VITICULTURE OF PRECISION
We are architects of life.
The life of the soil, primarily bacterial and animal (insects, earthworms, etc.), is maintained through cover crops (cereals such as triticale, herbs like vetch and clover, and legumes like split peas), which provide all the Organic Matter in situ, as well as our homemade preparations, including our compost infusions, worm compost teas with algae, and fermented foliar sprays. All of these contribute to strengthening the vital exchanges through the roots between the vine and its soil, building a thick and protective sap flow (cambium) for a vigorous vine that ensures homogeneous, lively grapes.
The compost infusions are overseen by Nicola Fagotto, a soil and balance specialist. We produce them each year using fermented whey directly from the Coutras farm nearby Saint Emilion. Fermented whey, supplemented with ashes and humic & fulvic acids, serves as a natural booster for our covered soils.
Bio + Biodynamics (soil vitality) + Bio-Physiology (pruning, desuckering, and foliar treatments) = Biodyphy.
The Terroir
The Tauzinat-East plot is located 3km from the medieval village of Saint-Émilion
A Meteorological signature
Situated on the 45th parallel, Saint-Emilion enjoys a temperate, oceanic microclimate, characterized by well-distributed rainfall throughout the year and hot, dry summers due to the presence of two rivers, the Isle and the Dordogne. They temper the heat of summer and the rigors of winter, and protect against the risk of frost. The average annual temperature is 12.8°C. Temperature variations are moderate. Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year, providing excellent conditions for vine-growing.
However, the difference in temperature and rainfall can be significant from one year to the next, which gives the notion of vintage its full meaning.
Cradle of Flavors: Saint-Émilion, where the embrace of an oceanic and temperate microclimate creates the perfect canvas for exceptional wines !
Climate Challenges: Our Earth, Witness of Early Spring, can suffer late Frosts: we then have the parade: late pruning at the end of March!
Since we began cultivating our land, we have noticed mild winters with an early bud break, causing the vine to start its vegetative cycle sooner, which increases the risk of exposure to frost, particularly during late spring frosts, as was the case in 2017, to a lesser extent in 2019 and 2021, and again in 2022 with nights measured below -5°C !
Furthermore, it is not uncommon to experience extremely rainy springs (over 400mm of cumulative precipitation), making it difficult to carry out phytosanitary treatments and favoring the growth of the two main fungal enemies of the vine: Powdery mildew (Oidium) and Downy mildew (Mildew).
Hot summers are also frequent, making us vigilant about the water stress the vine may experience during such times.
In short, the climate is favorable to the vine but relatively unpredictable, prompting us to consider adapted agricultural practices and reinforcing our decision to use gentle physiological pruning, which helps the plant better equip itself against these increasingly extreme conditions.
BADON NORD
Located at the bottom of the Pavie hill opposite the medieval village, the 30-acre Badon Nord vineyard borders the property and is essentially composed of sandy, silty clay. These extremely filtering soils enable us to produce fine, characteristic wines, but vines also suffer greatly from water stress, which can cause both our Merlots and Cabernet Francs to go into a vegetative dormancy, which is undesirable to achieve a good phenolic ripeness in our grapes.
On this plot, we are carrying out a restructuring process based mainly on a mixed Cordon, Gobelet and Pergola management system, to provide the much-needed salutary shading.
Our approach frees us from any dogma, including that of "Steinerian" biodynamics, although it shares many aspects with our philosophy.
SAINT CHRISTOPHE DES BARDES
This hydromorphic plot, adjacent to Château Laroque Grand Cru Classé, is entirely made up of clay over 2 main horizons laid on the famous asteriated limestone bedrock of the Saint-Émilion plateau in the commune of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes.
Ideally situated on the mid-slope with an East-Southwest exposure, this clay lens is quite unique due to its ancient hydromorphism. The limestone has decomposed into clay, and at about 80 cm deep, there is a very mineralized “Gley” clay of blue-green color.
It is undoubtedly this subsoil that provides all the mineral complexity for the Cabernet Franc and Merlot that thrive here.
Drained around the perimeter by large drains leading to the nearby Barbane stream below, and in the center by smaller drains, this plot drains well after heavy spring rains but remains relatively cool in summer, aided by the cover crops established since 2014. Surrounded by woods and groves, it boasts a biodiversity that fosters its flourishing.
Tended for over 10 years, its best friends, the earthworms (such as lombrics), have returned in large numbers, contributing to the best of our lovely beautiful grapes.
BOIS DE L'OR
Our plot, “Bois de l’Or,” at the entrance of the commune in its Southwest sector (towards Libourne), is located on a small alluvial, clay-siliceous land associated with a gravelly clay soil, fairly draining, bordered by a forest (giving the location its name). Here too, the king grape variety is Cabernet Franc, which thrives early on this relatively sheltered and warm plot, making it an early ripening site.
The pruning
The gentle physiological pruning, known as Dezeimeris pruning, ensures a solid health capital for the vines.
The cornerstone of our biodynamic work, the pruning known as “DEZEIMERIS,” named after the agronomist and general advisor of Gironde, Reinhold Dezeimeris, who worked on the consequences of phylloxera, is inspired by his 1891 publication, “D’une cause de dépérissement de la vigne” (“On a Cause of the Vine’s Decline”). This pruning technique is organized around three key principles:
The first principle is the architecture built around elongation, which means that no wood older than 2 years is pruned unless absolutely necessary. Thus, the structural architecture is created on a Cot (or spur) with two buds and a fruitful cane, on which, as the second principle, the pruner will leave the number of buds that the vine will be expressly capable of supporting, based on its vigor from the previous year and its reserves. Each pruning is done manually with secateurs, adapting individually to each vine.
The third principle focuses on the most serious approach to suckering, which involves cleaning the vine of its non-fruitful growth, allowing it to concentrate all its energy on developing fruit, assisted by high training to ensure proper photosynthesis. Leaf surface is preserved by weaving when necessary, depending on the summer climate.
Dezeimeris pruning, known as gentle physiological pruning, preserves the cambium (sap flow network) and ensures even bud emergence and unequalled fruit ripeness, as well as resistance to fungal diseases and extreme weather conditions (frost, heatwave, etc.).
calendar
Éphéméride Vigneronne : Vivez le Cycle de la Vigne au Château Blanche Hermine avec Notre Calendrier Saisonnier.
Winter time
The vines are dormant, and the urgent thing is to do NOTHING but NOTHING, just let them rest, that’s all, and that’s a lot.
FRÉDÉRIC, our technical manager, takes advantage of this time to change a post here, tighten a row wire there. The plot is cleared of its dead vines, and when a rut needs filling or a nearby grove needs trimming, it’s the perfect time of year to tackle these tasks.
At the cellar, the big winter event is scheduled between Christmas and mid-January! The “release of the WOODS” (the barrels) from the previous vintage and the filling of the barrels with the current vintage… Both occur simultaneously without ever meeting! !
We also take advantage of the winter to service all the machinery—from the tractor and sprayer to the pumps and compressors. It may seem routine, but sometimes the winemaker, busy with trade shows during this time of year, can unfortunately overlook a problem that will turn into a disaster at the least opportune moment…vigilance is the mother of all certainty, so better to be safe than sorry !
Blanche Hermine is hibernating and regaining strength for the new season to come.
Frost often gives our vineyard a magical, fairy-tale appearance, and we begin to hope for one or two weeks of “real” winter cold when the winter anticyclone brings Siberian winds that help eradicate the outbreaks of downy mildew and powdery mildew. The deep frost naturally loosens the soil, and the vine’s sap descends deep into the roots to protect itself.
Decompacting the soil and limiting fungus outbreaks ...a cold winter is always welcome!
spring
At Blanche Hermine, we don’t use gas-fired wind turbines, hot-air cannons or heaters, let alone helicopters! No, none of that … just late pruning …. sometimes very late, ending around April 10 at the height of budburst, as close as possible to the last risk of damaging frosts. This is never a total guarantee of protection against spring frosts, especially the later ones at the end of April/beginning of May, but we have to admit that over the last 12 years, it has worked: 10 times perfectly, once only halfway, and only the 2017 vintage and its terrible frost on May 5 & 6 got the better of us!
In the spring, as soon as pruning is complete, soil work begins. We mechanically clean beneath the vines using a disc harrow and Cresse fingers or intercep blades, and we apply a compost tea (a fermented preparation rich in fulvic, humic, and boric acids) to the soil to stimulate bacterial activity. Throughout this spring cycle, from budbreak to the emergence of leaves and shoots, which will also need to be fully cleaned to concentrate the vine’s energy on its fruit-bearing branches, we support our vineyard to help optimize its sugar production. Treatments to prevent fungal diseases are certified organic (AB) and are always tailored to the season and the presence or absence of signs of fungal attack, such as downy mildew and powdery mildew, using phytosanitary products based mainly on silica, Chlorel algae from the Algaé company in Brittany, and amino acids from fermented products.
The end of winter is often marked by a sign from nature, offering us a colorful bouquet!
From bud-break and the emergence of the first leaves, Biodyphy’s activity in the vineyard is timed to the rhythm of the metronome.
Each of Frédéric’s outings is based on Elsa’s observations. The report from our advisor at the Chamber of Agriculture is read carefully every Tuesday, and depending on the weather, work is scheduled on a weekly basis. Above all, we mustn’t be overwhelmed by Mother Nature, but sometimes, as in 2024, doesn’t spare us the stress of knowing that each maritime depression is bringing us its excess of water. As winegrowers, we are perpetually glued to the weather forecast. Sometimes it’s difficult to enter the plot with a tractor, so we use the more maneuverable Quad to carry out treatments. Nicola and Davy take it in turns to monitor the growth, and if the apex is lively and dynamic, we can feel at ease. On the contrary, any deficiencies are measured on the spot and the recipe for our herbal tea is modified. Flexibility, responsiveness and conscientiousness are the watchwords of successful Biodyphy cultivation.
At the end of spring, we roll grown seedlings into a mattress of vegetation to provide natural protection that will catch the morning dew and prevent the vine from any uncomfortable water stress.
Summer time
In summer, in addition to keeping an eye out for fungal diseases, our work consists above all in observing any deficiencies likely to slow down the vegetative cycle of our vines. A vigorous, dapper apex (tip of the young growing leaf) is the right signal. Depending on weather forecasts, like many winegrowers we have a multitude of predictive tools, in addition to our weather stations, to enable us to treat as close as possible to the rains, because after 20 millimeters of rainfall and/or 20 cm of growth, any treatment must be renewed.
In July, trellising and leaf-thinning enable us to position the bunches in such a way as to ventilate them and prevent the spread of any fungal diseases (oidium, mildew, etc.).
At the end of summer, the process of berries changing color, known as “veraison“, allows us to visually observe the homogeneity, or sometimes heterogeneity, of the phenolic ripeness of our grapes. It’s as if nature, aware of our project, had set up a simple means of ripeness detection at our service, and all we have to do is droping the bunches with grapes that are still green due to lack of ripeness, compared with those that have already turned a darker and darker red. This operation, which we carry out up to 3 times in some years, is called “Green harvesting“ !
Our bunches, aired and selected in this way, are ready to gorge themselves with sugar in September. To avoid any conditions favorable to grey rot, we take advantage of the opportunity to mow each base very short to avoid any excess humidity conducive to the development of these unwanted fungi. The pious winegrower then starts praying to his saint, and it has to be said that Saint-Émilion is often generous in offering us grapes at full ripeness. A late season that is ideally cool at night and sunny during the day is the guarantee of a great vintage.
It is said that a fine August makes a fine grape and a fine September makes a fine wine!
Fal time
Our grapes are tasted 3 times a week and sent to the Œnoconseil oenology laboratory at Les Bigarroux, next door to the estate, for analysis of sugars and assimilable nitrogen.
In the cellar, the relative calm of summer has given way to effervescence; we’re busy with pre-harvest cleaning, from floor to ceiling, including every vat, every pipe, every pump – in short, every object in contact with the grapes, i.e. everything is checked, repaired if necessary and, above all, cleaned. The last analyses refine our tastings of the grapes on the vine, and then D-Day arrives… it’s harvest time! At Blanche Hermine, the size of our small estate makes irrelevant to own harvest reception equipment. We hire out equipment and services, a team of 30 people to harvest and sort the grapes, and a service provider (Presta Chai & Conseil) in the person of Sébastien Xens comes into action. A true orchestral conductor, competent and attentive, he orchestrates this beautiful pastoral symphony to perfection!
Before the October rains prevent us from working in our vineyards, and while we are very busy in the cellar with winemaking, we continue to care for our vines as they store their reserves. We don’t hesitate to treat them to help maintain their foliage for as long as possible. This is also the time we choose to sow our cover crops (Triticale for cereals, Sugar Peas for legumes, and Vetch and Clover for herbs) with a wide variety of root systems. It’s important that the root system of our cover crops is well established before the arrival of winter. Every five years, in the fall, we also carry out the replanting of missing vines with plant material (pruned shoots) taken from our best vines two years earlier, reproduced and grafted by the Héberger nursery in Alsace, true craftsmen of the young plant, ensuring a successful replanting.
It’s through this collection of details that we close this winemaker’s almanac, hoping to have shared a bit of our life with you, where each day is a dedication to the demands of producing the most civilized drink in the world, to paraphrase Ernest Hemingway.