Domaine Peltier Ravineau - Achille Ravineau & Arthur Peltier
There are two of us working in the vineyards year-round, Achille and Arthur. We don't have horses; we work using inter-row tractors and straddle tractors. Our row spacing in the vineyards varies from 1.50m to 2.00m. We acquired the vineyards in 2021 through a lease. We went straight to 5 hectares.
We sold our grapes for two vintages before finding a winery and vinifying our own grapes for the first time in 2023. At the same time, we established a négociant business through which we purchase grapes locally. So, in 2023, we vinified both our own grapes and those of other négociants. We work with two négociant estates: Domaine de Veilloux in Fougères-sur-Bièvre, 10 minutes from our winery, and Domaine de Cambalu in Francueuil, 25 minutes away. We enjoy working with them long-term, selecting plots that we harvest every year since.
To get back to the vineyards, we took over some vines that weren't all organic, so we had to work on a case-by-case basis to convert all the non-organic vines to organic. We worked the soil little by little, gently loosening the surface and cultivating the soil around the base of the vines to create a "geret" (a type of soil compacted undergrowth). Today, all our vines are organic and certified. So we now follow more standard practices.
- Hilling in winter, de-hilling at the end of winter, and working with inter-row cultivators and clod-breaking discs on the hillside.
- We do not work the soil in the row, except for a cover crop once a year if necessary.
- We plan to try cover crops on some plots when we have the equipment and the soils are most suitable (also on a case-by-case basis).
It all starts with the grapes. We strive to source grapes from living soils. Well-balanced and healthy (choosing the harvest date and sorting in the vineyard if necessary). Whether from our own vines or purchased grapes.
- The idea is to have the best possible grapes, to do as little as possible in the cellar and to support the fermentations.
- Of course, without neglecting to control the temperature of the must if necessary (cooling if needed to 21-27°).
Processing methods for white wines: Pressing / settling / fermentation in tanks or barrels / racking and aging for some wines and aging on total lees for others.
Processing methods for red wines: Whole bunch fermentation / maceration of varying length depending on the grapes and the cuvée (from 8 to 15 days) / During maceration, depending on the cuvée: some punch-downs and/or pump-overs for some and as little as possible for others if fermentation is going well / Racking / blending of free-run and press juices / Aging: in vats or barrels depending on the cuvée.
Aging times depend on the vintage and the containers used. A few months in tanks for wines bottled in the spring, and aging of 8 months or more for wines in barrels or vintages that one wishes to see evolve differently.
We add sulfites to the wines at bottling, if necessary, but not systematically.
We are certified organic in the vineyards and the cellar.
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