Before anyone else ask me question about something I’ll just take a few line to close (or complete at least) the terroir question.
As I previously mentionned, thanks to the consolidation work done by my in-laws, we are fortunate to work on 6.5 ha divided in 7 blocks. This gives us large enough plots to create natural barriers (hedges, paths, etc. .) to mitigate the border effects. As a matter of fact, we only have only 8 block sides with direct neighbors (out of a potential 7x4=28). Here are a few words about these blocks:
Champ-Rond 2.7ha
Our largest block, it descends gently along the hillside from the forest to the large hedge planted by Pierrette and Marc. A large vein of limestone outcrops diagonally (N-S) in the block. It is a kind of yellow Limestone, extremely hard and compact (sometimes I can’t break through despite the crowbar). Its rare cracks are surprisingly filled with small translucent crystals resembling quartz (probably calcite). The crowbar generally break the limestone along these pre-existing cracks. This block forms the heart of our wines, we consider it the “doctor” block: the wine is always good, more consistent between vintages than in other blocks.
On the bottom of the hill, a small, more clayey pocket is present. From this pocket, we draw our “Return to the Earth” cuvée (grapes growing in clay and aged in a clay jar, terracotta). This late-ripening part is always picked on the last day of harvest. It’s also in this part that we have been conducting our ungrafted vines planting trials since 2017.
Champ-Choley 0.8 ha
Close to Champ-Rond but a little higher on the hillside, towards Clessé (South), this block shares most of its characteristics with Champ-Rond. At its summit lay an abandoned quarry where we can observe its outcropping limestone subsoil. For years the Michel family had two trades: vines and stones. Quintaine stones were extracted until the end of the 19th century and renowned from Dijon to Lyon for the manufacture of fireplaces.
Le Chêne (=the oak)1.5ha
Further down the hill, a little below the village, this stony block produces very aromatic wines. But due to the thin soil, grapes ripen in the blink of an eye and we must therefore monitor them very closely in order to pick on the exact right day, avoiding cooked aromas and retaining freshness. Here the limestone is very hard, very close to the surface, but more fragmented, forming stones the size of a fist, polished by water infiltration. As a consequence, the vine roots find their way deep into the ground, between the stones.
view from the Chêne, with a clear sky you can see the Mont Blanc (highest mountain in Europe) from here on the left. (Almost everyday at sunrise)
Raverettes 1ha
This block is the closest to the estate, after the fruit garden and the orchard, on the hillside flatter part. Here, the limestone outcrops toward the east, s it gets closer to “Le Chêne”, however the mother rock is marly. We distinguish several smaller blocks in this plot: mimi, jean, cochet, millat …" 's vines" named after a former owner or the one who planted the block. Among these, the hundred-year-old vines planted by Sophie’s great grandfather, part of which is selected for our “Charleston” cuvée.
Saint-Trivier Chapel 0.5ha
We generally distinguish three sub-blocks here: Pesselières 0.2ha, Cordonières 0.1ha and Lie-Monin 0.2ha. Pesselières has the most active limestone of the estate. Its flush white limestones and exposure to prevailing winds give it an austere appearance. The earth itself is bleached by limestone dust which mixes with the topsoil silt. This block sit next to the local chapel, facing north.
Cordonières is one of our oldest vines from which we select our grafts to replace the missing feet. They are located under the Chapel, facing East.
The Lie-Monin with its soil rich in red clay (ferrous) is the plot from which our “Bulle” (sparkling) comes. Its subsoil is made up of a kind of limestone arena: limestone being eroded like coarse sand with pieces ranging from a few millimeters to a few centimeters. We take advantage of the fact that our “Bulle” doesn’t qualify for the appellation (ancestral method is not allowed in the “Crémant” AOC) to replant heirloom varieties here (Gouais blanc,Plant vert, different types of Gamay, Roublot, Tressot, etc.)
Gautier