The Vineyard

 

Rives-Blanques lies in a nature reserve designated by the European progamme Natura 2000, because of the unique habitat for flora and fauna provided by this meeting ground of Atlantic and Mediterranean influences. We share our space with a myriad of protected wild orchids, eagles, busards, bats, beeches and woodland

We are also designated working partners of another European environmental programme, BioDiVine which investigates the impact of viticulture on biodiversity.

The vineyard has long been known for its environment-friendly practices, and was amongst the first vineyards in France to be accredited 'Agriculture Raisonnée' 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 prevailing brisk, dry winds lends a helping hand by keeping unwanted pests at bay - naturally. We never use chemical fertilizers, and all vine cuttings, as well as grape -pips and skins left over after the grapes have been pressed, are ploughed back into the soil.

Rives-Blanques was the first in the region to experiment with sowing wild flowers, clover or cereals between the rows of vines, thus adding nitrogen to the soil while also keeping weeds down. This has proved so successful that we now do it throughout the vineyard

A part of the property is currently being converted back to pure organic viticulture. Because we allow the land to work itself naturally, a natural habitat has been created for wild boar, owls, hawks, wild deer, and birds nesting in the vines, not to mention Bruno supervising us from a mound of composting grape skins.

The Chai

Our winery 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

 

Then in 2002, another 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 coming into the winery.

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

 
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.

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. Ground soils of glacial moraine, pebbles and clay enhance the natural sweetness of mauzac, the complexity of chardonnay and the freshness of chenin.