Vineyard

The vineyard occupies about two hectares. It is trained on the Guyot system and has a planting density of 4270 vines per hectare. It faces north, on the crest of a hill, at 180 metres above sea level, and lies on not very deep alluvial soil (holocene formations), with a considerable proportion of gravel, which promotes good drainage of the excess water. The yield per hectare is extremely low and rarely reaches 2 tons.

[all about the vineyard]

Harvest

The harvest is carried out by hand, with the grapes collected and transported in boxes. It is performed in at least three passes. Selection of the grapes is a very delicate matter. The object is to pick only those bunches, or portions of bunches, which have reached the right degree of concentration (30-35° on the Babo sugar meter) as a result of the attack by some varieties of noble rot. Often, the last pass does not take place till the middle of December.

Vinification

The grapes are pressed whole by means of a small, gentle press. After static decantation, the resulting must is fermented on its own yeasts at a temperature of 15°C for a month. Maximo then ages for about a year in small stainless steel containers before being bottled.