The barrel is a key element for the aging of the wine. However, we need to remember that not every wine is suitable for the barrel; it is used only for wines with a certain tannin structure.

The barrel offers a great variety of possible effects on the final wine product. It must be taken into account that there are different types of oak (French and American), different origins for the same type of oak (French oak may come from the forests of Tronçais, Limousin, etc.) and different degrees of wood toasting (low, medium, medium high). Therefore, the possible combinations when making a barrel are plentiful. And each barrel will add specific elements to the wine: more or less oxygen, softness, complexity, aromatic components... Each winery plays with the possibilities the barrels offer so as to add the necessary nuances to each wine. Now, of course a barrel mustn’t be used to improve a wine by making up for something missing. The barrel must respect the wine and boost only those elements already present in it.

The most important task (and the most complex too) is finding the appropriate barrel for a type of grape. Each wine requires a type of barrel which will boost its features. A long time is needed to find the right barrel and it is essential to try many different combinations of wood types, origins and toasting degrees. At Dehesa del Carrizal, we mainly use French oak. For the Cabernet and Petit Verdot varieties, we choose oak from Tronçais; and from Limousin for the Merlot. We like using medium degrees of toasting, or even low, in order not to mark the wine too much. Barrels are changed every three or four years.

We have been “fine-tuning” the process of barrel selection to the top. We have found out that our grape, due to its special characteristics, has a considerable influence on the wood. Each variety needs an appropriate type of barrel and we are also trying different volumes, such as the new 500 litre barrels we have just acquired for our Syrah.