SOIL STYLE

The soils on which the vineyards stand has varied and complex terrain features with a strong presence of limestone, feature areas rich in marl and pebbles as well as being partly clayey; they sit at an altitude of between 100 and 300 metres above sea level, with a south/south-west exposure.

WEATHER TRENDS

Cold and rainy winter months caused a delay in budding that the warm spring days were not able to make up for. This phenomenon due to temperature fluctuations induced an irregular flowering that lasted for a considerable time, leading to full flowering in the first week of June. The usual vigour of the shoots was accompanied by good productivity, which even in the youngest vineyards was expertly regulated by modest bunch thinning, synonymous with vegetative-productive balance. The summer, with almost no rain, was fortunately accompanied by temperatures that were never excessive, and this allowed the vines to develop good aromatic characteristics. Thus, the grapes presented themselves perfectly at the start of the harvest: concentrated and evenly ripe.

HARVESTING

There was rain during the harvest in the early stages, slowing down harvesting operations, but the subsequent re-establishment of the favourable weather allowed for a slow harvest, which had a positive influence on the polyphenolic and anthocyanin content.

FERMENTATION

Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled steel vats, with maceration lasting 15 days for both Merlot.

AGEING

Once malolactic fermentation was complete, the wine was placed in French oak barriques, and a small part in American oak, where it was aged for a period between the 20 and 25 months. The duration of the ageing is technically decided on the basis of the seasonal trend of the vintage.