« The soil is to the wine the same thing that heredity is to men. »
Our vineyard is composed of Ugni Blanc for Cognac, Colombard for dry white wine, Merlot rosé wine blended with Cabernet Franc, as well as rosé Pineau.
At the Domaine des Claires, vines are principaly located on the slopes leading down to the river Seudre.
It is thanks to the diversity of soil that we can adapt the grape variety to the soil that suits it best :
- Mostly chalky limestone, covered with a shallow clay layer (land of “champagne”).
- The chalk soil absorbs water when it rains and give it back to the vines in dry weather.
- Fresher clayey soils for cabernet franc.
- Sandy and poor soils for certain Ugni Blancs intended for Pineaux, giving sweeter "musts".
Methods and traditions pruning
The vineyards dedicated to Cognac are pruned and trained using a traditional Charentais method called mixed Guyot.
It allows vigorous vines to grown well and produce a juice with a low rate of sugar and acidity , which is ideal for Cognac.
For vines which produce wines and Pineau, the pruning is called Guyot, within plots which force moderate to low (density planting 4200-5500 plants / ha), it can be spread to more vegetation to obtain healthy grapes and optimal maturation.