We only use those natural products that are harmless for the environment, preserving the essential subsoil microbic life: bacteria, insects, and earthworm. The latter are essential for a proper airing and enriching of the earth ; as an example, a normal density of inchworms will “plow” 300 tons of earth per hectare in a single year. To encourage this natural action, we incorporate organic matter in our soils: wood and plant debris, straw etc.

It is essential for the soil to be alive and active for the elaboration of complex wines: the roots must reach the depths to feed on the mother plate. As a result, the soils become much less sensitive to erosion, which is one of the greatest plagues of modern times, a plague that threatens the future of agriculture. Not so long ago, a good vineyard was considered one without weeds, and these criteria would distinguish the good wine grower from the bad.

All this was ludicrous and lead wine growers to using increasing amounts of chemical weedkillers, which became more and more powerful and destructive to beat an also increasing weed resistance.

For us, having weeds in our vines is, on the contrary, the evidence our soils are alive. Moreover, these weeds protect the soils from erosion and shelter the

This work must be carried out when the vine is growing.
It is no doubt in this aspect that we are the most traditional in the good sense of the term: we carry out this whole phase by hand, as wine growers used to do before the all-machine trend. Modern practicality drew many growers away from this wise and reasoned tradition for economic reasons, namely labour costs.

The disbudding phase consists in eliminating all the stems and branches that hamper the bunches of grapes, they favour ventilation and grape maturation while considerably diminishing disease hazard. Moreover, they enhance colour, structure and rich aromas. This is a slow, tedious job that requires considerable time and man labour.

Green harvesting aims at cutting down the number of grape bunches when in excess. The task team can be just as large as the one actually harvesting in fall; these drastic measures control our yield, between 25 and 45 hl/ per hectare, depending on the vintage.

Pollarding, normally carried out to reduce the effect of wind intake from the frightening mistral [S1], is reduced to strict necessity, sometimes even given up altogether for Mourvèdre, to keep the maximum possible leafing. Thinning: leaves hiding clusters are removed, improving ventilation and berry maturation. This reduces the risk of disease and increases berry concentration.

This task is carried out manually over a few weeks.
Mistral: extremely violent wind that comes from the North of the Rhone Valley For more information about Working on growing vines

After having tested an “organic” approach, and then a biodynamic technique for eight years; we finally shifted for another technique, which truly preserves the environment: durable agriculture.
We strongly believe a few things are worth recalling concerning “organic” to agriculture: indeed, a regular use of copper to protect a vineyard generates insoluble problems. Today, it is proven and indisputable that copper is extremely harmful for the environment: it is a heavy metal that nothing can absorb, it concentrates in the soil after each treatment and can wind up making the soil totally sterile.

Later, it goes deep into the subsoil and pollutes groundwater ; as was seen in Germany, some areas totally forbade the use of copper when many wells turned out polluted. As for Switzerland, it has limited authorized amounts to such an extent that it’s nearly impossible to use copper at any time of year !

From now on, we have decided to apply our own methods, based on our experience and are willed to preserve the environment, by introducing to recent concepts that considerably reduce damageable interventions.

Reasoned pest control allows us to treat vines at the opportune moment only. This control calls for careful observation of the vines, literally with a magnifying lens, thus almost halving treatment. This treatment is only carried out with up products that are quickly biodegradable for the action of sun and microorganisms in the soil.

Integrated pest control is a much more complex technique, which aims at using the ecosystem without manmade intervention. The equilibrium is hence naturally found between parasites and predators. Installing natural shelters for auxiliary insects is one of the measures applied in this technique. During our campaigns against the grape-worm, one of the most harmful parasites for the crops, we apply two methods :
• Either we use a bacterium that only destroys this parasite, a natural bacterium, harmless for the environ-ment.
• Or we use sexual confusion which consists in placing odorant capsules that diffuse the pheromones of the female Eudemis butterfly (whose caterpillars are attracted to grapes). These phéromones then saturate the air around the vines, the males are therefore fooled, thinking they will found scores of females, fertilizing the odorant area without ever inseminating the real females: the plague of the grape-worm can almost be eliminated entirely.

The main drawback of this method is its cost, four to five times the cost of a chemical treatment.

We are extremely strict concerning grape selection and hand harvesting, we are strongly against the use of harvesting machines for our wines.
Indeed, harvesting machines are blind when collecting grapes, and therefore naturally cannot select them: grapes, whether half ripe or damaged, will be picked at the same time as good mature grapes.

Machines can more often than not also harvest the small stems (in the upper vine shoots which definitely do not help to the realization of great wines), vine shoots themselves and great quantities of leaves.

As this harvesting method often consists in a violent shaking of the stumps, berries break off the bunches, and all burst into shake: the juices are consequently oxidized and the aromas altered. Conversely, at the Domaine de la Mordorée everything is sorted and controlled. Specific instructions are briefed to all the harvesting crews before their departure to a specific parcel on what is to be picked, left or eliminated. The sorting is then carried out a second time by more specialized workers.

Due to the wealth of grape varieties and lands, harvesting can be carried out at different times, according to the maturity and opportune moment of each vineyard. To monitor this harvesting, we carry out over 100 controls before and during harvest, for the 38 parcels, on 8 different communes.

All these operations, (working the soils, early thinning, special care brought to the vines and harvest) multiply costs by two or three compared to traditional chemical and machine wine growing. We are however certain it would be unacceptable and shameful to waste the prestigious lands and appellations inherited by our forefathers, because of intellectual laziness or greed, and not treat these lands as they deserve.

THE HARVEST IS MANUAL ON THE ENTIRE VINEYARD.

Our philosophy is that nature is much more gifted than man, and that technology is only here to avoid blunders. We therefore let the natural yeasts of our lands do the work, simply checking the evolution of the fermentation through a regular checking and analyzing of the process by an outside oenologist.

Recently, in certain cellars, it has become very fashionable to claim that vinification is the essential stage in the creation of wine; backed by somme « Flying Winemakers » and outrageous technology that claim new trendy wines.

(Flying Winemakers or Flying Oenologists, take their name from Latin, OenologusAvestus, and were born from a genetic mutation of terrestrial oenologists, under the joint pressure of the media and great wine amateurs. This mutation most likely takes place when they stay a little too long at the top of a 100 rung ladder)
In the process, it seems one has totally forgotten that the essence is the grape: the grape berry contains all the necessary substances, the pulp, skin, and seeds to make great wines, provided these grapes are perfect. That is why our efforts and investments are first of all concentrated on the vineyard.

Having perfectly healthy and ripe grapes first is the preliminary step for a vineyard to master technology and express the full complexity of wine. Quality grapes are therefore the major assets of great wines.

Of course, vinification is truly important, for it is this stage that will give a wine its character, it is at that moment that man brings his touch, it is what makes a wine unique, like no other. It is another of our strengths at the Domaine de la Mordorée: our wines have a lot of character and are easily recognizable. We try to obtain very concentrated wines with perfectly blended tannins, dense matter, full-bodied and fruity, already delicious young but with a great ageing potential, expressing their breed and origin through time. We are very far from these stylish wines, blinded by technology, all of which look and taste like.

When talking about vinification, everyone has his little secrets… we have ours, so, as Winston Churchill used to say: “Keep your secrets secret !” Weshalladd no more !