REIGNAC is commited to preserve the life of our soil and to pass on a well-preserved terroir to our children.

Château de REIGNAC is a unique estate with 145 hectares, 75 of which are vineyards and the other half is forest (35 hectares in the heart of the estate), a large lake, fields, wetlands, a park, fallows, a whole universe of protected and monitored biodiversity hosted by our soil.

According to Gilles Boeuf, a specialist in environmental physiology and biodiversity, “The living, that is to say, what flies, what grows and often even what we cannot see. This term includes all living creatures, their environment and their modus vivendi combined. In Reignac, a whole team, led by a committed family, the Vatelots, who have owned the property since 1990, is dedicated to preserving the biodiversity of our land in order to pass on a living nature to future generations.

Our concrete actions:

• As the vine needs mushrooms that are naturally present in our soil, we have favoured the elimination of anti-botrytis for several years. Thus, the symbiosis of the mycelial network allows the gathering of water droplets on the roots of the plants (mycorrhiza) and an optimal assimilation of the nutrients present in the soil. As the saying goes, “one often needs someone smaller than oneself” J de Lafontaine.
• To maintain the life of the soil, we favour mechanical work under the rows and since 2010 we have abandoned all forms of herbicide and ploughing that harm the fungi and their micellar networks. Our aim is to guarantee the existence of micro-organisms and to maintain the life of our soil on all our terroirs.
• We also ensure the reforestation of our spaces with a very rigorous monitoring of the park’s planting programmes, as trees are not only carbon sources but also niches for the biodiversity and fauna that inhabit our forest (35 hectares) at the heart of our property. A forest of which traces can be found in medieval records.
• A study carried out in cooperation with the INRA in Bordeaux a few years ago enabled us to highlight the undeniable positive impact of the woods spread over the estate in the struggle against oidium, with the observation on some of our oaks of ampelomices, a parasite mushroom that naturally combats oidium. But also to quantify the impact on vine parasites such as the grape worm (a butterfly that destroys grape berries), which are less present in the plots near our forest.
• The creation of a bamboo forest of 3,500 m2 dedicated to the natural treatment of water, a virtuous system (phytoremediation) which allows the purification of waste water by the bamboos, feeding on the polluting particles contained in the water collected on the property while maintaining a CO2 trap and ensuring evapotranspiration. We only release pure water into our forest, free of any heavy metals or pollutants.
• Setting up a vineyard nutrition analysis program that listens to the needs of each plot. This follows regular analyses of leaves, berries, soil and subsoil at key moments in the development of the vineyard. It gives us an inventory of the various mineral balances that indicate the level of functioning of photosynthesis and mineral assimilation, which is essential for the production of a quality harvest, the natural resistance of the vines to various pests and the sustainability of the vineyard. This has enabled us to reinforce the natural defences against Botrytis and thus abandon the use of pesticides against these fungi.

But also :

• The whole property manages its waste, sorting and reprocessing through an association CEPAGES paper, cardboard, used oil, impregnated solids, oil filters, aerosol cans scrap …
• Aware of our carbon footprint, we have opted for cardboard made from eco-regional bio-sourced raw materials with water-based ink printing – for our bottles we have selected a lighter ecova range and our labels are now printed on bio-sourced paper.
• We have chosen to abandon all products with dangerous toxicological classes, no more CMRs or endocrinal disruptors for several years; more than 60% of the products chosen can be used in organic farming, the others being selected according to their capacity to leave no residues in the wines.
• REIGNAC is lucky to have so different geographical terroirs that come together, the best of the terroirs of the right bank (clay-limestone) and the left bank (gravel), which allows us year after year to capitalise on the terroirs adapted to the climatic conditions. We have tamed our terroirs and are moving towards trials on vinification by grape variety and terroir;

But we will talk about this again soon

2023 to be continued …..