Indigenous yeasts

[Felonius]

I apologize for geeking out a bit here, but do you have any thoughts about the use of indigenous vs. cultured yeasts in making wine? I ask this because I've recently discovered that some of my favorite American Chardonnays (and I don't have many) were made with indigenous yeast.

[Randall Grahm]

Felonious,

No worries about the geek-hood; I've been known to fall into the abyss from time to time. I think that indigenous yeast represents some great posssibilities for wines in California. There is certainly more complexity, owing to the multiple populations and the slower ferments, but there is of course, the other side, with the possibility of some tragic defects. I think that a winery needs to slowly, gradually fine a level of comfort with this approach. We are nibbling on the edges but are ourselves not quite there. R.