- Our Know-How -
Make wine and make it well
Combining modernity and tradition, the wines of Château Pierron are powerful and elegant, with subtle complexity.
A careful selection of grape varieties contributes to harmony in the taste of the wine: Merlot for colour, generosity and roundness; Cabernet Franc for aromatic finesse; Cabernet Sauvignon for its body and power.
In a constant search for the best expression of our terroir, we strive to produce unique wines with an identity that varies subtly from one year to another, far from being standardised products.
Conscious of the originality of our soils and the beauty of our landscapes, we have committed to sustainable viticulture, respectful of this protected environment, by adopting the principles of organic farming.
Always attentive to the vine, we observe its needs and follow its development closely, to give the right treatment at the right time. It's Nature that tells us when it needs a boost.
The sprays used have been selected for their low impact on the environment and on health. For example, all CMR products (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or toxic to Reproduction) are forbidden.
From the pruning to the harvest and from the vineyard to the cellar, making wine at Pierron is above all a matter of passion, precision, effort and devotion.
Pruning starts in December, and more than four months are needed to cover the property's 26 hectares (each hectare has 5000 plants): pruning to one cane with eight buds and another cane with two buds. After pruning, the wood is gathered in the middle of the row and ground up to be returned to the soil.
As from end April, the vines are carefully monitored in order to help their development using a reasoned programme of spraying, without any excess.
In June, the vine is in full flower. It is also at this time that we weed under the rows, and only under the rows, so as to leave something to stabilise the ground between the rows.
The small green berries, which will later turn into fine bunches, appear in July. The véraison starts in August, adorning Pierron with new colours.
At Pierron, leaf removal is carried out on the sun-rise side, to help the grapes ripen. With better exposure to the sun, the grapes are also better ventilated, which reduces the risk of botrytis linked to humidity.
Depending on the year, the harvest starts between mid September and early October. If it has been cold with a lot of rain, the harvest will be later. If it has been hot and dry, the harvest will be early.
When the right moment comes, the grapes are sorted twice. The machines have on-board sorting, so that they only pick ripe grapes. Then they are placed in vibrating trailers to preserve the berries. Only perfectly ripe fruit goes into the tanks.
The grapes go through the crusher, gently squeezing the berries to help start fermentation, before being filled to the tanks.
During vinification, the principles of integrated farming still apply, especially in the use of yeasts to help the natural fermentation of the grapes beyond 12-13°.
Using the same principle as a coffee machine, the juice is pumped over the cap of skins several times a day, and the fermentation is closely monitored.
When all the sugar has been transformed into alcohol, the juice is run off to obtain the free-run wine. The skins are then pressed to give the press wine, which will be more tannic. It is kept separate, so that it can be treated differently and softened.
The wine is then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels to add structure and the oaky character that is found in l'Alternative and in Château Pierron.
In the cellar, the tanks are kept at 18-20°C (temperature control) to preserve the fruit flavours.
Finally comes the time for blending, the marriage between the strength of the oak and the softness of the fruit according to a sensitive balance that is reinvented each year. Nature is enhanced through the use of human senses, to give supple, powerful and elegant wines, complex and warm.
Each year Château Pierron produces about :
10 000 bottles of its first wine, l'Alternative
50 000 bottles of Château Pierron
L'Alternative can be kept for around ten years, depending on your taste and storage conditions; between five and ten years for Château Pierron.
