This is the longest part of the work but also the most interesting over the year for a winemaker.
A single cane is left on each vine with one spur (for the Single Guyot pruning style) or four spurs (for the Royat style) The rest of the branches are cut off and burnt which break down over the course of the year and make a natural compost for the soil.
Date: end of November to the end of March.
This is done after the bud-burst at the end of April to early May.
It consists of removing certain shoots on the last year's wood and equally to select the number of grapes per vine.
This work is imperative for the coming harvest and for preparation for the next year's pruning.
Date: May
At the end of May and the beginning of June the vine starts to grow quickly when the delicate shoots must be protected. A strong wind or a storm can cause heavy losses at harvest time.
This training consists of keeping the shoots upright by a system of trellising where two lines of wire on each side of the row hold up the vines & are held in place by clips.
This is done three times, the wires being moved according to the rate of growth.
Flowering starts during this period – an important stage as the grape harvest takes place about 100 days after flowering.
Date: June- mid-July
This consists of removing some or all of the leaves from the fruiting areas.
Done from the start to just before the harvest to help improve the yield for the grape pickers, leaf-thinning has a direct effect on the state of health of the crop by favouring the aeration of the bunches and the penetration of plant protection products by improving the consolidation of polyphenols (tannins, anthocyanes) on the red grapes by increasing the fruitiness and lessening the vegetal aromas.
For quite some time we have carried out a full leaf-thinning programme throughout the domaine.
So as not to damage the grapes this is done by hand.
To stay in the spirit of integrated vineyard practices, we make an effort to work the soil so it it has intense microbiotic activity. The surface roots are eliminated and the root system can penetrate and develop more deeply. This brings a strength and an intensity to the eventual wines
Manual work is not lacking during this period but the tractor, the vineyard owner's best friend from May to July, is also in heavy demand.
Being among the vines every day we are really vigilant and proactive.
We are not in the in the process of becoming organic but for many years we have ensured that we are always receptive to nature's demands and only intervene when necessary.
Each one of us knows that we must return to healthier farming and to that effect the vineyard work is essential: a well-maintained vine will produce healthy grapes and therefore a quality wine.
