Production protocol

Ancestral — Método Alquímico

Complete Process Document

Wine: Ancestral — Método Alquímico (Trepat biodinámico 2025) Method: Hybrid Ancestral × Traditionnelle — single continuous fermentation Vintage: 2025 Origin: Single parcel, Verdú, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain Viticulture: Precision biodynamic; natural products, irrigation permitted, one sulfur treatment in July at veraison Source protocol: ~/.picoclaw/workspace/symbiogenesis/protocols/Ancestral_es.pdf (October 3, 2025) Last updated: June 2025

1. Composition

1.1 Grape and parcel

1.2 Must chemistry at harvest (vintage 2025)

Quality profile: All measured parameters are within the variety's optimum. The 2025 lot is of excellent quality. The protocol is calibrated to express that quality, not to compensate for deficiencies.

1.3 Indigenous microbiome

The Trepat 2025 vineyard carries a robust indigenous microbiome:

• **Native *Saccharomyces cerevisiae*** — ready to dominate the fermentation through cool-temperature selection
• **Native non-*Saccharomyces*** (Hanseniaspora, Lachancea, Candida) — contribute aromatic complexity in the first 24–72 hours of fermentation
• Cellar flora — the indigenous yeast populations resident on the cellar walls contribute to the fermentation succession

The protocol does not introduce commercial yeast (no EC1118). The native microbiome is the engine of fermentation.

1.4 Expected wine composition (post-fermentation, post-dégorgement)

Full chemistry: products/ancestral/03_technical/chemical_analysis.json

2. Fermentation — Process and Calendar

The Ancestral's fermentation is a single continuous process that begins in a 100 L stainless steel deposit and finishes in the bottle. No liqueur de tirage. No commercial yeast. No SO₂.

2.1 Phase 1 — Press and Débourbage (Day 0)

Process:

1. Whole-cluster press. 100 kg of Trepat grapes loaded directly into the press — no crushing, no destemming. Slow press cycle.
2. Strict fraction separation. Only the cuvée (first 50–60 L of free-run and first-press juice) is kept. The taille (later fractions, higher pH and phenols) is discarded.
3. Transfer to deposit. The cuvée is transferred immediately to the sealed 100 L "siempre lleno" stainless deposit.
4. Cold settling (débourbage). Deposit cooled to 8–10°C for 24 hours. Static settling purifies the must — particulates carrying oxidative enzymes precipitate.
5. Racking. Clean must racked off heavy solids to the cleaned deposit, ready for fermentation.

Lever settings:

• Extraction Dynamics: whole-cluster press — minimum skin and seed damage
• Vessel: 100 L stainless steel, sealed, anaerobic
• Time + Temperature: 24 hours at 8–10°C

YAN check: mandatory before fermentation begins. If < 150 mg/L, must adjust.

2.2 Phase 2 — Indigenous Fermentation in Deposit (Day 1 to ~Day 21)

Process:

1. Natural temperature ramp. Deposit allowed to warm naturally to 14–16°C over Day 1–3.
2. Indigenous succession begins. Native non-*Saccharomyces* lead the first 24–72 hours. *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* establishes dominance through cool-temperature selection.
3. Peak fermentation. Temperature holds at ~16°C peak. CO₂ evolution monitored.
4. Density progression. Initial density ~1089 g/L (at 21.2 °Bx). Drops over 14–21 days as sugar ferments.
5. End of primary fermentation. Density reaches ~1008–1010 g/L (the bottling target — see 2.3).

Lever settings:

• Temperature: 14–16°C start; natural ramp
• Oxygen: strictly anaerobic deposit
• Time: ~21 days primary fermentation

Critical monitoring:

• Daily density check (digital density meter) as bottling target approaches
• Sensory evaluation daily — smell the sample valve for any off-aromas
• Cooling available if temperature rises too high (cold-water jacket — but minimal intervention is the protocol)

2.3 Phase 3 — The Critical Bottling Point (Day ~14–21)

This is the most technically demanding step. The wine must be bottled with exactly 24 g/L residual sugar to produce the target 6.0 bar of pressure.

The chemistry:

• 4.0 g/L of fully fermented sugar = 1 bar of pressure at 10°C
• For 6.0 bars → 24 g/L of fermentable sugar must remain at bottling

Density targets:

• Initial must: ~1089 g/L (at 21.2 °Bx)
• Bottling density: 1008–1010 g/L (≈ 24 g/L residual sugar)
• Final dry wine: ~992 g/L

Process:

1. Density check 2–3 times per day as the wine approaches the target
2. At target density: immediately transfer the still-fermenting, cloudy wine to high-resistance sparkling bottles
3. Crown cap seal — captures CO₂, creates pressure
4. No liqueur de tirage added — the residual sugar and indigenous yeast do all the work

This is the moment the Ancestral half becomes the Traditionnelle half: the same fermentation that began in the deposit finishes in the bottle, capturing all primary fruit aromatics in a sealed environment.

Lever setting — Time: precision timing is the lever. The 24 g/L target is exact.

2.4 Phase 4 — Lees Aging in Bottle (18–36 months)

Process:

1. Horizontal rima storage. Bottles placed horizontally in a cool, dark cellar at 12–14°C.
2. Secondary fermentation completes in bottle over weeks; CO₂ trapped; pressure develops to 6.0 bar.
3. Autolysis. Over 18–36 months, dead yeast cells (lees) break down, releasing:

• Mannoproteins — creamy texture, fine-bubble stability
• Amino acids and peptides — complex savory, umami flavors (brioche, toast, nuts)
• Glutathione and reductors — natural antioxidant protection, no SO₂ needed

Lever setting — Time: the duration of lees contact determines the depth of autolytic contribution.

2.5 Phase 5 — Remuage, Dégorgement, Zero Dosage (Month 18+)

Process:

1. Remuage. Bottles rotated to collect yeast sediment in the neck.
2. Dégorgement. Necks frozen in glycol bath; the frozen lees plug is expelled.
3. Zero dosage (Brut Nature). Bottle topped with the same disgorged wine — no expedition liqueur.
4. Final closure. Cork and capsule; cage for sparkling.

Lever setting — Vessel: the bottle is the final vessel. Crown cap → cork closure.

3. Calendar — 2025 Vintage

Note on timing: exact harvest date depends on vintage conditions. The phases above are linked to harvest as Day 0. The 18-month lees minimum is the release trigger.

4. Photos and Videos

The full asset library for the Ancestral is documented in products/VISUAL_BRIEF.md (Ancestral section). Key assets:

4.1 Vineyard and harvest

4.2 Press and must preparation

4.3 Fermentation

4.4 Bottling and lees aging

4.5 Dégorgement and bottle

4.6 Cinematic and tasting

5. Marketing Position

The Ancestral is the smallest, most rigorous expression of the precision biodynamic protocol. It is the wine that demonstrates the protocol's discipline at the smallest possible scale — one hundred bottles from a single tank, a single fermentation, a single decision tree.

Lead claim: "A wine of single-fermentation precision and méthode traditionnelle depth, in one hundred bottles."

Storytelling pillars:

1. Singularity — one fermentation, one hundred bottles, one vintage
2. Hybrid method — Ancestral × Traditionnelle, two stages, one wine
3. Verdú terroir — continental Lleida acidity and limestone minerality

Marketing copy: See products/PROMOTIONAL_MATERIALS.md (Ancestral section) for Investor / Sommelier / Buyer / Social versions.

Visual brief: See products/VISUAL_BRIEF.md (Ancestral section) for storyboard and hero assets.

Sales-pro persona playbook: See ~/.hermes/skills/symbiogenesis-sales-pro/SKILL.md (Critical Data Points, Ancestral section).

6. Quality Profile Statement

The 2025 Trepat must's parameters are within the variety's optimum across every measured dimension:

• Sugar at 21.2 °Bx is within the 20–22 °Bx Trepat optimum
• pH at 3.5 is at the upper edge of the ideal range for sparkling base
• Titratable acidity at 4.0 g/L is moderate for the variety
• Indigenous microbiome is robust and ready to drive a healthy spontaneous succession

The Cascading Failure Principle from `Analysis_Holobiont.pdf` §3.1 is not applicable to this lot. Every parameter is in range. The protocol's discipline here is observation and gentle guidance — the Five Levers of Control set to bring out the parcel's character, not to override it.

The 2025 Ancestral is a wine of excellent quality. The protocol expresses that quality through precise calibration of time, temperature, pH/oxygen, extraction, and vessel choice. The result is one hundred bottles of single-fermentation precision and méthode traditionnelle depth — the protocol's smallest and most rigorous expression.

*Document compiled: June 2025* *Source: protocols/Ancestral_es.pdf + Analysis_Holobiont.pdf + products/ancestral/* *Update cycle: at each phase milestone*