Replanting vines
Monday, February 13, 2017
For the first time since we arrived here and produced our first vintage in 2005, we have ripped up some of our vines. It had little to do with the age of the vines or the quality of the wines, but more about the number of vines that were missing from these areas due to various reasons.
When up to 40% of the vines are no longer producing in a certain area, it’s time for a change.
The previous vines were all Cabernet Sauvignon. Now the question becomes what do we replace it with in the coming year?
Meanwhile, we have planted a type of grass that will enrich the soil for the following season. The parcel of land that will be re-planted falls under the City of Carcassonne Appellation so that leaves us a wide variety of varietals to choose from. We are leaning towards Cabernet Franc because it has always been one of our favorites, and it blends well with the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
However, we can’t resist the challenge of trying to see what we can do with a bit of Pinot Noir . It is said that pinot is not the right choice for this area but we are ready to test that theory . Allegedly the Chasan was not doing well here either … we all know how our O’Chasan turned out.
The elevation here is approximately 250 meters and lends itself to significantly cooler nights following our generally warm sunny days. Coupled with a clay soil that holds moisture well we should have the right ” Terroir ” for our Pinot Noir!
Our production will be limited and available only at the winery and to our Sipster Club members . If we plant this coming fall we should be enjoying the ” fruits of our labor ” by 2020 . Hopefully we will be sharing some with you in the coming years . CHEERS!
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