Influence
From Vine to Wine
A Wine That Evolves: The Vigneron’s Influence
The intention behind Hugo’s measured influence is adaptation to promote expressions of variation. Patience and curiosity continue through this process and so too does precision. Each action of influence cascades through the season. There is a balance of restraint for decisions made in the vines and the cellar, knowing when to intervene and when to trust in Nature’s expression. This dance unlocks the potential of place and time.
Too much control, and a wine loses its voice, but left unguided, the message becomes unclear.
The Vines
No two vines are the same. Within a single row, variation emerges—subtle shifts in sunlight exposure, airflow, soil moisture, and temperature. Rather than treating a vineyard as a uniform whole, we take a more focused approach. Rows of vines across the valley have been identified for their potential and each vine is pruned and guided by hand.
Earlier picks bring brightness and tension; later picks contribute depth and texture. This presence of variation between components allows Hugo to achieve balance naturally, without the need for chemical additions to the wine in the cellar.
Precision Viticulture
Each vine is pruned and guided by hand, revealing their own identity.
Differential Harvesting
Clusters are hand-selected to express this variation, these shifts of acidity and flavour, into individual components.
A Spectrum of Sunlight
Each berry ripens alone across pockets of variation.
The following are actions of influence in the cellar, adapted to develop and preserve these layers of expression.
- Temperature Controlled Fermentation & Maceration
- Gravity Flow
- Fractional Basket-Pressing
- Extended Maturation on the lees in seasoned oak
- Bottled by hand, Unfined & Unfiltered.
The experience is now up to you. I have guided these individualities into integrated expression. From My hands to Yours. I wish to instil in you a sense of ownership of your experience. This bottle belongs to you. You are responsible for the translation of it’s potential expressions, their culmination in the glass.