The art of distillation : in 1973, Louis and Michel had two pot stills of 25 hectolitres each made, gas fueled, allowing a better management of distillation and being able to meet the needs of the entire vineyard.
In 2011, the vineyard now having doubled in size, Laurent and Michel decided to invest in the refurbishment of the two small 12.5 hectolitre pot stills, the « historical » ones of the domain. The pot bottoms were very worn and we had to have them refurbished as well as the wood burners that we replaced for gas burners for more practicality; the rest of the installation was kept, remaining faithful to this spirit of family tradition.
After analysis, we begin distilling our wines as soon as they reach their malolactic fermentation stage, generally at the beginning of November and to be finished at the end of March. The manual operation of our stills is under the responsibility of two employees specially trained by us. At the moment of the important phases of distillation, the cuttings (called « les coupes »), it is Michel or Laurent who carry out these operations. Our wines are distilled with their sediment in order to concentrate the flavours and to accentuate the roundness and suppleness of our Eaux-de-vie. The presence of sediment in our wines implies a slower distillation, more in suppleness, therefore a low fire and a thorough cleaning of our boilers after each heating.
« Over many years, my grandfather Louis, insisted that I repair these small pot stills, claiming that I would be surprised by their quality. And he was right, as always! My only regret is that, in 2011, when I had him taste the first drops, he was already too ill to realize what it was. »