QPA LBV 2019

Once the grapes are picked the aim throughout is to preserve the fruit flavours and avoid over- extraction by gentle handling. The grapes are handpicked, hand sorted, partially destemmed, and fermented by wild yeasts at temperatures ranging from 20-25°C for 10-12 days on skins. Foot treading followed by gentle plunging is employed on granite lagar ferments. At the appropriate time a clean spirit (to give the best fruit expression) and sulphur dioxide is added to stop the fermentation, after which the ferments are drained/pressed, and transferred to large wooden vats, where the wine matures for over 51⁄2 years before being blended. As ever, the blend is key. Grapes closer to the river give us the concentration whilst grapes from higher elevations bring vibrant fruit characters and aromatics.