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Viticulture at Chateau Rives-Blanques
organic viticulture

"Nostra Terra Mentis Pas"
(Our Soil Tells No Lies)  

                

The Vineyard

Welcome to Château Rives-Blanques, an independent, family-run estate of 30 ha. We are one of the few in the region specialising in hand-harvested white wines, which are bottled on the property.

Conduite Raisonnée

Rives-Blanques has long been known for its environment-friendly practices, and was amongst the first vineyards in France to be given the 'Agriculture Raisonnée' accreditation by the Ministry of Agriculture, confirming the ecological honesty and integrity of the way we grow our grapes and manage our lands. A happy combination of altitude and brisk summer winds lends a helping hand by keeping unwanted pests at bay - naturally. We never use chemical fertilizers, and all vine cuttings, grape pips and skins left over from the pressing are ploughed back into the soil. We were the first in the region to experiment with cultivating clover between the rvineyardows of vines, which not only adds nitrogen to the soil but also keeps weeds down, and this has proved so successful that we are now doing it throughout the vineyard. Our policy is to allow the land to work itself, naturally - and in doing so, a natural habitat has been provided for all sorts of wildlife. Our work in the fields is covertly, if not overtly, observed by wild boar, owls, hawks, wild deer … the variety is endless.

 

The Chai

The Chai, an above ground wine cellar


The chai (an above-ground cave) undergoes constant renovation and improvement:

  • A radical change with the installation of stainless steel vats and other quality improving measures took place in the 1990's

    wine press vineyard

  • Then in 2002, 400 m² of additional insulated cellar space was added, and the latest state-of-the-art pneumatic press, a Vaslin-Bucher, was installed. This allows us to fine-tune the pressing process so delicately that even a ladybird has been seen to emerge unharmed and unpressed.
  • Since then, improvements and updating of the equipment are a continuous and ongoing thing, with new sorting tables, harvesting equipment, and the latest in vinification technology joining the stall.

    The Chai, an above ground wine cellar

    With temperature-controlled space for 300 barrels, we work with the country's top coopers, including François Frères in Burgundy and Vicard in Bordeaux, whose oenologists accompany our experiments to find the best type of barrel, degree of toasting, and size of grain for our particular wines. Oak barrels have been used for wine since 900 BC. Ours come from 200 year old trees in the rigorously controlled oak forests of the Massif Central and the Vosges.

     

    The Terroir

    Viticulture

     
    Terroir is the untranslated, untranslatable word which most closely defines our philosophy of wine-making and explains why our wines taste the way they taste. It is that certain je ne sais quoi which gives individuality and character to our wines, making them unmistakably "Rives-Blanques".

    Jamie Goode (www.wineanorak.com) sums it up neatly: terroir is an ethos or philosophy. It's a unifying theory encapsulating a certain approach to wine that encompasses the almost metaphysical circle of soil, nature, appellation and human activity. In more simple terms, it is the site-specific characteristics of a wine.

    organic viticulture

    Château Rives-Blanques lies on a 350m high plateau at the cusp of Limoux's Atlantic and Mediterranean terroirs, but its oak, pine trees and indigenous wild life show that it is very much Atlantic by nature. Its ground soils of glacial moraine, pebbles and clay enhance the natural sweetness of mauzac, the complexity of chardonnay and the freshness of chenin.


     

    Label Notes for our wines Label Notes        Tasting Notes for our wines Tasting Notes        Serving Notes for our wines Serving Notes       
    Health Notes on wine Health Notes        Independent Wine Growers Independent Wine Grower

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    • Château Rives-Blanques
    11300 Cépie, Languedoc Roussillon, France
    Tel-fax: +33 468 314320

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