in the vineyard : The grapes for the wine were derived from a 25 hectare vineyard, planted in 1974 and 1990 at 3 704 vines per hectare, and at an altitude of 160 m above sea-level. The vines, planted on a west-facing slope, are trellised in order to keep the grapes cool and healthy.
The winter before the growing season was very wet, while the growing season was abnormally dry. Dry and warm conditions also prevailed during ripening and harvest. The long-term average rainfall in the area is 700mm, while the rainfall for the vintage year was 617mm. The vines were not irrigated and the yield limited to 5,6 tons per hectare.
in the cellar : In the cellar, the juice was given seven days' skin contact in open tanks. It was inoculated with yeast type WE 372 and left to ferment at 25° C. Secondary malolactic was completed on 21 April. Half of the wine was matured in small new French oak for 17 months and the remaining 50% in second-fill oak, also for 17 months. The wine was bottled in March 1997.