Pioneering Achievements
For David, the urge to make fine wine has always included a need to understand how fine wine is created. His combination of passion and scientific curiosity has led to pioneering efforts, now legendary, that have contributed to both the industry's evolution and the quality of David Bruce wines. His work with the diversity of California grapes and winemaking techniques made him one of the first winemakers since Prohibition to produce a "Blanc de Noir," a white wine from red zinfandel grapes, and to introduce "late harvest" wines. David was also one of the first winemakers to put white wines through a secondary, malolactic fermentation; a California pioneer in the use of whole-berry fermentation in making red wines; one of the first California winemakers to import French oak barrels; and an early advocate of foot crushing, extensive skin contact, small-barrel fermentation, and rotary tanks.