ultimately its grain, as well as its aromas. Each forest has particular characteristics: In France, Troncais, Gros Bois and Drouille are the best in Allier, Saint Palais, Allogny and Vierzon are found in Cher, while Bertranges and Bellary are located in Nievre. Logs chosen from the "Central” consist of more medium grain width trees, and can be harvested from either the forest of Allier, Never and Cher. In North America, our focus is on sourcing the tightest grain rather than specific origin. Once logs are harvested and processed, raw staves then make the journey to our aging yard in Asti, where they are restacked and bar coded in order to better follow the seasoning process.
FOREST CHARACTERISTICS
Allier: Our favorite forest and major component of all or blend barrels. Here the soil is thick clay, siliceous and not very fertile. The growth of the tree is very slow resulting in tall and straight slender logs when harvested. The grain of the wood is fine, compact and slightly porous resulting in sweet tannin extraction and pleasant aromatics. The wood has a golden pink hue with a warm and smooth feel. This department has the higher rate of Quercus Sessilis in all its forests. It provides for a soft mouth feel and is very broad across the mid pallet as it seems to marry well with the wine early in the aging process.
Troncais: The best known forest within the Allier department and it is probably the most beautiful forest of France. The characteristics are very similar to what previously written concerning Allier, typically displaying tighter grain. Suited well for longer barrel aged wines, it’s narrower its expression early on in the wine aging process with slow integration.
Nevers: Nevers is capital city of the department of Nievre. The department completes what is typically considered the centre part of France. It contains the second largest forest of France which is called Bertranges. The oak coming from Nevers is usually medium grained compared to that of Allier. The result is a bigger tannin extraction than that of tighter grain wood and requires longer aging time to fully integrate with the wine.
Vosges: This department is located close to the north eastern French border. This forest was the most damaged by the storm of some years ago, and consequently we are now getting less wood of this origin compared to the past. The grain is tight and the tannin extraction is about 6%. It has always been matched very well with white wines.
Limousin: Quercus Pendunculata species grows primarily in the forest of Limousin. In this region, the soil is calcareous, of granitic origin and fairly fertile. The tree growth is rapid and regular. The texture is coarser and the grain wider, thus when considering the aging of wine, the exchange of oxygen between the interior and the exterior is higher; evaporation is faster and more oak tannin is extracted than from other forest selections
Bourgogne: It comes from the forest of Citeaux in the Department of Cote d'Or. It has fast growth and large grain. It is very similar to Limousin.
Jupille: The forest is located towards the west of Allier and Cher. We have increased the purchase of wood from this forest as we've found it is really tight grain, pink and with beautiful sweet aroma and taste of vanilla. When it is fresh and watered on our yard, it has a wonderful scent of pink rose which is very pleasant. The tannin extraction is around 6%. It matches well with big bodied tannic wines. Our Toast Check process seems to enhance the aroma of this wood.
Cher: Located north of Allier, yet considered in the Centre of France. The wood coming from the forest of St. Palais and Allogny can be compared to the best Allier in terms of grain and tannin extraction. The forest of Cher's oak has fibers which are compact yet slightly more tannic than the wood from Allier. This beautiful wood always produces excellent results as far as aging is concerned.
Fontainebleau: This is a small forest located 200 km south of Paris, which many years ago was included in the Cher barrels. In the last few years, it has had great results for the aroma at the nose and it is really well used in Tuscany for Sangiovese. It is tight grain wood with pink striations when split.
OUR CRAFT
We believe the talent of a skilled craftsman combined with intuition is of utmost importance in making a premium product. These attributes allow the master cooper and before him, the merrandiers to “feel” whether or not the wood will make a good stave. Some key factors determining whether a tree meets our standards are: the type of tree and its origin, how well it's cut and how long it’s seasoned. One must understand that wood is a living thing; it moves, breaths and communicates.
From the cooper’s perspective, the enologist or technician must determine the specifics on which container should be used to produce a wine. In other words, give considerable thought to the desired results by using a particular size vessel, forest selection and toast level. In regards to size and type, consider the wineries operating parameters, aging regime and desired juice to wood ratio. When determining wood; what forest selection is best suited for a vintage, style or varietal. When deciding on the toast, what extract or aroma is most desired?
Even with our extensive knowledge of the process, it is always difficult to recommend what will be best as winemaker styles vary and the fruit composition is always unique. For example in enology, choosing oak must be evaluated in terms of the changes a wine undergoes owing to the addition of extractive compounds and on the bases of certain physical chemical phenomena. There are various types of extractive compounds some of them involve the wood, while others are generated by the transformation during the seasoning process. Still others are the end result of the toasting process. These compounds in their varying degrees and proportions give the wine different aromas and flavors.
AGING THE WOOD
For this reason, Fabbrica botti Gamba believes it’s essential and most important for the wood to first be properly seasoned. Seasoning must be natural to avoid altering the processes that only cold, air, rain and sun, make possible. These naturally occurring phenomenons produce important changes in the composition of the wood. In fact, it’s during this process that the tannins are polymerized and the green phenolic components are eliminated. Of course, natural seasoning involves the investment of a considerable amount of capital and patience, but the company desires to keep the family tradition alive. That’s why we’ve set aside over 5 acres to stage the wood and provide ample time for proper aging. In the end, it’s the quality that counts.
The climatic effects in Castell’Alfero are ideally suited for seasoning, which makes this important process very unique. In fact, the harmonious alternating pattern of rain, sun, humidity, wind, snow and fog throughout the year increases the extraction of harsh compounds as the wood is transformed during the seasoning process. No Kiln is utilized to substitute for or artificially expedite the chemical and physical changes that better occur naturally during maturation. After the long aging process, further work can begin on making casks, barrels, puncheons and vats.
In the end, quality pays, Always.
This is the first step needed to produce a superb quality French Oak barrel. It’s in this stage that the Merrandier selects the best French Oak trees. They must have straight fibers, a diameter of more than 50-centimeters, and no knots. The trunk is sawn to a length, which exceeds that of the future stave, and then divided into four or six parts, each of which is split again to obtain the staves. It’s important not to interrupt the fiber, which must run throughout the entire length of the stave. Splitting is a costly operation. Five cubic meters of excellent wood yields just one cubic meter of raw stave wood. That’s why staves made from split wood are much more expensive than those made from good quality sawn wood. In contrast, due to its grain density, American Oak can be sawn opposed to split.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
As part of Gamba’s commitment to Total Quality Control, the cooperage has completed certification for Brettanomyces, Tribromoanisole (TBA) and Trichloroanisole (TCA) free products. The independent auditor who conducted the test will continue ongoing random sampling of raw stave wood to comply with certification and insure the highest quality possible.
