Le Vin
Vineyard and wine growing
Most of the winter work consists in pruning. We use electric pruning shears and also an electric vehicle which now enables us to work in a sitting position.
We are eager advocates of comfortable working conditions because we believe that good work starts with good health. We are consequently keen on using our modern electric equipment for other tasks too, like lowering and lifting vine shoots.
Then with the month of June, the flower will go well and for 100 days we will be afraid of the vagaries of the sky. The harvest can then begin after analysis of the maturity of the grapes during September. Then, all that remains is the know-how of the chefs so that our wines are appreciated by all ...
Wine making
After taking care of our vineyard all the summer, then comes harvesting time. Since 1985 we have been using a harvesting machine, driven by Denis. The grapes are then carried in stainless steel containers to the pneumatic press, before Laurence and Claire take the next part of work over.
The juice gradually flows down in the winery into stainless steel vats, where it is first decanted and then pumped into our stainless steel thermoregulated vats.
The first fermentation (sugar being turned into alcohol) starts a few days after the harvest and from then on the fermenting juice is closely watched and analyzed twice a day to measure its density and temperature. The alcoholic fermentation can take a few days to a few weeks according to the vats.
A second fermentation comes next. It is the malolactic fermentation (transformation of malic acid into lactic acid). This fermentation lasts several weeks with regular temperature monitoring. This transformation makes for softer and fatter wines. It is an indispensable stage of winemaking.
The breeding will last approximately 9 to 10 months during which the wine will be glued, passed to cold, filtered and bottled. Marketing can then begin.
The cellar
We started marketing our bottled wine in 1979 with around 2000 bottles a year. Today, we are about 90,000 bottles a year, split in half on export and sale to the property.
Our wines are present in different European countries: England, Scotland, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Brazil, United States, Australia.
From the harvest to the bottled sale we practice all the operations such as filtration, bottling, labeling.