Once picked the fruit is gently pressed and allowed to settle for 24 hours before being racked to oak barrels for fermentation. 15% of the barrels are initially co-inoculated with a house strain of malolactic bacteria which are later used to top off the remainder of the entire lot after primary fermentation is complete. The lees in each barrel are stirred once or twice a month to provide additional texture. The finished wine is aged on lees for 7 months before final blending and bottling.