Our orchards

Winegrowers but not only

Wine-forestry is not so much a new practice as a return to nature. Originally, the wild vine (or woodland vine) was part of a complex forest ecosystem.
Today, agroforestry or viti-forestry is emerging as one of the main responses to the many problems posed by climate change in viticulture: lower yields, much higher alcohol levels, loss of the aromatic qualities of grape varieties (less fruitiness, more power, etc.), to mention just a few examples.
Yet we know that trees and hedges have real advantages. They help to create a microclimate that protects the vines from the vagaries of the weather, are invaluable allies in the fight against pests and other parasites, improve soil organic matter levels and water balances, create numerous habitats for biodiversity, help to create windbreaks and prevent plots of land from being washed away in heavy rain. Not to mention the supply of crops, a real alternative to single vineyard production.

But let's face it, agro-forestry can also be an effective counter-attack against the poor sales of wine and the crisis in the wine industry. So, since last year, we've been planting fruit trees and shrubs (olive, pistachio and pomegranate).

Of course, this allows us to continue our actions in favour of biodiversity, but above all - why hide from it? - it gives us a glimpse of a way out of the inexorable saturation of the wine industry, thanks to diversified production. In our view, this is the most viable and sensible way out for historic winegrowing estates like ours.

Olive trees

It's a very rewarding crop for us. In very good years, our soon-to-be octogenarian olive trees generously yield more than 2,500 kilos of olives. This year, for example, we beat our record for the decade by a wide margin, with a total harvest of just under 2,900 kilos.
In addition to the 80 olive trees on our plot at Serre Rouge in Saint-Romain-en-Viennois - most of which were replanted immediately after the frost of 1956 - we planted a further 80 this spring 2024 near the estate at a place called Maupas. These included 50 vines of 1-year-old Tanche and 30 vines of 5-year-old Lucques.

In short, we still have many years of harvest ahead of us. So it's safe to say that we won't be turning our backs on olives any time soon!

Pistachio trees

At the beginning of February, 130 pistachio plants found their way onto our land. A total of 5 very distinct varieties, divided between 15 male plants - which do not produce - and 115 female plants (the ideal ratio for pollination being 1:8).
The plants require regular watering and maintenance for the first three years. If the soil is well adapted, the first fruits can be seen as early as the 5th or 6th year.
Our aim is to offer French pistachios that are as local as possible to the highly sought-after chocolate, pastry and ice-cream markets. A drive that is at the heart of the concerns of French farmers and consumers.
On our modest scale, we want to offer a small family production of this green nugget, far from the mass market of the countries that have produced them almost exclusively to date (the United States - California, Spain and Iran).

Pomegranate trees

In March 2024, we planted more than 40 pomegranate plants between 1 and 2 years old. This choice may seem surprising at first, but pomegranates are very well adapted to non-irrigatable soils and the Mediterranean climate.
What's more, the diversity of possible varieties (with fruit that is more or less sweet or tart, more or less fleshy, more or less resistant to drought) means that we can devote ourselves on the one hand to the production of fruit for the table and on the other to the sale of fruit for juice (you need to count around 3 kilos of fruit for one litre of juice).
These two distinct markets will ensure that production can be sold more flexibly. We have planted 6 different varieties and intend to monitor their adaptation to our particular local conditions over the years.

On average, the pomegranate tree can bear fruit from the second leaf, but it's from the third leaf onwards that we start to see interesting production.
It reaches its highest yield from the seventh year onwards, with an average of 30 kilos per tree. We are still hesitating whether to harvest this year or thin out the flowers to boost next year's production.

Today, we are closely monitoring the progress of these latest plantings as the season progresses. But we'll have to be very patient for the first harvests.
Pomegranates can produce as early as the 2nd leaf, but pistachio trees only produce after 6 or 7 years... and olive trees, as everyone knows, only produce good olives after around ten years.