Ever since taking over at Domaine
des Grands Devers, the four
Bouchard brothers have tried to
follow as healthy a method of
viticulture as possible.
The average age of the vines is quite
high - close on 40 years - and it is
essential to preserve this inheritance.
Under the direction of Paul-Henri,
the resident oenologist, they decided
to follow a cultivation regime
called ‘lutte raisonnée’ (literally
a well-reasoned struggle) which is
designed to strengthen the vines
using natural means. Little by
little the alternate grassing and
ploughing between the rows of vines
has been re-introduced in the
vineyard, along with organic
fertilizer made from composted
straw and lavender. |
At the same time the four brothers started to use treatments that
respect the biological and
ecological development of
the vines. Also, they bought
a new sprayer designed for more
direct treatment, which allowed
them to reduce the total amount
used, and to direct it to where it is
most needed.
This state of affairs has required
a more manual approach to the work
in the vineyard: removing leaves to
aerate the grapes and cutting off
excess grapes to reduce yield…
a way of working which respects
the vine and at the same time
obtains more precise results. |
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