Harvest took place when the fruit had reached optimal maturity and it was carefully sorted. 30% of the grapes were left as whole bunches. Fermentation took place in 5,000 litre vats with gentle pump-overs twice per day; a long extraction period imparted the pure fruit expression and structure to this wine. The free-run wine was drained off and the fermented grapes were then pressed in a traditional wooden basket press. It was racked into 225, 300 and 500 litre barrels where malolactic fermentation took place and the wine was aged for 10 months. 35% new French oak was used.