THE VINTAGE
We harvest our grapes manually in 100% of our vineyards, and it is also carried out by the same workers for more than 10 years. We trust them because they know perfectly our quality guidelines, and therefore they know what grapes they should cut, thus making a first selection on the vineyard.
We also make a preliminary selection of the plots, to determine which grapes will be used in each of our wines.
In the case of the Castillo de Mendoza Author, the best grapes from the best vineyards are selected, this implies that to make some 7000 bottles, our best vineyards are covered with small boxes, selecting and cutting only the grapes of extraordinary quality, that is, only the best of best.
MANUAL SELECTION
Once our grapes arrive at the winery, we carry out a manual selection process on a sorting table with a team of 4 or 5 people; fruit to fruit are inspected exhaustively, letting go to the next phase only those grapes that meet the quality guidelines required for each of our wines.
In addition, at our Castle of Mendoza Evento, we go further, and we make a second selection, choosing from each cluster, the best berries.
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION IN NEW BARRELS
For our Top wines: Noralba Crianza, Castillo de Mendoza Author, Castillo de Mendoza Reserva and Evento Reserva Especial, the malolactic fermentation takes place in new French and American oak barrels.
The objective is to achieve a substantial improvement of the organoleptic characteristics, through the micro-oxygenation of the pores of the wood. What gives our wines greater structure and subtleness in the mouth, reducing the sensation of roughness and aggressiveness of the tannins, helping them to preserve the aromas and flavor for a longer time as well as favoring the stability and longevity of the colour.
AGING
The aging of Rioja wines requires rest, calm, light and controlled temperatures. That is why our wines rest on a wide draft of 1,600 m2 excavated in living rock, equipped with an automatic ventilation system and controlled temperature and humidity levels at all times. Thanks to its width, the barrels are extended to a single height which favors an individualized control of analysis, tasting and evolution of the wines.
We care for and pamper our wines, so that they evolve at their own pace, so the aging process ends when they have reached the characteristics that make them so unique.
The barrels in which our wines are grown are meticulously selected, choosing those oaks that by their origin and toasting process, will help to highlight the unique character of our wines
BINDING IN BOTTLE
Our wines, after aging in barrels, sleep in our wine rack for several months or even years, sheltered from the darkness and at a controlled temperature and humidity. Thousands of bottles at rest assemble their different aromatic and structural components, polishing and resulting in wines that are refined and ready for the palate.
