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"Olivier Merlin is an old school wine maker, making non-manipulated wines with low yields in a modern cuverie attached to a classic deep cellar in La Roche Vineuse. He uses no herbicides or artificial fertilizers. The prefer to use the plough (horse-drawn for the Moulin à Vent) and to add compost. "Our production rules are very strict." Picking is by hand, in cases, and only when the plot is fully mature so that the fruit reaches the vatting house in the best possible condition.

Les Cras is a south-west facing vineyard, composed of Quaternary clay-limestone soil (Middle Bathonian). It is gently and slowly pressed to release phenolics that help guard against premature oxidation. It then settles in take before it goes through alcoholic and malolactic fermentations in oak barrels (30% new, 30% 1 year old, 30% 2 years old, 10% four years old). After 18 months' elevage in barrel it is racked, then lightly filtered before bottling with no fining." - Importer