The "asse" (French Medoc word) is without a doubt a kind of Swiss knife for the winery craftsman.  Also referred to as the 'Cellar Master's Hammer', this tool is used every day as the vintage is ageing.

Its three extremities are each used for different tasks on the barrel.
The flat part of the metal portion allows, by creating a lever arm, to remove the esquive - the cork at the bottom of the barrel - during racking.
The other extremity allows us to intervene on the bonde - the cork on the upper side of the barrel - while we put the wine into barrels.
The base of the handle is used to push through the stainless steel tube to the level of the esquive in order to stop, in racking, the flow of wine at the exact moment that it becomes troubled.
 
At the Château, our asse has been passed down from hand-to-hand for more than twenty years!