In this label, Franz Haas channels the best Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes, to which he adds small percentages of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is, therefore, an elegant Bordeaux blend, i.e. a red wine inspired by the style of those in Bordeaux, France. All the grapes come from vineyards cultivated using the Guyot method, located at altitudes varying between 250 and 500 metres above sea level, on sandy soils in very warm micro-zones facing south and south-west. After careful sorting in the countryside, the grapes are carefully processed and fermented in open vats. In order to promote optimal extraction of colour and tannins, the grape marc cap is pumped over and punched down up to four times a day for the duration of fermentation. Afterwards, the wine is racked into barriques where malolactic fermentation takes place and where it then matures for a period of approximately 18 months. Then, after bottling, follows a further bottle-ageing period of about one year. Only then is the wine ready to be put on the market. Istante presents itself in the glass with a beautiful, intense garnet red colour and fruity aromas of dried black berries, plums, figs and dates, with notes of green tea and bark. In the mouth, the wine does not show off its character, but rather is exalted by its layered and elegant structure, as well as its finesse and complex, compact tannins that close in a long epilogue. It is a perfect accompaniment to savoury dishes, e.g. game, robust roasts and tagliata.