After the grapes have slowly matured, the harvest date is determined by tasting the berries, chosen for the optimum expression of the terroir and the quality of the tannins. The harvest is carried out by hand, in small crates weighing less than 12 kg, to avoid crushing the grapes, which are then sorted by chiselling. Each parcel is vatted in less than an hour after harvest, by gravity, respecting the integrity of the berries. Each vineyard is vinified separately, three plots, three vats…
After cold pre-fermentation to extract as much fruit as possible, fermentation starts slowly and naturally, without the addition of selected yeasts. The extraction process then begins, gently (delestage, pumping over, gentle punching down), with the emphasis on diffusion. Maceration lasts between 3 and 5 weeks, depending on the vintage, with decanting determined by tasting. In 2013, whole bunch vinification was reintroduced for the Syrah and Serine to enhance complexity, fruit intensity and freshness.
Ageing is a revelation, an amplifier, the wine rises, it grows. Ad Fines wines are matured in new Burgundy barrels, of one or two wines for the Serines and Cabernet Sauvignon, and less recently for the Syrah, for 12 to 18 months. After blending, the magical moment when the soul of each vintage is revealed, the wines are matured in vats for a further 5 months before bottling, to ensure perfect harmony.
