The production and bottling phases take place in our cellar in Castiglione Falletto.
Harvest
Work begins with the grape harvest.
The grapes are harvested in the coolest hours of the day into 18/20 kg crates, taking care to handle the bunches carefully to avoid crushing them. The grapes are transported from the vineyard to the cellar on sleds. This minimises the movement of the grapes, which tend to bounce up and down over the uneven ground when transported on a trailer on wheels, resulting in their being squashed.
The grapes are immediately chiller, , where they are cooled to a temperature of 6°C over a couple of days. Climatic changes have meant that, in recent years, we have had to harvest the grapes with temperatures above 25°C. Cooling them in this way prevents fermentation from beginning inside the crates, where we have no control over the situation. At this temperature, the grapes maintain their aromatic profile and can be processed more calmly, allowing us to press them with respect for quality.
White wines
At this point, the white grapes are transported to the cellar and pressed in a pneumatic press at a maximum of 0.8 bar, which ensures very soft pressing.
The free run juice obtained is transferred to temperature-controlled tanks, where alcoholic fermentation begins thanks to the action of the yeasts. Both the temperature and the progress of fermentation are checked three times a day using a Babo mostimeter. When the temperature reaches 16°C, temperature control is activated to prevent it from rising higher. This maintains the freshness of the aromas and the elegance of the flavours.
Fermentation lasts about 15 days, at the end of which the fermentation lees are allowed to deposit. The wine is then transferred to an ageing tank, paying the utmost attention to maintaining the integrity of the aromas. In this new tank, the wine matures on fine lees for another 6/8 months, undergoing regular batonnage. When the wine has reached its full structure and complexity, it is left to decant naturally before being bottled with meticulous care, to avoid oxidation and consequently allow reduced addition of sulphites. While it waits to begin its journey around the world, the wine is stored in the dark, in a temperature-controlled environment.
Red wines
The harvest is carried out in the same way and with the same care that we devote to white grapes. When the grapes arrive in the cellar, the press is fed by a sorting conveyor belt and the destemmed grapes then travel along a second conveyor, where any remaining stalks and unripe berries are eliminated and further selection takes place. A wine barrel of adequate capacity in relation to the size of the vineyard is chosen. Alcoholic fermentation starts on the second day, thanks to the action of the yeasts. The release of CO2 pushes the skins to the top of the tank and a cap of marc develops after twelve hours of fermentation. Three times a day, part of the must in the tank is pumped over the marc that has risen to the surface. This pumping over is carried out gently and delicately, in order to preserve the high-quality tannins. The operation is performed manually, directing the jet in such a way as to thoroughly irrigate the whole cap. The frequency decreases as the days go by and the operation stops altogether when the must reaches the required density (measured twice a day using an aerometer). The testing is carried out by Valentina Marrone, the winemaker, and her staff, who taste a sample from each tank every morning.
When an alcohol content of 3% is reached, délestage is carried out for the first time, and then again when the alcohol reaches 6%, in order to extract all the juice from the fermenting grapes. The must is left in contact with the marc for a few days, without touching it at all, at a temperature of 28-30°C. This post-fermentation phase helps the tannic structure to soften and become silkier; the must is refined and perfected. The free run juice is racked gently into a perfectly clean tank where the fermentation lees settle. Then it is transferred into barrels, barriques or tonneaux, where it undergoes second fermentation (malo-lactic), which can last from a few weeks to several months. Meanwhile, the skins are pressed and the resulting must is stored separately.