The philosophy of Domain Vrignaud, wine domain with Chablis

Our Grapevines

The most part of our grapevines are located on and around the village of Fontenay-près-Chablis except for that of Mont de Milieu located on the village of Fleys.

They will have between 1 year as the new plants (harvested only when they achieve 3 years) and 55 years for the vineyards of premier cru Fourchaume, les côtes de Fontenay. Specific gravity of plantation is 5600 feet by hectare.

They are very sharpened in reversed double Guyot.
After some trial years, it proved to be that it airs and makes younger the vine stock. It is much easier to work to take out the burgeon when this size is set up.

The work to take out the burgeon

The work to take out the burgeon is made from bud break, we take away from every foot counter them buds (secondary bud).

It allows to air the vine stock and to make prophylactic conflict, that is to say to struggle of course against fungous diseases.

It is also a research for reduction of output. We perform two passages per year.

The soil

We work every plot individually.
In all grapevines two ranks of nine are weed with the “ray-grass” wich is the name of an herb and with the “pâturin” herb. It restricts packing, makes easier the passage of tractors and reduces erosion.

In plots with strong slope, we establish a winter grain after the period of spring jellies (mid-May). This method allows to struggle against erosion, restarts the microbic life of the soil and avoids using chemical weed killers.

In the plots which are on trays, we plow every rank without weeds.
So, we grow rooting in depth by our vine stocks. Roots dive into kimméridgiennes marls those even which give the characteristic minerality of wines of Vrignaud’s domaine.

We do not use any more fertilizing since 20 years. Every year an analysis of the earth is performed to know the possible deficiencies of every grapevine.
Our interest is research maximum of the microbic life of the soil.
The return to lands with living grapevines, give us one new discovery by fauna and flora. Nature gives us the possibility of making big wines, let us help so that she can go on for years to come !

For last year, we played alternative culture where we use only mineral substances and decoctions of plants.

Wine production

We reorganized the vathouse and created a new installation of winepresses for grape harvest 2008.
Winepresses are installed at ground level and dumpsters with vibrating beaks come to pour directly allowing so to preserve grapes and to sort them out.

Alcoholic fermentation is performed in stainless steel vats and the temperature is controlled by thermoregulations.
Every plot is harvested and converted into wine separately so that the potential of the different lands can express itself.

The malolactic fermentation follows alcoholic fermentation.
She allows to stabilize wines by giving them a better equilibrium.
From the end of this second fermentation, we extract to keep the most possible of fine sediment which gives in wines refinement more complicacy, delicacy and roundness.

These methods of wine refinement, allows us to work out with bigger potential that can also be appreciated young age.

DOMAINE VRIGNAUD - 10, rue de Beauvoir - 89800 FONTENAY-PRES-CHABLIS - Fax: 03 86 42 40 06 - Tél: 03 86 42 15 69