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Winemaking method
Contemporary Winemaking method of our long-term cellaring wines
In order to produce our high quality wines, the grapes from each variety or from vines of different ages, are vinified separately.
Destemming and Crushing
Destemming and crushing take place upon delivery of the harvested crop. Destemming removes the grape stalks, i.e. the woody portion of the grape bunch (stems and shaft), in order to reduce the wine’s astringency. Crushing breaks open the grape and releases the juice.
Fermentation
 Alcoholic fermentation takes place in sealed thermo-regulated stainless steel vats at a temperature of approximately 30°C. This is accompanied by recoopering a number of times, when the wine is drawn from the bottom of the vat and pumped to the top. The aim of this operation is to aerate the wine and improve colour extraction. The lower part of the rape is racked and then poured into the top of the vat where the aromatic and colouring solid matter is concentrated.
Through very moderate sulphiting, indigenous yeast species are selected, any harmful bacteria is destroyed and excessive oxidation is prevented. The length of the fermentation period depends upon the maturity of the grapes. Our long-term cellaring wines undergo a relatively long fermentation process.
Eight to twenty days after initiating fermentation, the wine is drawn off to produce clarified wine, which constitutes the “vin de goutte” (Wine obtained from vat by racking). The marc remaining at the bottom of the vat is then pressed to produce the “vin de presse”, which is richer in tannins and colouring matter. The “vin de presse” is then poured into the blend to achieve its final colour.
The wine then undergoes the last and most important processing operation: malo-lactic fermentation, which is natural deacidification that rids it of its acidity produced by malic acid. The conversion of malic acid into lactic acid takes place by means of bacteria.
Ageing
Ageing is the phase during which the wine stored in our vats and, more specifically in our oak barrels, begins to clarify and mature through a series of biochemical processes. Once fermentation is complete, the first racking exercise takes place: this simply involves pouring the wine from one container to another in order to remove any sediment. During ageing, this operation is repeated, with intervals when the wine is left completely inert to allow the sediments to settle. Racking also facilitates the gradual oxidation of the wine, which is an essential condition for it to fully mature.
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