1 – Ploughing
Deep labour before planting allows the growth of the vine roots. Its aim is to air and extract the remaining roots from previous planting which could spread illnesses.
2 – Soil preparation
We use plough, rotary hoe, or grape hoe pull by tractor to air the soil between the vine rows or by hoe under the rows to control the grass. We also grow grass in the vine rows to create a healthy competition between the controlled grass and the vines. Appropriate organic manure, a winter pruning and green harvest help to keep the vigour down like the leave pile up and with it improve the maturity and healthy grapes. So we are less sensitive to illnesses and can reduce the rate of treatment and to ensure a decent protection for the vineyard. This brings us to only prescribe once a year a contact herbicide in the vine rows and to banish any insecticides. Sheep are a benefit to the vines preventing winter adventitious.
3 – Winter pruning
It is done between December and March, to determine the level of production and the repair of the grapes on the vine stock, this will be trim down by the de- budding in the spring.
4 – De-budding
From April to the beginning of August, the green works determines the quality of the harvested crops. It needs a fair amount of qualified workers and takes place in several stages. First of all, we take away the excess branches then the leafs that reduce the good sunshine and grape’s ventilation and finally a green harvest around 30% to 50% depending on the weight and production’s objective.
5 – Harvest
We collect the grapes when they are at full maturity. The grapes are then manually selected. The vines vicinity avoid any risque of oxidation and colour’s extraction.
6 – Manual selection
The selection allows maximum homogeneity of maturity and a healthy crop. We get rid of potential leaves, as well as the grapes which wouldn’t have a perfect maturity or a healthy state.
7 – Wine making
The grapes are tanked by gravity thanks to a movable stainless steel pipe which circulates on a central rail of the circular winery in the vathouse.
This allows to always respect the harvest integrity and to keep the whole grape in the tank.
All our wines are issued from maceration.
We use cold pre fermenting maceration for all the Whites and Rosés, from 6 to 28 hours then there ferment in regulated thermo stainless steel tanks.
We use long maceration for the Reds, up to 4 weeks. The vinification in wooden tanks at high temperatures towards the end of the vatting, the potential use of micro oxygenation, and before all an optimal maturity, donate to the domain’s red wines an elegance and velvety tannins but keeping a nice tannic structure.
We work in ideal conditions, of storage and of temperature; these with the wish of reducing the incoming substance allow us to moderate the need and the use of oenological products.
8 – Ageing
The Exception Rosé has the particularity of fermenting and ageing in a new wooden barrel made from French and American oak during 8 months. Ageing in barrel softens the tannins and brings some richness to the wines with an aromatic touch of Bourbon-vanilla.
We appreciate both wooden and concrete tanks for the ageing of the Reds presenting an intermediary tannic structure, in order to give them some volume, to wrap the tannins without interference on the aromatic palette.
While the strongest Reds mature in barrel, of which 1/3 of new ones, during 12 months.
The fruitier Reds, Whites and Rosés are kept in stainless steel tank to preserve their primary aromas.
9 – Blending
This is the exciting stage! Throughout the blending, we look to express the synergy between the grape varieties issued from the same production year, to obtain a balance, strength and optimum aromatic expression: like a painter with his palette of colours.
10 – Bottling
We master all the steps, from the grapes to the packaging. Bottling is done on the premise throughout the year at a rate of 2300 bottles an hour.
Have a nice drink!