Without denying the comfort that new knowledge and technologies bring, we strive in pushing them to their limits, confronting them to the “farmer’s wisdom”. What’s more, even to a certain artistic sensibility. The respect of the environment our vines thrive in is a matter of daily concern.
More specifically, this involves a mechanical handling of the grass. It grows naturally between the vine rows and we avoid ploughing. The grass is managed by mowing and a steady hoeing under the row. From autumn to spring, we sow plant mixes (legumes, cereals, crucifers,…) that enrich and structure our soils. Fertilization is gentle, made up of natural elements (bark, guano, compost,…). The enrichment is complex and balanced: it starts by nourishing the soil and the biodiversity it hosts which at their turn will nourish the plant.
The plant disease management is first addressed by preventative measures.
The key is nutrition: like with humans, a well-fed organism is more resistant to illnesses. The cover crop also plays a part by regulating the water availability surplus and by creating a moderate competition with the vine.
Afterwards, the human interventions on the vines’ architecture come into play: a rigorous pruning, a conscientious debudding in the spring (removing the excess buds) and lifting the vine allows the wind to circulate easily between the vine leaves. As a last resort, treatments are applied, whether they are usable in organic farming or not. Treatments are used with technicity and precaution, regarding the choice of molecules as much as their dose.
Nearby the plots, we maintain and replant the banks and hedges in order to provide a maximum of biodiversity.
Our actions are certified by the national label “High environmental value” (Haute Valeur Enrivonnementale), accrediting part of our efforts in favour of an environmentally respectful viticulture.
It begins at the harvest: we isolate the most beautiful plots and let them express themselves as clearly as possible. The following winemaking process is simple and without artifices. All plots benefit of the same care. By avoiding corrections, we pay attention to the message they bear.
Blending is a tightrope walker exercise. It is the founding step of our cuvée. The year’s wines are tasted and the best ones of the previous harvests as well. They are characterized, experienced. Whom will combine well with the other? In which proportions? Whom will be stored for the years to come? For each of our 6 cuvées, we reiterate the questions. Then, the time runs its course and holds a few surprises. Our first cuvée, Premier Temps, is released 30 months after its birth. It is twice the minimal period requested for a Champagne. And in 30 months, so much can occur …
