In november, the vines get their first pruning. Definitive final pruning takes place in February-March: Guyot style for the Chardonnay, and Cordon de Royat for the reds. The cuttings are burned on the spot in a wheeled incinerator in the old Burgundian way. At the same time, up to the end of March, replacement vines and new plantings are going on, together with repairs to the system of training wires. This is also the time for ploughing between the rows and weed-suppression. Between the end of March and late July or the beginning of August is the time for applying fungicides, etc., following eco-friendly principles.
The work of disbudding, training and tying-in coicides with the arrival of spring. "This is a very important stage," explains Vincent Morey. We go through the vines twice doing the necessary disbudding. As a result, we have very little need for green thinning." The domaine attaches great importance to leaf-thinning of the Pinot. "We begin at the end of June, working by hand for a better-quality result," says Sophie. "This gives us more time to play with at the start of the harvest, and means that the fruit reaching the vatting-house is of top quality." Picking on the 20-hectare domaine is all done by hand by a team of 35 pickers and seven porters.
Vinificaton: red wines
In the vatting-house, the grapes are sorted on a vibrating table.
Cold vinification.
Fermentation starts as picking ends with cap punching twice a day to start with.
Vatting lasts 15-20 days.
48 hours for pressing and settling.
Transfer to barrels (50% new).
Elevage in wood lasts 12 months.
Run off into vats before new harvest begins.
Bottling in early November.
Vinification: white wines
Grapes crushed and pressed.
24 hours for settling.
Transfer to barrels, where fermentatiion begins.
Sugar checks last into mid-April.
Racking.
Run off into vats then back to barrels until mid-July.
Vatting and fining.
Bottling in mid-August.