Working with nature makes you permanently revisit the way you work. Cultivating a sustainable way must not only be done in order to preserve at best the natural habitat but also to take part in terroir transmission.
Favor a living soil
In order to preserve the soil, the plots have been covered with grass for the past 25 years.
Before the planting, soils are lightened and drained, various and yearly crops are planted.
All these actions contribute to maintain the soil alive and avoid its erosion.
A short pruning is practiced in order to limit the yields and produce more qualitatively.
Wood scraps are grinded and left on the ground in order to bring organic matter.
Disbud/Trellis/Strip
The disbudding (meaning that the useless branches are taken off at spring) and the thinning are both implemented to limit the yields and increase the maturity of the grapes.
The trellising (meaning that the branches are hold vertically) is a crucial step considering that it’s the foliage that provides the natural sugar to the grapes. As the vine is a liana, its branches are supported with wires.
Last but not least, the stripping lightens the stumps, exposes the grapes to the sun, and helps them get healthier.
Reach an optimal maturity
Getting a qualitative raw material requires to harvest the grapes only when they’ve reached an optimal maturity. 70% of the grapes are handpicked, the 30% left are harvested mechanically. Precocious grape varieties (such as Chardonnay for ex.) are the first to reach the vinification cellar, then come Chenin grapes dedicated to dry and sparkling wines. Cabernet Franc grapes are considered for the winemaking before the harvest ends with Chenin grapes mouldy with botrytis cinerea* (*also called noble rot) used for dessert wines.
Act reasonably
The sustainable viticulture must help the vine to protect against diseases and pests without acting thoughtlessly.
Chemical treatments are limited, products among the less toxic are chosen (only those able to respect insects). Devices dedicated to the first treatments are all equipped with a collecting tray allowing up to 70% recycling.
The application is precisely defined in order to avoid excess, stimulate the immune system of the vine, and increase its efficiency.
Waste waters are salvaged and treated a biological way.
Every choice is made with the wish to implement nothing but a lasting viticulture.
