Perfection as research. There are grapes that promise to be beautiful, like a promise of happiness. It happens when nature, terroir, and sunshine align in a special and perhaps unrepeatable vintage. Then one can only accept the challenge of perfection. A desire arises not to miss the exceptionality of that magical coincidence and to seek the best. There is a tension to keep that promise, creating the most balanced, elegant, expressive and long-lived wine. Merlot comes out only in the best years for merlot grapes. The first special year was 1990 for us. Then the choice was made to wait for another harvest at the height. A vintage that would allow us to vinify merlot grapes in purity: the prodigy was repeated with the 2001,2003 and 2009 vintage. Thanks to the long maceration and a 10-month aging in barrique, the wine gave us a splendid deep garnet color, intense aromas of ripe red fruit, complexity and finesse that intertwine and accompany very fine tannins.

GRAPE VARIETIES
100% Merlot.

VINEYARDS OF ORIGIN
3 Merlot vineyards, with an average age of 33 years, located in the communes of Cazzago San Martino and Passirano

WINEMAKING
Ilmerlot is the result of careful grape selection and expert winemaking conducted in full respect of the Ca’ del Bosco Method. Grapes from 3 “chosen” vineyards, freshly hand-picked in small boxes, are graded and cooled. Each bunch of grapes is selected by expert eyes and hands, and then benefits from exclusive “berry spa,” a special system of washing and hydromassage of the grapes through three soaking tubs and a drying system. Next, each cluster is transported over the maceration vat. With destemming, the grapes fall into the vat, from above, by gravity. This eliminates traditional pumping systems, which are the cause of broken skins and unwanted herbaceous notes. Alcoholic fermentation and maceration were conducted for 21 days, carefully managing temperature and punching down. Pumpovers were carried out daily, using a pair of elevating tanks into which the wine, tapped from the bottom of the vat, is transferred by gravity. The wine, carried aloft from the flying tanks, is poured into the vat, at high flow rate, to submerge the “cap.” Nothing could be more natural and effective for gently extracting color and tannins. After racking, the wine, still warm, is racked into small oak barrels, 65 percent new, made from selected woods, aged for at least 3 years. Aging lasted a total of 18 months, and after a few months the wine was bottled by gravity, naturally. Thanks to innovative filling systems, the wine does not undergo oxidative shock, whisking and further addition of sulfites. Its integrity and wholesomeness are guaranteed. Finally, each packaged bottle is uniquely marked to ensure traceability.

BOTTLE AGING
6 years and 5 months.