Vineyard & Cellar EN

Wine grower be foremost

Because it is important to never lose touch with its vines, I am first and foremost a winegrower. 

80% of the wine is made in the vineyard. 

Being a wine grower, it is primarily a vocation, a passion that consumes you.

The terroir

The domaine’s vine are all located in AOC Fleurie, 
at a lieu-dit called “Les Labourons”.

The essentials characteristics of my vineyard are:

High elevation : 

An average elevation of 400 meters and a WSW exposure 

favors slow maturation, allowing a good preservation of the acidity and favoring aromatic complexity.

Steep slopes: 

In some parcels, the grade exceeds 30%. 

This is favorable to the vines, it ensures good drainage, 

exposure to sunshine, and soil that is 

less fertile than on low, flat ground.

Favorable composition of the soil: 

It is here a pure expression of pink granite, 

the soil being composed mainly of sand and stones 

from the mother rock. As the soil, the wine expresses 

a mineral, fresh and delicate nature. 

Gamay is not very productive here and 

naturally gives yields of only about 35 hl / ha.

High density planting: 

between 8,000 and 10,000 plants per hectare

 The geography

The vineyard forms a “cirque”, similar to an amphitheater, 
composed of 18 plots. Alone, it’s an ecosystem, 
enhancing the influence of the place, 
my practices respectful of the living 
and limiting external pollution.

At the vineyard

In 2018, I officially began the certification in organic farming.

The work in the vineyard, more and more rigorous, 
has considerably improved the quality of the grapes harvested.

In winter, the pruning is done with respect for the integrity of the vines and to promote their longevity.

During spring and summer, up to seven people are present 
in the vineyard for disbudding and trellising. 
I pay a special attention to the quality of this work. 
It is essential that the grapes are in an airy climate, 
in order to reduce the treatments as much as possible.

In the fall, I only fertilize the soil with compost.

During the year, the soil is never without grass. 
I want to keep a vegetable cover that brings life to the soil. Plowing is superficial. The manual pick is used a lot.

 

A the harvest : Whole bunch fermentation

My wines have evolved a lot since the beginning in 2007. 
I like fresh, digestible and elegant wines. 

And my freedom of artisan winemaker allows me to make the wines I like. In 2015, I reintegrated the whole bunch fermentation in my winemaking, for more fruit and tension in the wines.

 

In the cellar : non-interventionist winemaking

Respect of the living and purity of the product 
is also a primary objective in the cellar. 
It is a continuity of work engaged in the vineyard.

The meeting with Jacques Néauport in 2013 
was a  tremendous accelerator. He imparted to me 
a lot of knowledge he acquired from Jules Chauvet 

(originally from Beaujolais). Chauvet was a scientist, oenologist, and the first modern to try winemaking without sulfur.  

A major author on wine tasting, and often referred to as 

the father of “natural”, he died in 1989.

For all cuvées, the work is careful. 
I like to say that wine is "a sum of details". 

Here are the most important ones for me:

Manual harvesting in little picking boxes :

to keep the integrity of the bunch up to the vat, and avoid the oxidation of the first juices.

Meticulous sorting by the pickers  :
from the first clip of pruning shears, because the basis of 

a vinification without input is 

the irreproachable quality of the grapes.

Work with gravity : 
from the harvest to the pressing, 
always in the respect of the cluster

Fermentation with indigenous yeasts: 
the strong identity of a craft wine is also born 
thanks to the spontaneous fermentation.

No additives are used during vinification: 
there is only a small amount of sulfur is added for bottling. 
No chaptalisation.

 Pressing is also respectful: 
the use of a traditional vertical wine press 
makes it possible to obtain clear juice.

Maturing in oak cask: 
I am very attached to the ageing of my wines in barrel, 
not to bring a woody taste. I love this material. 
The wood is natural, the wine breathes through it, 
it comes out clear and open.

Bottling without fining or filtration

Blending

I do not follow rules or recipes to blend the cuvées, 
only my feeling for the expression of each plot 
and the uniqueness of each harvest.

The plots are assembled at the time of the harvest, 
so the differences between the plots marry 
and complement each other. My goal is to crate 
three unique and distinctly different cuvées.

 

The cuvées

I am a "récoltant", so all of my cuvées 
are from grapes grown on my domaine.