Description
Harvested in January, when the grapes have frozen due to temperatures remaining below minus five degrees for at least five days but never below minus 13 degrees. These weather conditions mark the beginning of the harvest, which is why it is only produced in exceptional years. A manual harvest of frozen but healthy grapes without any trace of rotting are quickly pressed in the same vineyard as the grape, with the ice crystals still in the grape causing s a high concentration of sugars in the must and plenty of acidity. Due to the dehydration, this improves the extraction of aromatic components.
Winemaking
As the water is first to freeze within the grape, an increased concentration of sugars are obtained from the must. The grapes must be pressed before the ice crystals break down. The yeasts for fermentation are native, providing much of the character and personality of the terroir. Fermentation is a very slow process, it can take 2 to 3 months and is carried out in small stainless steel tanks to provide a completely natural wine, with no added sulphites and the stabilisation and clarification are also a natural sedimentation process.
