In the vineyards
A DEMANDING CULTURE
Pibarnon
Working in a vineyard
is an art in its own right...
Pibarnon is made up of old plots as well as two decades of earthwork and plantations. In these plots bordered by slopes, scrubland and forests, the vines flourish in a rich and diversified flora and fauna environment. Each ‘restanque’ bears its name: Bel-Air, La Grande Paguette, La Falaise, Les Vignes Suspendues, Les Pointes Blanches, Le Col, Les Dolmens and many others. All these plots are surrounded by clouds of butterflies, concerts of insects, the songs of birds that slowly return to populate the hill and… a few wild boars which are, we must admit, sometimes invasive!
2017
A natural and organic evolution
Over the years, the variability of natural environments and their complexity have become the culmination of our environment, and bear the crown of our cultivation methods.
Organic since 2004-2006 - the transition was quick, with mechanical means at our disposal (tillage, mechanical weeding). Louis, Head of Culture for 40 years at the Domaine, was able to transform our methods achieving a 100% Organic process in 2006.
The certification only came later, in 2019, because we did not consider it necessary in terms of label at the time. It was simply the logical and natural evolution.
The strength of life
Biodynamic (or rather biodynamo-compatible) now, since the arrival of Eric, new Head of Cultivation, in 2016. Multiple Biodynamic practices (preparations, biodynamised composts, herbal teas, etc.), complete substantial work, alongside the aesthetic and environmental side. Local plants are a great help, and tests are carried out on extracts of different aromatic herbs from our scrubland. Thus, a plot is no longer a piece of land, but a group of individual aspects, which draws their energy from permanently interacting with the elements that surround it: air, subsoil, flora of the embankments, fauna, stones of the terraces and so on.
Precise Actions
A horse comes regularly to work the soil between some of the old vines, which require more vigilance, lightness and dexterity (about 4 hectares). The diversity of the vines has been reinforced since we restarted the grafting in place, from mass selections ( Lilian Berillon), according to the method of Marc Birebent (T-Bud ou Chip-Bud). Our teams plant the rootstocks themselves and perform the grafting. Wonderful synchronicity with the young plants, but we are still slower with new plantations than Marc's teams.
Needless to say, the yields are low, but the wines are all the more pure and vibrant.
