In the cellar
The grape harvest
The grape harvest takes place from the end of August to mid-October in a "normal" year. The harvest undergoes two sorting stages in the vineyard: each picker makes an initial selection of grapes. These are then emptied onto trays where a second sorting is carried out by the foremen, supervised by Aimé, Christophe, or Isabelle. This second sorting is essential for selecting the best grapes. It also allows us to assess the health of the grapes, the ripeness of the seeds, skins, and stems.
The quality of the harvest will dictate the winemaking process: percentage of destemming, cold maceration, maceration duration, frequency of punch-downs, etc. Depending on the difference in grape quality within the same plot, we may vinify in two different vats.
The quality of the harvest across the entire estate allows us to see the result of the work done throughout the year, the experiments carried out in the vineyards, and to better understand our terroirs and the life of the vine.
Prioritize the expression of local produce
Each plot, each vat is a different case and it will be necessary to adapt the winemaking according to this raw material and daily tastings.
However, a general process can be defined: partial destemming of 50 to 80%, depending on the ripeness of the stems; cold pre-fermentation maceration of 2 to 4 days on certain Grenache plots; manual punch-down (to encourage gentle tannin extraction), generally once a day; temperature control (28 to 32°C); long macerations of 3 to 4 weeks to obtain optimal extraction; separation of free-run juice and press juice by racking. Tasting will determine whether or not to blend them.
Some micro-oxygenation trials on Merlot and country wine and racking.
All these operations are carried out based on the tasting of the juices during vinification, with one guiding idea: to favour the concentration of aromas and the expression of our terroirs, while avoiding over-extraction (not always easy!).
Livestock farming
We put the wines into wood very quickly (24 to 72 hours after decanting), in order to ensure they undergo complete aging.
Micro-oxygenation by oak is beneficial from the outset because the wine is very high in CO2. During malolactic fermentation, this micro-oxygenation prevents reduction. This allows us to keep our wines on their lees, which nourish and protect them.
With new oak, the marriage of wood and wine is much more harmonious. Generally, Grenache is aged in large oak casks (slower micro-oxygenation), while Syrah and Mourvèdre are aged in barrels (greater micro-oxygenation, which brings more finesse to these two tannic grape varieties). A few new barrels from different origins and coopers are used for added complexity, but in small quantities so as not to disrupt the structure or overpower the wines. The wines remain in oak for 12 to 14 months in our temperature-controlled cellars and undergo one or two rackings. In the autumn of the following year, the wines from the large oak casks and barrels are blended and then lightly fined with egg white. They spend the rest of the winter in tanks to clarify and are bottled in early spring.