Wines & Vines contacted cooperages about new barrels and toast options on the market or newly available for the 2016 vintage. Several coopers reported they’re offering more toasts designed to provide a restrained oak presence to accentuate and frame fruit flavors rather than dominate the wine profile.

WORLD COOPERAGE
World Cooperage expanded its Profile Series of barrels that are toasted with infrared technology, which the company says provides a cleaner and more precise method of toasting. Short-wavelength infrared energy penetrates deeper into the stave, while longer wavelength energy toasts more of the surface. The Aroma and Reflection toasts are a combination of both wavelengths. Aroma barrels are designed to provide a “full spectrum” of oak aromatics as well as add richness to the mid-palate. The Reflection toast is intended to lift and enhance fruit character with mild oak flavors and light aromatics.
worldcooperage.com

SEGUIN MOREAU
Seguin Moreau is offering a new, extra-long medium toast at a low temperature for a full hour, allowing the heat to penetrate deep in to the wood. The company developed the toast to offer a more restrained option for a subtler oak presence in finished wines. The new toast is available for barrels made at the company’s cooperages in Napa, Calif., and France.
seguinmoreaunapa.com

TONNELLERIE ORION
Tonnellerie Orion added the “uber toast” for its Jupiter barrel. The toast is 110 minutes long at around 150° C (302° F). The toast lends the barrel a “mild, toasty aspect” that’s not smoky and has reduced tannin impact with a long finish.
tonnellerieorion.com

NADALIE USA
Nadalie released two new barrels for its Solution line: the Expression Rouge with Satin toast and Expression Rouge with Velours toast. The Expression Rouge with Satin toast is made with 80% tight-grain oak staves from the Vosges Forest and 20% Allier Forest staves. The Satin toast “brings freshness” while extending the finish and boosting the aromatics, making it well suited for “subtle and elegant wines.” The Expression Rouge with Velours toast is made with 80% oak from Nevers Forest and 20% Allier. The medium-long Velours toast is ideal for longer aging of “powerful” wines and should add “minerality, freshness, generous volume and good length.”
nadalie.com

TONNELLERIE ROUSSEAU
Tonnellerie Rousseau released a new barrel to commemorate the company’s 60th year of doing business. The limited-edition barrel, dubbed the “60,” features many of the characteristics of Rousseau’s signature “Video” barrel, which was released in 2008. According to the cooper, the 60 features extra tight-grain French oak as well as “irreproachable finishing,” which adds volume, depth, sweetness and length without overshadowing the fruit.
tonnellerie-rousseau.com

TARANSAUD TONNELLERIE
Taransaud’s new Pure T barrel is designed for high-end white wines. The company developed the new barrel to “respect the freshness of the wine and enhance the fruit characteristics and aromas.” Taransaud recommends the Pure T for Burgundian style white wines with freshness and minerality.
taransaud.com

TONNELLERIE MERCIER
Tonnellerie Mercier’s newest barrel is the Affinity, which is made with staves of tight-grain French oak that are air seasoned for 24 months and formed with a special water-bending process. The cooper says the combination of tight grain and a specific toast helps extract smoother tannins that respect a wine’s fruit flavors and “elegance” as well as accentuates freshness, minerality and fat. The barrels are available in 225-, 228-, 300- and 500-liter capacities.
tonnellerie-mercier.com

TONNELLERIE GARONNAISE
Tonnellerie Garonnaise’s Exquis barrel is formed with staves that have undergone 36 months of seasoning and are bent with a combination of water and steam “to provide finesse and elegance,” then toasted for “power and depth.”
garonnaise.com

TONNELLERIE BOUTES
Tonnellerie Boutes’ new Coeur barrel is assembled with staves that were seasoned with little exposure to the elements. The barrels have a high level of tannin and can add density and richness to the palate. Conversely, the Soleil barrel is built with staves that have received as much exposure to sun, wind and rain as possible. The Soleil offers “mature tannins” that give the wine a great deal of “tension.”
boutes.com

TONNELLERIE MARCHIVE
Tonnellerie Marchive’s Esprit Club is produced with oak that has been air dried for a minimum of 48 months and staves that are hand selected for grain tightness of no more than 22 rings per inch. The staves are then bent with steam and toasted slowly at 160°-170° C (320°-338° F). The barrel is recommended for extended aging of robust red wines.
barrelbuilders.com

TONNELLERIE DE MERCUREY
Tonnellerie de Mercurey unveiled its Evolution line of barrels that are built with oak from forests growing in areas with distinct terroirs. The Craie selection is built with light-colored wood from trees growing in the chalky soils of Champagne and North Chablis, and given a medium-light toast to match the wood’s light texture. The Pierre selection is made with wood from forests in the hills near Burgundy that produce larger trees with an “intrinsic heterogeneity” that creates staves of varying grain and color. A long, low-temperature toast is ended with a flash of flame to bring out the wood’s natural richness while preserving structure. The line also includes the Prestige barrel, which is built with a blend of fine-grain staves from trees growing in sandy or clay soils.
boswellcompany.com

BOUCHARD COOPERAGES
Bouchard Cooperages is offering a new barrel “developed specifically for bolder Bordeaux varietals and blends.” The Richelieu barrel is produced at Tonnellerie Billon using a “unique, proprietary blend of oak from small microclimates within three of the finest forests in France,” according to the cooper. The staves are seasoned for a minimum of 36 months and then toasted in the Bordeaux style to create a barrel the company describes as putting fruit and terroir to the front while also adding a pronounced length.
bouchardcooperages.com

VICARD GENERATION 7
Vicard Generation 7’s new EC0 27 barrel is produced with the branches (not the trunks) of French oak trees. The cooperage reports it spent three years developing a system to handle medullary rays in the branches while sawing the wood. The staves for the barrels are produced with a patented system that uses a laser to detect sections of high porosity in the wood and then injects paraffin to prevent leaks. The finished staves are then steam bent and toasted.
vicardg7.com

LEROI TONNELLERIE
Leroi’s “Divine” is a limited-edition barrel produced by a master cooper. Oak for the Divine comes from the Tronçais and Allier forests and is seasoned for 36 to 40 months. Only “the very best ultra-fine grain” staves are selected for the Divine, which is toasted with Leroi’s proprietary “medium-long, deliberate toast.” The barrel is designed to let the fruit dominate, while aromas of vanilla and hazelnut settle in the background.
leroibarrels.com