One cannot make a great wine without high quality grapes that mature in perfect health. The daily monitoring of the vines means that we are ready for any eventuality that may unfold and we can harvest at the optimum time.
At the beginning of winter all the vines are meticulously cut. We use the guyot system which is widely practised in the Bordeaux area adding to the excellent quality of this regions wine.
After this comes what is known as ‘les travaux en vert’ . This term represents a number of interventions. This starts in the springtime with the budding of the vines followed by the suckering. This work is carried out entirely by hand and takes a huge physical effort by all the team.
Then the heat of the summer arrives, the vines grow vigorously. We now commence with what is known as ‘le levage’ .It is a true marathon trying to contain the exuberant growth and force the vines to grow straight and upright.
Next we move to the job of stripping the fruiting area of the vine to allow the grapes to mature in the sun, preventing the moisture that could rot the grapes. A stripping done meticulously avoids the treatment against the botrytis, the fungus responsible for the rotting.
The grassed areas in the middle of the vines are very advantageous. It prevents soil erosion on sloping plots while promoting the development of beneficial insects necessary for the health of the vines.
