Winemaking

We hand harvested our Block 92 grapes during the night, to guarantee
the grapes get picked at cooler temperatures. This will benefit the grape
quality, as it translates into higher quality fruit and allows for better acid,
sugar levels, as well as aromatics. The grapes were whole cluster pressed,
using a slow cycle that gently pushes the must rendering clean juice but few
solids. Winemaker Ana Diogo-Draper placed 100% of the juice into French
oak barrels (50% new) specifically coopered for Artesa, using both classic
Burgundy style barrels, as well as puncheon barrels. We place the barrels in a
specially designed “igloo”, in our Barrel Room, so the juice would ferment at a
low temperature. This technique allows us to retain the highly volatile aroma
components, and therefore, produce a wine that has an intense aromatic
profile. After primary fermentation, the majority of the wine went through
malolactic fermentation (50% of the lot), and then aged on its lees for a full
9 months, with weekly lees stirring, for about three months. The wines were
tasted weekly and racked once prior to bottling