Ribera del Duero

Description :

Viticulture: Francisco Barona farms 28 sites planted in Roa, Anguix, La Aguilera, and Pedrosa de Duero organically. These are old field-blend vineyards of Tinto Fino with other indigenous varieties. Barona obstains from the use of chemically synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides, and does not irrigate. He works where necessary with cover crop to support the plant's natural defenses and to fix nitrogen in the soil. The soils are not plowed during the fall, winter, or spring. During the growing season, Barona does not defoliate to ensure that the clusters ripen in the shade. A green harvest is carried out in August to remove the clusters
that are delayed in their ripening.
Winemaking: After a rigorous sorting of the grapes, the bunches are destemmed but not crushed. The grapes are transferred by gravity to open top stainless steel vats where fermentation begins spontaneously without inoculation. Maceration is very gentle and manual punch-downs are carried out once per day during the maceration to limit over-extraction of the concentrated fruit. Malolactic fermentation in new French barriques.
Aging: 16 months in new French barriques.