Wood is an important protagonist in the crucial aging process for fine wine. This phase is essential and crucial for the birth of great wines and in particular those made from selected grapes, richer and more structured.
To improve upon this process, Banfi undertook intensive research on wood, studying the selection of the trees, the aging, and the toasting process.
It is for this reason, in a continual pursuit of excellence, that the choice of wood is focused on the use of French oak: we start with the choice of the tree, the growth of which is strictly regulated in the prestigious Allier, Nevers, Fontainebleau and Tronçais forests of France’s Massif Central.
Once the staves are split, they are aged on the Banfi estate: the wood will be exposed to all weather conditions for three years in an ample area, stacked in heptagon form to guarantee a homogenous and constant qualitative evolution and seasoning.
Once the wood is fully seasoned, we proceed with the assembling process of the barriques. At this stage special attention should be paid to toasting: the temperature is lower than that usually used and lasts for a longer period of time compared to normal techniques, avoiding charring and obtaining more uniform results. The innovative nature of this process lies in keeping in mind the final composition of the wood from the moment the toasting process is chosen: this permits careful management of the many variables involved.
