Le Vignoble
We are as reasonnable as possible in our cultivation methods : we use as little chemicals as possible but when we use them it is with a light hand and only in order to keep our vines in good health.
We use manure when needed and we plough our vine ranks in order to keep them free from too much grass.If we use weed killers we use them sparingly and we choose those who leave as little residual matters in the ground as possible.
We suppress the shoots manually in the most promissing plots.
In summer, and only if needed, we might cut of some leaves.
We pick plot by plot according the the degree of ripeness. For the whites and the rosés we pick early in the morning in order to keep our grapes as cool as possible.
An ultra modern press and a refrigerating system enable us to control the wine making process in the most modern fashion.
Our vats are being modernized : our concrete vats are bing downsized ans epoxy coated in order to vinify smaller amounts at a time and to obtain perfect traceability.
The barrels we use for our better wines (Ermitage White and Red) are made of french oak and are recycled in order to obtain wines that are not wooded -- which we would find absurd in Provence- but slowly oxygenated in order to obtain the best quality possible.
The 2003 and 2004 vintage were good, in spite of the summer heat and both the yield and the quality were more than satisfactory.
2005, on the contrary, was a rather awkward year --it rained in the beginning of the vintage but conditions improved thereafter and the result was quite successful.
2006 was a spectacular year and this resulted in our wines obtainiong many awards (see below) In 2007 the summer was pleasant but the drought was extreme resulting in very low yields. The quality was, however, great!
We have just finished picking our 2008 vintage: in spite of very difficult weather conditions the wine is now fermentating and we keep our fingers crossed!
