Montes Alpha Pinot Noir

The grapes were hand-picked into 10kg trays in the early hours of the morning to maintain low temperatures and preserve aromas. Once at the winery, the clusters were carefully inspected to ensure only the best fruit was used. Many different maceration and fermentation techniques were carried out. Some using whole clusters while others used completely destemmed fruit. The fermentation process lasted about seven days, during which two punch-downs were carried out daily to delicately extract colour and flavour. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was transferred to either oak barrels or stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation. Of the oak barrels, one-third were new and the rest second or third use, all specifically selected for Pinot Noir production. The wine spent a minimum of ten months in barrel before being blended with the unoaked wine, lightly fined, and bottled.