Maturation

As the cellar is gravity fed the wine runs straight into barrel in a cool damp underground barrelroom. Here it undergoes malolactic fermentation while still "dirty". It stays in barrel for 18 months for stabilization, flavour development and phenolic polymerization (softening).

We only use French oak 225L barrels, in a combination of new, 1 wine and 2 wine wood. The Vuurberg 2003 has 30% new oak. The Vuurberg Reserve 2004 will have 60% new oak. We are experimenting with different kinds of new wood.