Climate: The climate in Italy in 1996 was not particularly favourable for wine: The spring was cold at the beginning which caused a slight delay in budding. Later on temperatures increased enabling perfect flowering and setting of the berry. Around the second half of August, a 'green harvest' was carried out, leaving only the best clusters on the vines to ripen. These clusters ripened perfectly and at the time of the harvest were in excellent condition with good development of their aromatic and varietal characteristics. 

Harvest: The grapes from the 1996 harvest were excellent in all aspects: healthy, high sugar content, excellent polyphenol content thanks to the quality and quantity of its sweet tannins. The harvest began on September 16th and finished in the second half of October

Wine making: The primary fermentation took place in temperature controlled stainless steel vats at a temperature of 30°-31° C. The maceration of the skins lasted 15 days for both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Cabernet Franc, with a combination of pumping over and délestage .The malolactic fermentation also took place in the steel vats.