“The caliber of any wine rests upon the quality of the grapes and their maturity at harvest”.
E. Peynaud, 1970.
The quality and maturity of our raisins at picking are the two most important elements that determine the future development of our wine.
Thus, 3 weeks after veraison, or the changing of the colour of the berries, we begin to sample the progress of our grapes as they ripen on the vine.
Before harvesting begins each of our 32 separate plots will have been controlled and tasted at least 3 times to ascertain its optimum maturity.
Then, just prior to their picking, the raisins are tasted once again to confirm the evolution of their varietal character and that no note of herbaceous flavours linger. Then our final note of direction to our pickers ensures that only the very best and healthiest raisins reach the winery everyday :
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" pick only those bunches of grapes that you would be happy to eat." Under the supervision of our vineyard manager, who has conducted over 20 picking campaigns, this order ensures an exceptional selection throughout the 4 to 5 weeks of our harvesting.
Upon arrival at the winery, the crop is entirely destemmed, lightly crushed to split the grape skins and placed in temperature regulated, stainless steel tanks. Each variety is kept strictly separated and we use only the wild, indigenous yeasts carried on the grapes and present in the winery to conduct the fermentations. The 3 stages of the fermentation period - pre-ferment, alcoholic fermentation and then the maceration period usually lasts between 3 and 4 weeks.
The quality of our primary fruit, from vintage to vintage, dictates how we manage the critical period of fermenting our musts. By tasting daily throughout the fermentations, and by maintaining our flexibility, we ensure that we correctly adapt our methods of working each tank and variety in order to avoid any over extraction of the musts.
Once the fermentation is deemed complete, the new vintage is drained from its marc , or pomace, and is placed in below-ground, epoxy-lined tanks. There the malo-lactic fermentations take place and are usually finished prior to the end of December.
A small percentage of the new vintage is aged in new and 1 year old, French oak barrels where it will mature for approximately 12 months.
By February, we are able to differentiate the potential of each tank and variety and begin the process of constituting the blend that will determine the final wine for the new vintage. This delicate process requires a meticulous attention to detail and the experience and talent of our cellar manager, oenologue, consultant representatives and the Brechet family are fully mobilised with the sole aim of determining the blend that will perfectly express the unique terroir of Vaudieu. |
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The new wine is then aged between 6 and 18 months where the blended elements are given the time they need to harmonise and provide a true expression of the previous 12 months effort.
For our white wines, our raisins are harvested only during the cool of the early morning in order to benefit from the fresh temperatures and to protect our grapes from oxydation.
Delivered to the winery within 30 minutes of picking, in cases holding only 15 kilograms each, our grapes are gently pressed by a pneumatic press and the must is then allowed to settle for 24 hours at 14° C.
Fermentation takes place over 10 - 12 days between 18 and 22° C. A very small percentage of our oldest vine grapes are fermented in new French oak barrels, where the new wine will remain until mid March, with a stirring of the lees once every two weeks.
The new vintage is then blended in January when the individual varieties, having been kept separate, are brought together in a labour of love to produce a white wine worthy of ageing.
Once blended the new wine is then allowed to stabilise naturally throughout the winter and is bottled at the winery in March.
Prior to their commercialisation, both our red and white wines are given time to stabilise and age in bottle while kept in pristine conditions and at a constant 16° C. |
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