Unculin is a Vino de Villa wine from over 80 different organically-grown, family-owned small plots in the village of Valtuille de Abajo. With some vines in Valtuille being between 100 and 200 years old, their vineyards provide an unspoiled genetic window to an era before modern clones were selected for higher yields. The viticulture is strictly organic, and the only compost used is local, organic chestnuts, which grow in the vineyards.
Whole bunches are hand-picked, leaving stems on 30% of the bunches. The remaining 70% of the grapes are de-stemmed by hand and left intact, without cushing. A 48-hour maceration precedes a spontaneous alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeast. After fermentation the grapes are pressed with a 20-day post-fermentation maceration. All of this occurs in stainless steel tanks. After four months of aging on the fine-lees and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, the wine is briefly racked into foudres to give it some oxygen. Gently fined with bentonite, unfiltered and very little sulfur at bottling.
