The phase that follows naturally begins spontaneously, at the whim of Mother Nature. That phase is malolactic fermentation. The Bel winery has participated in the development of new bacteria that enable malolactic fermentation. Work begins on combining the Merlots and Cabernets in the beginning of December. It is a difficult and delicate task, performed with help from the laboratory. The challenge is to bring 2 very different things together : the batches and figures. With the batches available, several possible combinations can be produced in the winery after their standards have been checked by the winemaker. The figures, in turn, are with reference to a theoretical mathematical model and define, in the form of data based on past vintages, the maximum allowable variations within the standards for balance and consistency that have been set. So finding the right combinations depends on the superb craftsmanship that is so much a part of the Château Cap de Merle tradition, a tradition already expressed in the painstaking work of the vintner and the eonologist.
		Alain (middle) and Jean-Marie Bel (right) in a wine-testing session.