Christian Ducroux 'Prologue' VdF 2023

Press 4 Red • May 2024 Direct Press Selection Christian’s 4 hectares in Thulon, in the hills above Regnié, have been organically farmed since the 1980s and are Demeter certified Biodynamic. (The estate was originally 7-plus hectares, but Christian reduced it to 4, in order to more properly manage it himself). He has trees between every five rows of vines, with hedges on the sides and a wild proliferation of vegetation between the vines which is controlled by horse-drawn "griffages" ("scratching" or very shallow plowing). The vineyard is almost entirely self-sufficient, with horse and bull-power and natural fertilizers made on the farm. Rot and mildew are controlled by natural sprays, as Christian seeks to reduce or eliminate the use of the permitted organic sulfur and copper solutions. Even in mid-winter, a walk through his vines shows the benefits of a living soil, moist and teeming with life, unaffected by the erosion and sickness of the vineyards around him. And the wines are sensat