> Domaine du Crêt de Ruyère
For the last fifteen years, Jean-Luc has chosen to work with respect for the environment as a priority. To replace the use of chemical weed killers, the soil between the rows of vines is ploughed and grass and wild flowers are allowed to grow. All insecticides, fungicides etc... used on the vines are approved for use by organic farmers.
In 2004 we decided to 'down-size' from 15 hectares to 6.5 hectares with the belief that if we really wanted to concentrate on the quality of our wines and stay a family domaine we had to reduce the size of production. To coincide with this decision we reorganised the winery at the same time. The two rows of cement tanks were taken out and put back at a higher level so that our new Italian vertical, hydraulic press can receive the harvest by gravity and the use of pumps is kept to a minimum.
Our philosophy is to make elegant wines with a pure concentration of fruit as naturally as we can; wines that express the vintage and "terroir" and that have the capacity to evolve with time. In 2004 we decided to try an experimental "cuvee" of "vin nature", where no intervention was carried out on the grapes whatsoever (no sulphur, no added yeast, no pumping over, no temperature control and no added sugar) the wine is currently ageing in oak barrels and expressing the pure intensity of fruit we are looking for. Our first "vin nature" will be bottled in 2006.
"The earth is not given to us by our parents, it is lent to us by our children " Indian proverb.
