Herzog’s barrel room is a truly special place. Although the number fluctuates based on the time of year and the readiness of wines for bottling, there are typically around 2,500 barrels in our cellar at any given time. Each barrel produces an average of 235 bottles of wine.

Our barrels are primarily crafted from American Oak or French Oak. French Oak is a specific type of oak that must be grown in France, although it can be assembled anywhere. Barrels come from a variety of barrel makers, known as coopers, each employing unique techniques that make their barrels distinctive, despite their fundamental similarities—much like wine. Some barrels are charred, or “toasted,” on the inside to impart different flavors to the wines. The toasting can range from light to medium to heavy. Additionally, we use both new and older barrels: new barrels impart strong flavors, while older barrels provide more subtle nuances. “Neutral barrels” are those old enough that they impart no flavor but still significantly contribute to a wine’s overall structure.

Director of Winemaking David Galzignato refers to these various barrel options as the “winemaker’s spice rack.” Throughout much of the winemaking process, the team focuses on keeping the grapes and juice on track to reach their full natural potential. The type, age, and toast level of the barrels are among the few elements where a winemaker can deliberately influence the wine’s flavor profile and structure. Wines can age in barrels for a few months to several years. Some wines are divided and aged in different types of barrels, then blended together at the end. For instance, a single cabernet may be aged in a combination of new and aged barrels, both French and American Oak, each with different toast levels. By aging the juice in various barrel types and then blending them, the winemaking team can create more complex and refined wines than if they used a single type of barrel.

These techniques allow Herzog Wine Cellars to function as both a high-volume, mass-market winery and a boutique, small-lot producer—something most wineries cannot achieve. Many of our most prestigious wines are aged in this room, including the Alexander Valley and Chalk Hill Cabernets, the Russian River Chardonnay, and the new ultra-luxe Yesod line.