Resolutely oriented towards an all organic cultivation...
The vines of the Francis Boulard & Fille estate are mainly to be found in Cormicy, to the north-west of Reims in the Saint-Thierry hills nicknamed "la Petite Montagne de Reims".
The estate's vines are also to be found in Paradis (the Belval hamlet in the Marne valley), in Cuchery, in Cauroy-les-Hermonville and in Mailly-Champagne, a village of the "Montagne de Reims" classified as Grand Cru 100%. The vines mainly face east-north-east, and south in the Marne valley.
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The estate's orientation towards organic cultivation goes back several years. Wanting to make Champagne wines of character and as natural as possible, a goodly proportion of the vines in Cormicy have been cultivated without weedkillers or synthetic chemicals since 2001. This conversion has been controlled by Ecocert since 2004. Since then, they have been cultivated biodynamically (see below) and certified by Ecocert. Now that the Francis Boulard & Fille Estate is well established, the objective, naturally enough, is to see 100% of the estate certified as cultivated organically and the conversion of those which are not yet certified was immediately set in motion
Biodynamics allows a greater complexity of the wines to be achieved, and encourages an attractive minerality to appear in Champagne wines. It goes without saying that biodynamics (like organic cultivation) allows all the negative effects of the use of synthetic chemicals on the environment and health to be avoided.
The lunar calendar illuminates the best moment to work on the vines For Francis Boulard, it reminds him of his grandfather who often spoke to him of the influence of the moon on planting or on working the soil. In the time of his grandfather and great-grandfather, cultivation was thus closer to nature and the rhythm of the seasons.
The vines are pruned short, in order to control yield, thereby producing better grapes. Green harvesting (removing unwanted bunches produced over the summer) is therefore rarely carried out. The majority of the vineyards, about two thirds, are planted using "massal selection"(1).
The vineyards are ploughed 4 to 6 times a year, in the autumn after the harvest, in the spring and on up to July. These light ploughings facilitate the control of their natural weed cover.
This natural weed cover encourages the soil to live and avoids erosion. To fight against fungal attacks, the vines are protected, in addition to the use of sulphur and Bordeaux mixture, by the use of biodynamic preparations based on field horsetail, water willow or osier, willow, nettles, valerian and silica
Some figures:
- Total surface: 3 Ha (7.5 acres)
- Varietals used:
30% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 40%
Pinot Meunier
- Average age of the vines: 35 years
- Rootstock:
SO4 for Chardonnay, 41 B and 3309 for
the Pinots.
- Location: Massif de Saint-Thierry, Marne Valley
and Montagne de Reims (Mailly-Champagne Grand Cru)
(1) Massal Selection: Using shoots from the best plants in the plot
to provide scions to plant in new plots, and replace sick
or missing plants. This technique allows the quality of a vineyard to be
improved, while conserving its individuality and its character.
What
is BiodynamiC Agriculture?Biodynamics is a branch of organic agriculture. It is, therefore, based upon the rejection of all chemical products, pesticides, fungicides and synthetic fertilisers. Biodynamics goes even further, repositioning the vine as part of an all-embracing totality. Developed from the work of Rudolph Steiner, biodynamics sees things in terms of a flow of energy to encourage the life in and of the soils, which therefore will give high quality grapes. In practice, naturally produced preparations are sprayed in low doses to vivify the soils and give the vines the natural elements they need to fight illness. It should also be pointed out that biodynamics allows copper to be used less often.
Photos and webdesign: Studio Amarante
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