If you have decided to age a wine, the terroir, those characteristics that set it apart from others, begin to take form in the forest, probably some distance from where you will be producing your wines. This highlights the importance of firstly selecting the best land and then the best tree from the woods there.
Throughout its long history, French oak has demonstrated that it has the perfect characteristics to accompany the ageing of fine wines. Fontainebleau, Orleans and Tronçais are the main sources of the wood used in our barrels. We visit these regions every year in search of the finest trees. We use our experience to seek out those that have shown the most constant and well-defined growth. A history of slow development.
As in any barrel room, time is measured differently here. How or when is of no importance. We are solely guided by the land and its natural selection.
THE SAWMILL
The beginning and the end
Nobody likes to lose sight of their greatest asset. For us, that asset is oak. We are the first Spanish coopers to carry out the entire barrel manufacturing process under its own control.
Our sawmill and drying facilities allow us to confirm that each step that we take is in the right direction. From its selection at source to its final manufacture, our casks and open barrels pass through various stages in which the wood is cut into staves and dried in the open air for up to 60 months.
Once it reaches the sawmill it is cut depending on its internal growth structure. A guided laser system is used on both sides of the trunk which guarantees the uniformity of the splitting of the French oak that we receive.
DRYING
The character of the wine
Although it has been cut into staves, the wood is still alive. During the open-air drying stage, which lasts at least 24 months, nature subjects the staves to a natural curing and drying process that smooths all the roughness inherent to the wood.
The wind and rain, the changing temperatures, the sun, each of nature’s meteorological processes help to refine the wood, bestowing on it a greater mildness. Nature converts the material that is rough and rugged in the forest into something refined, noble and elegant. The characteristics that will define the great wines that pass through our barrels.