Climate:
The coastal climate of the Casablanca Valley features morning fog that
burns
off by midday, hot afternoons, and soft ocean breezes in the early evening, which
produce very cool nights throughout the growing season. The marked difference in
daytime
and nighttime temperatures favors the development of the characteristic aromas
of the Chardonnay variety
Soil:
The vineyard is planted on a gentle slope featuring well-drained sandy clayloam
soils.
Harvest:
The grapes were hand-picked into half-ton bins, with a careful selection of
only the ripe clusters on each plant. Harvest took place in the cool early morning
hours, to protect the fresh fruit characters.
Winemaking:
The cool fruit was gently crushed and destemmed and then given 12
hours
of prefermentation maceration at 10ºC. We undertook a careful pressing aimed at
preventing oxidation, with frequent tasting to separate the press lots. Alcoholic
fermentation occurred in both new French oak barrels (30% of the blend) and
stainless steel tanks (70%).
Malolactic fermentation was completed in 100% of the lots. A portion of the wines
spent six months in old oak barrels.
