Guillaume Large sampling Pinot grapes at Résonance vineyard.

I had the privilege to spend a day with Guillaume Large, the winemaker at Résonance Wines, a project from Louis Jadot based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Having admired his wines since he transitioned from being Cellar Master at Jadot in Beaune to lead the winemaking at Résonance, I was thrilled when he invited me to experience a day of harvest at his winery.

Knowing I was working at a smaller production facility for my own harvest internship, it was fascinating to witness a winery producing nearly ten times the amount of wine. The scale difference was eye-opening and offered a different perspective on managing a larger operation.

Harvested pinot noir at Résonance vineyard.

We started the day at the estate vineyard early on a cool Saturday morning. The vineyard was buzzing with activity, as pickers swiftly harvested Pinot Noir. Like Folly of Man, Résonance was one of the later wineries to pick this vintage, taking advantage of a longer, slower ripening period that mother nature granted this year.

Guillaume Large Speaking about the 2024 Vintage

Back at the winery, I was reacquainted with his full-time team—Jared & Charlotte–and three harvest interns from France and Canada. Despite the substantial production volume, I was struck by how efficiently this small team handled everything. I jumped right into the sorting line alongside them, helping process nearly 25 tonnes of fruit that day.

A busy day on the sorting line.

Sorting fruit, though it may seem like an easy task, is physically demanding. Standing for hours, laser-focused on removing leaves and underripe berries, takes its toll. Yet, this time on the line also allowed me to bond with the team, learning about their diverse journeys into wine and their aspirations. Despite different backgrounds, they shared a common goal: to master the craft of winemaking and work with one of the best winemakers in the Valley.

Guillaume joined us on the sorting line, moving with precision as he inspected each cluster. As I commented on the impressive quality of the fruit, he smiled warmly, nodding in agreement. “You see,” he said, “if you truly want to understand winemaking, you need to start here—with the fruit. This is where it all begins. It’s always about the fruit. You can’t create exceptional wine if the grapes aren’t exceptional. The process, no matter how skilled, can’t make up for poor fruit. It’s the foundation of everything we do.” His words resonated deeply, underscoring the intimate connection between vineyard and winery.

2019 Résonance Choix de Couer Pinot Noir.

As the day progressed, I felt fully welcomed by the team. Extra hands are always a blessing during the peak of harvest, and now, with a bit of experience under my belt, I could offer some real help. When we broke for lunch, a catered meal paired with Résonance’s beautiful Choix de Coeur Pinot Noir provided the perfect fuel to get us through the long hours.

Once the last cluster was sorted, we turned our attention to punch downs. Punch downs are a critical part of the winemaking process, where the cap of grape skins that forms at the top of fermenting juice is gently pushed back down into the liquid to ensure proper extraction of colour, flavor, and tannins. This helps to manage the fermentation, ensuring that the wine develops balanced structure and complexity.

Guillaume inspecting grapes at Résonance vineyard.

While manual punch downs can be physically grueling, especially after a long day, I was relieved to find that Résonance had a mechanical punch-down system in place. Instead of using a traditional punch tool, we worked with a lever-operated machine that made the process far less taxing.

By the end of the day, my back and shoulders were weary, but I was filled with a deeper appreciation for the scale and precision required to produce wine at this level. Spending the day at Résonance was a remarkable learning experience, and it gave me even more respect for the craftsmanship of Guillaume and his team.