OSSIAN

After a rainy winter with mild temperatures and some isolated snowfall, at the end of April the first vegetative sprouts appeared in the vineyard. With sprouting under way, several frosts occurred in mid-May, which slowed down the development of the vine and reduced yield. The high temperatures and scarce summer rains contributed to limiting production and, in return, provided high quality. September was very hot, which delayed the start of the harvest of this vintage, characterized by an unusual ripening cycle.

The soil of Nieva is mostly sandy loam. Thanks to its texture, the phylloxera plague at the end of the 19th century had no impact on the region, which allowed the preservation of these vines, which still survive as a heritage of our winemaking history. Ossian is made entirely from century-old vineyards, ungrafted with certified ecological cultivation. Some plots have a surface covered with pebbles – or codons – that emerge among the sand. They are the testimony of the passage of ancient water currents. In general, the geology of our vineyards was formed in the Cenozoic or tertiary era, some 20 million years ago.

After a hand-picked harvest, the grapes were selected in the field and winery, and rested in a cold chamber at five degrees. The aim was to preserve all its organoleptic characteristics. Then, they were gently pressed to obtain the first must, or free-run juice, which fermented with native yeasts in 228 and 600 liter barrels, and wooden foudres of different capacity. The subsequent aging was slow and calm, with periodic sticking on its lees, until it completed nine months in the barrels. Ossian 2016 was bottled in September 2017.