Vineyards in Spring
After the winter period, the vine’s vegetative cycle starts up again.
We practice “baissage”, which consists in tying the shoots to the wire to help the vines develop.
The buds begin to break.
At this time of year, spring frosts are a major concern, as they can wreak havoc on our vines.
There are a number of ways to protect our vines: the sprinkler system used on our first growths, electric heating cables and anti-freeze towers…
It’s also planting time.
The ground is prepared for the new plants, which will start producing 3 years after being planted.
In the cellar, after the fermentations, we must extract the wines. This involves removing the coarse lees that have settled at the bottom of the tank, to avoid possible bad tastes.
Summer vineyard
At flowering time, we lift the plants.
We follow the development of the vines by raising the trellising wires to ensure that they grow properly.
We also carry out disbudding, known as “essoumachage” in Chablis.
This involves removing double shoots and gourmands (buds growing on old wood) from each vine.
We take great care to carry out this step, which helps limit disease later on and also ensures better wood for the pruning season to come.
In the cellar, the wines are quietly matured on fine lees to bring out secondary aromas and give them greater roundness.
Vineyards in Autumn
The vines have given its fruits. It is time to start harvesting.
In the Chablis region, they start earlier and earlier, in mid-September.
We harvest everything by machine.
The machine works very carefully, sorting out rotten and dried grapes, as well as leaves.
The grapes are brought to the winery.
The grapes are pressed in pneumatic presses.
The juices are settled between 18h and 24h to remove impurities.
They are then transferred to the ageing vats for fermentation.
Vineyards in Winter
From mid-November, we start pruning the vines, which will be completed at the end of March.
This period of winter rest allows us to prune the vines in order to control their growth, as well as the yield of the future harvest.
It is a long and meticulous work that partly determines the quality of the next vintage.
Meanwhile, in the cellar, vinification takes place.
On our wines, we carry out the 2 main fermentations.
One is called alcoholic fermentation, which transforms sugars into alcohol, and the other is called malolactic fermentation, which transforms malic acid into lactic acid.
This is necessary on our wines to attenuate the sensation of acidity.
