Chardonnay

Chardonnay is picked in small batches to ensure each part of the vineyard reaches the ideal flavour and structure profile according to differences in soil, aspect and microclimate. Fruit is whole bunch pressed and settled overnight to clarify the juice then transferred at low temperature to barrels, about 30% of which are new, for fermentation. Once dry, the lees are stirred fortnightly to increase textural complexity, until malolactic fermentation is complete and the naturally high acidity of a cool site is in balance. The wine is then matured on the accumulated lees with minimal intervention until bottling preparation just before the following vintage.

Pinot Noir

Like chardonnay, pinot noir is picked in small batches to ensure each area has reached the ideal flavour and structure profile according to differences in clone, soil, aspect and microclimate. Fruit is then destemmed with as little crushing as possible and transferred to small open fermenters for natural fermentation. Total maceration time is normally around 12-15 days to achieve the best structural balance for each batch according to its skin and seed maturity. It is pressed once this ideal extract is achieved, then transferred to oak, around 30% of which is new, for malolactic fermentation and maturation on lees for several months. Each batch is racked off gross lees and returned to barrel in spring for a further nine months before final barrel selection and blending and bottling preparation the following winter.

Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir

The fruit is hand harvested and whole bunch pressed with only the free run juice, the most delicate fraction, used. It is fermented in stainless steel to dryness to retain the wine’s fragrance and freshness. The wine is tiraged for secondary fermentation in bottle using methode traditionale, then spends three years on lees to gain yeast autolysis complexity prior to riddling and disgorging with a small dosage to balance the wine.

Sauvignon Blanc

The fruit is hand harvested and whole bunch pressed to retain powerful fruit flavours and minimise phenolic extraction. The juice is then barrel fermented in older barrels to give more textural complexity to the wine. The dry wine is matured on lees in barrel, before preparation for bottling early to preserve the fresh fruit characters.

Pinot Gris

Hand harvested when fully ripe to maximise flavour, texture and structure, the fruit is then whole bunch pressed and fermented with a small percentage of solids in old oak barrels. Bottled without delay once dry to again preserve the freshness of the fruit flavours with background complexity from the fermentation.



Rosé

Ripe pinot noir fruit is hand harvested, destemmed and macerated on skins for 24 hours to extract maximum colour from the skins whilst minimising tannin extraction. The juice is then pressed and clarified then fermented cool in stainless steel to preserve the beautiful pinot noir fruit characters in the wine. Prepared for bottling in the spring, so the wine can be enjoyed over the summer months.



Cabernet Sauvignon

The fruit is hand harvested, destemmed and crushed, then wild fermented to dryness and given an extended maceration to maximise the tannin and colour; usually a total of three weeks on skins. The wine is then transferred to French oak barrels, 25% of which are new, for malolactic fermentation, then matured on lees in oak for two years to get the ideal tannin balance.