Château Vilatte
The domain
The Massart family acquired the multi-centennial estate, which was undoubtedly once the Feudal Castle's farmland, in 1973.
Here, upon the clayey-siliceous and clayey-gravely soils of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations, following stringent production standards focused on quality, Stefaan and Hilde Massart passionately work for the vineyard, the wine and local heritage.
Upon the 15 hectares (37 acres) of vineyards, including some very old plots, the choice of pruning and training the vines has resulted in dense plantations that produce sustainable yields. These basic choices, along with the pursuit of optimal maturity, produce what is the most important : quality grapes.
Plot selection, grape varieties and their colours, once the musts and wines have been carefully transformed and bred, finally define our product range.
Situated at an altitude of 80 m, gently swept by the winds from the Gulf of Gascony, the southern and south-eastern slopes of the village of Puynormand that overlook the Isle valley are a gift for wine-growing, as they provide exceptional soil and exposure. Here, mid-way between the pole and the equator, the 45th parallel, a symbol of temperate climate, crosses the Greenwich meridian.
A visit and degustation at the domain are always possible, preferable from the Easter Holidays untill the autumn. An appointment is recommended.
Château Vilatte
philosphy
Passion... it cannot be done without it.
It all begins with the soil, a sometimes stubborn host to the vines that seek to take root…these vines are so much more than a mere production tool, they have their own colours, scents and seasons, they are where we live and work and we can but respect them. We have established our own working rules for the sole purpose of producing grapes that reflect their terroir, that reach optimum maturity, that are as authentic as possible, in order to create a great wine.
A high density of vines and
close pruning make for the right balance between foliage cover, root
development and grape quantity to achieve optimum maturity.
All our land is ploughed,
harrowed or mown without recourse to any sort of weed killer, thus allowing a
balanced microbial soil content, a healthy and more resistant plant in a
healthy soil. The indispensable treatments against cryptogamic diseases such as
oidium and mildew are carried out in a specific way following the principles of
sustainable development : careful observation, in depth knowledge of the
diseases’ vegetative cycles and a little risk-taking, with a view to significantly
reduce the frequency of treatments. The vine is less stressed, savings are made
in fossil fuel consumption, in time spent, and the amount of fungicides spread
in the environment is considerably reduced.
We do not pretend to take the credit for having invented such methods, but our physical presence in the vineyards and on our estate, which has intentionally remained a small-scale family concern, mean that we can genuinely apply these principles of sustainable development.
We do
not have control over all the elements, thank goodness, but one rule, along
with the help of the humble wine grower, seems to me to be an eternal
guideline: "A healthy plant, in a healthy soil gives a quality grape,
which in turn gives a great wine".