Our philosophy is that nature is much more gifted than man, and that technology is only here to avoid blunders. We therefore let the natural yeasts of our lands do the work, simply checking the evolution of the fermentation through a regular checking and analyzing.

In the process, it seems one has totally forgotten that the essence is the grape : the grape berry contains all the necessary substances, the pulp, skin, and seeds to make great wines, provided these grapes are perfect. That is why our efforts and investments are first of all concentrated on the vineyard.

Having perfectly healthy and ripe grapes first is the preliminary step for a vineyard to master technology and express the full complexity of wine. Quality grapes are therefore the major assets of great wines.

Of course, vinification is truly important, for it is this stage that will give a wine its character, it is at that moment that man brings his touch, it is what makes a wine unique, like no other. It is another of our strengths: our wines have a lot of character and are easily recognizable. We try to obtain very concentrated wines with perfectly blended tannins, dense matter, full-bodied and fruity, already delicious young but with a great ageing potential, expressing their breed and origin through time. We are very far from these stylish wines, blinded by technology, all of which look and taste like.

Tradition and modern tools, hand in hand. The savoir-faire passed on by previous generations has been enhanced by modern technology: temperature-controlled vats (some of them with cap-punching tools), a destemmer, a pneumatic press, and so on.  

We ferment our grapes the traditional way, at length (24-31 days), use indigenous yeast and control our vinification temperatures constantly, in order to extract good, supple tannins and a deep colour. From start to finish, tasting is the cornerstone of ageing...

Once vinified, the wine is put in large oak barrels called “foudres” for a period of malolactic fermentation. This is the first stage of ageing, which continues on fine lees in our foudres (30hl). Ageing helps to clarify the wines and helps their structure to develop. Thanks to the wood there a smooth exchange of our wine with its environment. This will allow a more silky tannins to appear. Apart to that, we follow some typical burgundy practices as “bâtonnage”. We put at the right time, depending on some specific condition we decide to proceed. This allows the leaves to be place in suspension. This leads to a greater contact between leaves and tannins. As in the burgundy, it will allow the tannins to be rounded by this contact.

Each movement must be performed with timely precision, as we have been taught by previous generations. Topping-up, racking, fining (as necessary), regular tastings using the pipette, and the meticulous work done on the barrels all contribute to making the very most of our wines.

All of these minor details ultimately make a big difference.