Owner / Operator : French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)

Director : Dominique Forget

Technical Manager : Matthew Arroyo

Consultant oenologists : Denis Dubourdieu and Valérie Lavigne

Marketing & Communication : Romain Baillou

A.O.C : Pessac-Léognan white

Area : 6 ha

Soil characteristics : Gravelly hilltop • Clay slope on a limestone base • Sand-clay zone

Grape varieties : 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Sauvignon Gris

Density of planting : 6500 to 9100 vines/ha

Management of vines :
-Double Guyot pruning -Traditional ploughing four times -Integrated production -Optimization of soil/plant balance -Rationalized canopy management -Manual harvests with successive selective harvests in crates

Vinification :
Slow, cold pneumatic pressing (inert gas), skin maceration for some batches, rationalized settling, alcoholic fermentation in barrels, tanks and casks.

Maturing : 9 Months in barrels, casks and vats on the lees with stirring

Average annual production : from 9 000 to 12 000 bottles