It is back together with the sun…
We will be able to work back again the soils of our vines to obtain Pouilly-Fumés and Sancerres still richer and concentrated…
And in the link You Tube below, Pierre-François Masson explains his work at the Estate. (Short film of 3’30 minutes).
We do not want to join an organic seal of approval because we consider that an accumulation of copper in our soils would be very harmful on the long range. However, our way to cultivate the vine goes further than the « reasonnable » one, ie. : We have NOT used CHEMICAL FERTILIZER for over 40 years and we do NOT use HERBICIDE, NOR INSECTICIDE since 2002 !
Working our soils is crucial. It allows us for more than 30 years now, to favour the good development and the own character of each of our soils which are Flint, Portlandian limestone and Kimmeridgian marls. We use bare necessities of fungicides adding them to natural stimulators.
Pierre-François Masson, 7th generation of wine-growers at the Estate refuses the ready-made thinking.
This passionned man in his thirties, gardener and beekeeper when it comes, installed an insects hotel in a vine of one hectare of Pouilly-Fumé situated in the heart of the village to preserve the wintry survival of the insects useful for the pollination.
Insects hotel built by Pierre-Francois Masson installed in the heart of the vineyard of Pouilly-Fumé
Insects hotel installed in Masson-Blondelet’s vines.
Pierre also installed hives in its personal kitchen garden, cultivated the same way as our vines, without weed-killer, nor insecticide, or fertiliser, in order to find a shelter for the bees, daily disappearing… This year, they are around a month ahead comparing to the past year.
Hive installed by Pierre-François Masson in Pouilly sur Loire in order to encourage the survival of the bees.
At the cellar, our philosophy in terms of wine making process is to privilege physical treatments in order to banish the chemical ones (even the softest) and to use the less suffer as possible.
That is why we work with three main principles : The use of gravity (cellar half burried, built on three levels), the use of cold settling and the keeping of the fermentation CO2.
Our wish is to equip ourselves with the most reliable means as well as privileging human intervention, which is the only responsible for “the soul of the wine”.
We put a lot of ourselves in our vine culture and we are looking for perfection in our wine-making processes. So, we are proud that they bear our name, and that they please their final wine taster.
As every year since about twenty years, we shall leave soon for Angers and its 28th Fair of Wines of the Loire Valley.
Then, will come March and the time to leave for the “Messe” of Düsseldorf, PROWEIN : the new ‘rendez-vous‘ for the wine professionals of the globe.
We will be there from 23 to 25 March 2014, on the collective space of the Loire, in the HALL 5, Path A, number 33. See you then !
For us, the harvest 2013 in Pouilly took place from Monday 7th to Sunday 13th of October included. 7 days! We never harvest that fast, this to avoid the rains that followed on the next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday…
Pierre, who had ordered a 3rd pneumatic press this year for maximum efficiency at the cellar, really appreciated this purchase which happened at the right moment, so he could assert himself and follow a rythm until then never reached at the cellar ( all of this of course, keeping a very long press duration of weak pressure : 3h45 from 0,15 to 1,75 bars) but especially to bring in the harvest in its entirety by dry weather , which was not that way everywhere in that vintage year 2013, demanding, but successful !
SILVER for Pouilly-Fumé “Villa Paulus” 2010
GOLD for Pouilly-Fumé “Villa Paulus” 2008
SILVER for Red Sancerre “Thauvenay” 2007
SILVER for Pouilly-Fumé “Villa Paulus” 2007
GOLD for White Sancerre “Thauvenay” 2007