The primary fermentation happens in four small open containers that we stir regularly. The primary fermentation lasted seven days. We pressed the must very gently in an old basket press and let the new wine settle for a day. It then went into 60 gallon French oak barrels that were made mostly from trees grown in Limosin near Limoges in south central France. We bottled between July 31 and August 2, 1998.
Hearts sink, of course, but patience is rewarded.
After about a year and a half in the bottle, the wine blossoms into its natural elegance.