Les Roches Sèches: Vineyards
As indicated, Jean-Marie Brousset, Thibaut Ducleux and Julien Delrieu started out with 16 hectares of vines; of what they picked, perhaps two-thirds was vinified by the trio, while the rest was sold to négociants, so in practicality the domaine wines came from perhaps 11 hectares of vines. The vineyards encapsulated broadly three types of terroir; some vines were planted on slopes of shallow and stony schist, others were on gravel beds also over schist, while the third terroir was quite different, being a mix of clay and limestone over a sedimentary falun, a particular type of stone formed from the deposition of shells when the Mer de Faluns swept over the region. The vines were mostly Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, although there was also Grolleau and Chardonnay planted. At the time I met Julien he described a vineyard with Chenin Blanc on 5.7 hectares, with 1 hectare still due to come on line, with Cabernet Franc on 6.5 hectares and Grolleau on 2 hectares, the Chardonnay a mere soupçon.
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