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PLANTATIONS

A qualitative and non-intensive approach to the production of our grapes.

Significant soil preparation work is necessary before any planting of young vines, right down to the deepest layers, always taking care to respect the different strata of the soil. Depending on the nature of the soil, planting will take place at different times. It will be done in the spring on the sandiest parcels, in autumn and winter on the clay-limestone soils.

To encourage deep rooting that will ensure that the plant remains hydrated in periods of drought, thus avoiding the need for irrigation, the estate carries out specific subsoiling up to 1.20 meters to create “passages” in a very compact deep layer.
Depending on the quality of the soil, some grape varieties can sink their roots to unsuspected depths (from a few tens of centimeters to several meters) to reach the water supply necessary for their growth.

Before planting, a specific subsoiling is carried out to facilitate a deep rooting.

A vineyard must perpetually be replanted. The parcels to be uprooted must be identified; at the estate, they will be replanted after a minimum of 3 years of fallow to give the soil time to rest. Renewing the vines must be done according to a global vision of the estate and the evolution of its grape varieties. Maintaining a balance between too young and ageing vines is crucial, to ensure the estate’s overall production’s constant quality. This requires long-term anticipation and preparation for the future, as a vine is planted for 35 to 40 years.

After uprooting, the parcels are planted in flowering fallows for a minimum of 3 years to give the soil time to rest.

To this end, one must take into account that, usually, around 3% of the vineyard is replanted each year. It will undoubtedly be necessary to increase this percentage to fight against a recurrent vine disease, esca. Known since Antiquity, this disease has become very difficult to contain in our territories following the ban on certain treatment products, leading to a significant increase in vine plant mortality.

Replanting on the estate is always carried out according to the configuration initiated by Maïté and Yves, pioneers in Gascony, since the mid-1980s: 4,500 plants per hectare (instead of the usual 3,300 plants in the region) in order to limit the quantity of bunches produced per vine for the same yield per hectare. This is in a qualitative and non-intensive approach to the production of our grapes.

One might believe that the aim of increasing the number of vines per hectare is to produce more.

It is actually quite the opposite. The objective is to produce fewer bunches per vine by practicing shorter annual pruning. The Grassa family do not want to squeeze everything out of the grapes (“faire pisser la vigne” as they say in French wine jargon). They seek for the grapes to be more concentrated, less diluted, and therefore more aromatic and structured.

This quest for quality generates an additional investment and amount of work of about 30%, because it requires planting and taking care of a third of additional vines for the same yield per hectare.

Furthermore, this limitation on the number of bunches per vine is such that Domaine Tariquet’s production per hectare of is significantly lower than the regional average.

The choice of grape variety, its rootstock and the orientation of the vine rows are carefully thought out depending on the nature of the soil, the altitude (sensitivity to spring frost), and the exposure to the sun and prevailing winds. All these parameters vary from one parcel to another.

For part of the replanting of its vines, and in particular for the old forgotten Armagnac grape varieties, which have become rare, such as Folle Blanche and Plant de Graisse, Domaine Tariquet carries out a Massal selection of the vines. When replanting a parcel or changing a dead vine, particularly those affected by esca, we choose vine shoots of the most beautiful vines on the property to make grafts. This makes it possible to pass on the genetic richness of the vines from parcels of particularly remarkable identity and quality.

The terroirs

The terroir is, above all, a geological and climatic heritage through which men develop a specific agricultural production and identity. This, in turns, contributes to enrich the cultural heritage of a region.
Gascony’s oceanic climate associated with the soils of the property, mainly composed of Sables Fauves and boulbènes, greatly determine the style and freshness of Domaine Tariquet’s wines and Bas-Armagnacs.

Plot being planted at the entrance to the estate – Summer 2021.

In viticulture, the study of terroirs is crucial and decisive. Combined with the wine grower’s know-how and actions, it is the keystone to producing beautiful fruit. The terroir expresses itself fully when it is carefully nurtured by the alchemy between natural conditions and the work of men.
Generally speaking, the climate is an integral part of the terroir.

In Gascony, vine growing benefits from an oceanic climate. One of its very specific characteristics is to offer, cool nights and sunny days during the summer, just as the grapes are approaching maturity. This particularity results in wines that are both fresh and delicate.

Additionally, the composition of the soil, altitude and sun exposure change from one parcel to another. Therefore, there can be multiple terroirs within a single wine estate.

THREE MAIN TYPES OF SOILS MEET ON THE LANDS OF DOMAINE TARIQUET.

To the west, in the heart of the Bas-Armagnac region, one can find a deep soil, predominantly sandy and mixed with silt and clay. These are the famous Sables Fauves whose colour comes from ferruginous residues. The soil of the Bas-Armagnac region is particularly suited to the production of very delicate eaux-de-vie.

In the centre, around the castle, the Sables Fauves join the boulbènes. The boulbènes are composed of clay-silt and sand. Like the Sables Fauves alone, this also deep soil, is favourable to the production of fruity white wines with a moderate alcohol content.

To the east, the land becomes predominantly clay-limestone. These are heavier, shallower soils that produce more powerful wines.
The Sables Fauves and boulbènes constitute more than 80% of the estate’s terroir and thus contribute greatly to the style of the wines and Bas-Armagnacs of Domaine Tariquet.

The Sables Fauves and boulbènes constitute more than 80% of the property's terroir.

Discover the grape varieties grown on the estate:

Domaine Tariquet CULTIVATES NO LESS THAN 18 GRAPE VARIETIES.

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