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Close involvement in the vines

J. Moreau & Fils has formed partnerships with around a dozen winegrowers. These close cooperations have led to a careful selection of over 300 individual plots classed according to their characteristics, which are individually monitored during the growth cycle. This quality-based approach is naturally extended to the cellar and the different stages in the creation of the wines.
 
These partnerships are run by house winemaker Lucie Depuydt, according to strict specifications that ensure the grapes are monitored at every stage. She selects the various plots, and works with partner winegrowers to study the soil, subsoil, aspect and slope of each plot. She is also involved in the various tasks carried out in the vines during the growth cycle.
 
But her work goes way beyond this. Indeed, from one year to the next, she must source the grapes that are best adapted to the J. Moreau & Fils house style. By monitoring ripeness through tasting and analyzing the berries, she is able to establish a correlation between the characteristics of the plot, the year’s weather conditions and the results of the maturity analysis in order to determine the potential of each plot in a given vintage.
 
Viniculture and partnership: a virtuous partnership
 
One hundred hectares of vines selected in partnership with the winegrowers.
The specifications, revised for each vintage, includes several sections covering the vines and vinification. Here is where the notion of “viniculture” really takes shape:
 
  •  - Partnerships with winegrowers under contract
  •  - Quality control of supplies of grapes and must
  •  - Plot selection taking into account the age of the vines, the soil, aspect, etc.
  •  - Yield control through pruning and work in the vines
  •  - Advice for phytosanitary treatments
  •  - Ripeness monitoring
  •  - Establishing of harvest dates, plot by plot
  •  - Strict control of the harvest through a pressing charter, monitoring of turbidity and hygiene
 
It is essential for a wine producer to ensure the quality of the grapes it buys.
To do this, J. Moreau & Fils offers a growing number of winegrowers a close partnership that involves strict specifications concerning the work in the vines and the vinification of bought-in musts. The partner winemakers pay close attention to the results of the maturity analysis and recommended harvest dates. And this type of cooperation is clearly something to aspire to – the maison has gone from eight partnerships to 16 over the last few years covering different appellations. More than a simple contract, these partnerships offer a real relationship based on trust, demonstrated by the fact that some winegrowers have been working with the company for more than 50 years.