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Responsible for
the environment
and health

Faced with the environmental crisis, winegrowers, like everyone involved in agricultural activities, must ask themselves some serious questions and rethink their way of doing things. In the Médoc, where rainfall is abundant, the vines are fragile and susceptible to damage from disease or pests.
The vine has not been a wild plant for many centuries, and without man there would be no grapes to harvest, no wine to drink.

So how can the vines be protected, and healthy grapes be produced, without harming the environment, and without risk to workers or the people who live nearby? How can we make wine that is living and yet stable, how do we control fermentations without using toxic products?

Finding the answers to these questions is the essence of our craft.

Discover

Organic, or not?

“You have to understand that being certified organic means following a specifications charter. Copper, the famous “Bordeaux mixture”, is a product that is authorised in organic agriculture to combat certain diseases. Of course, copper is natural, but the earth isn’t made for such doses, it’s not without danger for the soil. There’s no easy remedy. Perhaps there are better ways of doing things. Organic farming is good, but we shouldn’t stay closed to ideas. What we seek to do is to open the debate. The majority of our actions conform to organic specifications, but certification is not our aim… what we are looking for is the right course of action.”

Mathieu Maudet, Technical Director

"The majority of our actions
conform to organic specifications,
but certification is not our aim…
what we are looking for
is the right course of action.”

Mathieu Maudet, Technical Director

Glyphosate?

"We’ve been working towards zero herbicides for years, and we’ve finally got there. It’s all done by ploughing now. It’s quite an achievement. People had forgotten how, we had to learn all over again about the tools, how to till the soil. It’s tractor work where you need to be super careful, there’s only 1 metre 60 between each vine plant, and they’re delicate, you have to pay attention. After all, they’re going to produce the grapes that will make our wine. And even with eco-driving techniques, while we still use vehicles we’ll still produce CO2… I’m sure we can do even better”.

Didier Cabot, vineyard worker and tractor driver

"We’ve been working towards zero herbicides for years, and we’ve finally got there. It’s all done by ploughing now."

Didier Cabot, vineyard worker and tractor driver

Climate change?

"The traditional style of the wines of the Médoc, which is dependent upon on a cool climate, is threatened by global warming. We won’t be able to continue rejoicing year after year in ‘exceptional vintages’ that are the result of higher temperatures. Alcohol levels are rising, and winemaking methods must be adapted in consequence to maintain the freshness and the structure of our wines. To remain the same, we need to change. Perhaps we will be obliged to turn to new grape varieties that are more resistant to the heat? That’s the question that we are asking ourselves here at Vignobles de Larose, and we are planting and testing already."

Franck Bijon, chief executive

"The traditional style of the wines of the Médoc, which is dependent upon a cool climate, is threatened by global warming"

Franck Bijon, chief executive

Pesticides?

“Apart from treatments against the flavescence dorée beetle, which is obligatory everywhere, we use minimal doses of non-toxic products, depending on the growth of the vine, the risk of disease and the weather. The majority of the products are natural, and work using biocontrol methods. We have alert levels, and decision support tools to help us decide on the dose and the timing. The situation is evolving all the time. Obviously, we’d prefer not to use anything, but if we didn’t only one vintage in twenty wouldn’t be damaged by disease. If you want good wine, you need good grapes, and so you need vines that are healthy.”

Benjamin Doursout, assistant vineyard manager

And our neighbours?

"Every year, before the season begins, we do a tour of all of our parcels by car to note any changes in the vicinity. If there are any new houses, or new farms, we write a letter to the owners in which we propose an alert system that gives them 24 hours’ notice, either by email or phone, before we undertake any treatments. The products we use are essentially natural, but the doses aren’t necessarily, so it’s always best to err on the side of caution. It means that for a few hours they can avoid walking in the vines, or hanging out the washing, and gives them time to put away any children’s toys that may be outside. And we answer openly any questions they may have about the nature of the products."

Amélie Caplain, CSR manager

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