Winemaking Process
The grapes from both regions are harvested after nightfall, with each vineyard harvested at a slightly different time for optimal grape ripeness. The grapes are destemmed as soon as they arrive at the winery, and then are transferred to small and medium sized tanks holding 5-12 tons each for the purposes of fermentation and extraction of flavors. The grapes undergo two to three weeks of skin contact before pressing. Malolactic fermentation and a light clarification follow, after which the wine is moved into small American and French oak barrels, 25% of which are new, and each with a volume of 225 liters, for aging over a 12 month period. The blend is then selected from the various plots and the wine is bottled with minimal clarification and filtration.