Clos Puy Arnaud: The Vineyards
As I have already indicated the domaine is situated on the Castillon plateau, which is contiguous with that on which rests St Emilion, and the vineyards are located within the commune of Belvès. The terroir is distinctive, 85% of the estate being on the plateau, characterised by a thin layer of the hardest type of limestone known locally as calcaire à astéries. The soil here is meagre, maybe 50cm deep at most, the hard rock not far below the surface. The remaining 15% is situated on the slopes of the plateau. Today there are approximately 13 hectares, mostly Merlot which accounts for 70% of the vineyard, with Cabernet Franc the second most commonly planted variety at 25%, with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon bringing up the rear. The proportion of Cabernet Franc is set to increase as 90% of current replanting sees this variety going into the ground. There are no plans to expand the area accounted for by Cabernet Sauvignon, although Thierry does intend establishing a small plot of Petit Verdot in 2013.
Thierry feels that the position of the domaine leads to later ripening than in St Emilion, principally due to differences in the climate between the two communes, but then he also has a belief that the biodynamic management of the vineyard gives a 4-5 day advantage in terms of fruit maturity, so he finds himself picking at same time as his peers in St Emilion. The vines were initially cared for using organic methods, but with assistance from Anne Calderoni the domaine was converted to biodynamic viticulture in 2004, with official certification from Biodyvin. Thierry searches for a ‘middle way’ in the vineyards, keen to avoid the monoculture that comes with modern ‘traditional’ methods, but also to avoid the wild abandonment that some totally natural and organic/biodynamic vineyards can display. There is biodiversity here (as is indeed suggested by my picture of the château, below), the vineyards surrounded by forest and hedges, and greenery is grown between the rows as fertiliser. Yields are managed with debudding and occasionally a light green harvest, and there is leaf-thinning too.
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