Nature

Terroir & biodiversity

The 45 hectares of Château Lafon-Rochet’s vineyards span across two hillsides in Saint-Estèphe.
On one side, the gravel provides excellent natural drainage, which is optimal for our Cabernet Sauvignon. On the other, the clay regulates natural water reserves and provides our vines a perfect balance.

The majority of our vines are Cabernet Sauvignon (48%) and Merlot (45%), complemented by plots of Petit Verdot (3.5%) and Cabernet Franc (3.5%), which add complexity to our wines.

The vines are around 38 years old on average, with some plots having been planted over 80 years ago.

VISITING THE ESTATE

Château Lafon-Rochet officially began its journey to organic agriculture in 2020.

Conscious of present and future ecological challenges, more than ever we want to take every possible action to protect the environment around us. This is why we embarked on a vast agroecology programme in 2019, aiming to reduce our environmental impact and boost biodiversity within the vineyard and in its surrounding areas, including our three-hectare nature reserve.

A wide-ranging commitment

Our agroecology project started in 2019, in response to the various negative climatic phenomena we were witnessing at the estate, including the loss of soil through erosion.
These observations gave rise to an ambitious project encompassing the entirety of the property, based around the idea of creating ecological corridors in our vineyard to strengthen its microbiome.

Plant cover

A layer of vegetation between and amongst our vineyard rows preserves favourable conditions for soil microbes, improving biodiversity, preserving the quality and fertility of our soils, and preventing degradation and erosion.

As part of our goal to adapt the approaches taken to our individual soil types and grape varieties, we have various different kinds of grass in different areas of each vineyard. For example, we have some plots covered in sown grass, others with wild grass, as well as plots with grass localised between the rows.

Hedge planting

The first batch of hedgerows at Château Lafon-Rochet was planted in the winter of 2020, covering approximately 2km along the edges and within our vineyards, marking the landscape of the estate. In the winter of 2021, a further 2km of hedges was added around our plots, bolstering the biodiversity network we set out to create.

In total, there are now more than 4km of hedges spread throughout our vineyard, representing around 4,500 plants.

We have identified over 50 species of trees and shrubs within these corridors, for example, field maples, whose role as a natural support for vines has been widely known for centuries. Blackthorn and hawthorn can also be found, alongside two shrubs of the Rosaceae family, producing flowers and fruit that provide food sources for insects and birds.

Oak, ash, and willow were obvious choices for hedge planting as they are perfectly adapted to our climate, given their hardy nature.

Intra-plots trees

The final pillar of agroforestry consists of the planting of trees and shrubs within the plots, directly within the rows.

Whether the trees grow tall or are contained, any tree planted in a plot of land provides numerous benefits. They enrich and decompact the soil with their powerful root systems, provide shade, and act as a home to a different type of fauna, encouraging further biodiversity in the vineyard.

Wishing to track the impact of our agroecological efforts on our vines, we have set up monitoring systems to reveal not only the technical developments within in the wine, but also changes in the abundance of flora and fauna. These monitoring systems collect a wide range of data, enabling us to identify changes, quantify them, and adapt programmes as needed.

THE SUNLIGHT OF

SAINT-ESTÈPHE