Claude Lafond: Vineyards
Claude Lafond once told me that the domaine covers somewhere between 40 and 45 hectares all told, of which 35 hectares are in the Reuilly appellation. Having passed this on to the next generation Nathalie now has all this, along with 3 hectares in Valençay and 5 hectares of vines which qualify solely for vin de pays.
Even with a number of different plots, in two appellations, it is still possible to generalise about the vineyards. Many of the vines date back to the expansion in the early years under Claude’s tenure, and were thus planted in the 1980s. Therefore many vines now have about thirty years behind them, although there are small plots of younger vines as well. The vineyards are typically planted at a density of 6,500 vines per hectare. Claude seems to have favoured enherbement in the space between the rows, although in other sections he worked the soil in preference. The vines are pruned using the Guyot simple technique, and there is leaf-thinning to aid ripening as summer progresses.
Claude Lafond: Wines
Generalising, the majority of the domaine is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc, typically harvested at a yield of 45 to 50 hl/ha, but there is Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris as well, all three varieties being recognised as eligible for the Reuilly appellation. On the whole the fruit is picked by machine. The wines deserve more specific examination that this though, and I do this below. I look first to the wines of Reuilly.
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