Our producer: Domaine Jean-Pierre Guyon

The Domaine moved towards organic viticulture during the 2000s. Being familiar with practices which respect organic life, they have tended the vines in the direction of more autonomy. They support and encourage them each year to reinforce their natural defences while preserving the environment. To make this happen, anticipation is everything. Prophylactic measures are applied in the plots, to diminish diseases of the vine wood and the impact of pests and fungal attacks. So the vines get pruned as near as possible to the budding time; they respect the sap flow, plough the surface of the soil, remove excess buds, deleaf and tie the canopy up to permit air and light to circulate, and to limit entanglements in the vegetation.

Lunar cycles are taking into account when these interventions are made. In fact, believing in the influence of the moon on plants, they work on the vines or their environment depending on whether it is a fruit, flower, root or leaf day. Treatments are also controlled and managed with forethought. Sulphur and copper are only used to fight against cryptogamic diseases such as oidium or mildew.

As the harvest approaches, they taste the grapes in the different plots regularly, to decide on picking dates. This permits to judge their ripeness. When the moment comes, the pickers advance, secateurs in hand, to pick the fruit which has been nurtured and cherished throughout the year.