Production

Planted grape-Varieties

White variety		« Piquepoul » ( A.O.C. Picpoul de Pinet ) « Chardonnay » « Sauvignon » « Terret » for the other wines.
Red variety		« Merlot » « Cabernet » « Syrah » « Grenache » « Cinsault » « Carignan »

Technology


To manage its rapid economic expansion, the cooperative winery of Pomerols employs eight people on full- time basis.

In order to optimize the quality of their wines the winery has a modern vinification equipment.

2 skin maceration draining tanks (400 hl)
4 skin maceration tanks with pneumatic drainage
4 pneumatic wine press
1 pressurized rotary filter (20 m2)
2 groups of cold storage (700,000 "frigories" - French units of cold)
Thermal regulating device to ensure the best conservation of the wines
1 thermal controlled (barrels) winery



Wine - harvest and vinification


All the parcels of vineyard are visited the day before harvest to check the potential quality of the grapes.

Sample grape-berries are analyzed each week (weight , sugar , acidity , pH) in order to follow the progression of their maturity. The cooperative winery is then able to set up a schedule of crop supply, grape-variety by grape-variety.

1. The White Wines

To ensure a good organization of the supply , the winegrowers are obliged to follow a timetable : the white varieties ( piquepoul , sauvignon , chardonnay ,viognier) are harvested very early in the morning ; from 4 am to 10 am in order to preserve the freshness and strength of the aromas.
The harvest is entirely destemed to remove all leaves and stalk, etc... The extraction of juice ( white & rosé ) is then performed by draining tanks and pneumatic wine presses.
This mild and gentle method of extraction preserves the precious quality of the grapes.
The extracted raw juice called must is put under cold decanting in order to separate the clear juice from the settled particles. The deposits are filtered and vinified separately.This process of cold settling is essential to the quality of the future wines.
The clear juice is yeasted and left to ferment at 14°c & 16°c , temperatures that help preserve the aromas.
Under these rigorous conditions , the fermentation of sugars into alcohols by
the addition of yeast lasts about three weeks. When the sugars are fermented , the white or rosé wines are then drawn off .The aim of this process is to eliminate the fine lees , in this case settled yeast at the bottom of the tanks.

Particularity of Picpoul de Pinet Vinified In Oak Barrels :
From the beginning , the grapes come from selected old vine plants which give low yields of 20 to 40 Ha. Its vinification process remains the same as the other white wines except that fermentation takes place in oak barrels.
These French oak barrels are stocked in a temperature controlled winery.Right after fermentation , the wines undergo ageing for 8 to 10 months.
There is a regular stirring of the lees; a traditional Burgundy process.
After verifying samples, the cellar master decides when the wine is ready to be bottled.


2. The Red Wines

For the vinification of the red grape-varieties such as merlot , cabernet , syrah … , the grapes selected parcel by parcel , are harvested when fully matured : 13° C alcohol.
They are subjected to a traditional method of vinification. The entirely destemmed harvest is put in tanks and yeasted. Maceration in tanks takes place between 8 and 30 days depending on the type of product sought after ( supple wine or wine for ageing).
The fermentation temperature of the red wines are maintained between 22° C & 28° C. They are drawed off with aeration as soon as fermentation is over.

Particularity : the « overnight wine » ( le vin d’une nuit )
As indicated by it’s name , this wine macerates for just one night. The objective is to keep all the freshness and fruitiness of the grapes without obtaining a strong tannic structure.