Montestefano

Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva MONTESTEFANO, comune di Barbaresco.

Maceration 25-30 days, controlled-temperature fermentation in cement tanks with regular pumpover.
When fermentation is ¾ complete, for some vintages, submerged cap will be implemented for an additional 15 days for additional extraction of phenolic components.

The wines ages at least 18-14 months in large, 25-50HL, Slavonian-oak barrels that average 25 years old.

To avoid complications caused by oxidation at colder temperatures, as temperatures increase with the advent of summer, the wine is typically bottled in July following three years of barrel aging.
The bottles will then be stored horizontally at 16-18 C°.

This wine is suited to long aging. It is recommended to store the bottles at regulated temperature and humidity (16-18 C° and 60%) away from bright light.

Given the southern exposure, one might expect Montestefano to be the first vineyard to be harvested, but thanks to the depth of its nutrient-rich blue marl soils, the roots of the vines take more time to absorb these important elements thus requiring longer to complete phenolic maturation. The grapes are usually picked in the second week of October.