CHÂTEAU Petit Faurie de Soutard

Our agroecological vineyard

Located near the village of Saint-Emilion, Château Petit Faurie de Soutard, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, overlooks the UNESCO World Heritage vineyard.

The vineyard

The vineyard of Chateau Petit Faurie de Soutard starts on the limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion and stretches on the northern slope.
Terroir is composed of clay, limestone (plateau and northern slope) and sand (slope’s bottom).

This 7 hectares vineyard is planted with vines under Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOC: 77 % merlot, 18% cabernet franc and 5 % cabernet sauvignon. Since 2017 we have introduced animal draught power with our horses, Villa and Uranus, mainly for the young vines.

We hand harvest the vineyard, and adapt our schedule depending on the maturity evolution of the grapes.
The introduction of animal traction, using our own horses and drivers, is reserved for young vines.

Our wine

La gestion du vignoble du Château Petit Faurie de Soutard en agroécologie a pour objectif de maintenir des vins de grande qualité, tout en préservant l’avenir.

Le vin produit au Château Petit Faurie de Soutard est réalisé avec précision et délicatesse par notre équipe.

Discover our wines

Vineyard

Agroecology

At Chateau Petit Faurie de Soutard, we have a systemic approach based on the interactions between living beings and their environment. Since 2017, we have decided to manage the vineyard based on agroecology in order to fulfill the challenges of global warming, soil deterioration and the decrease of biodiversity.

To do so, we work on two subjects: agroforestry and plant cover, with the aim to increase the carbon content in the soil. The research done proves that the increasing of the carbon in the soil is favourable for the structure and the microbiological life. We obtain less compacted soils, more drought resistance and new ecological balance favourable for the plant’s health.

Agroforestry…

We have started to renew the vineyard from 2019 by uprooting few plots. Future plots will be planted with a density of 6 000 vines per hectare, in order to reduce the competition between them.

By doing this, we can immediately convert those lands with the agroforestry concept. At Chateau Petit Faurie de Soutard, we already have planted 400 metres of hedges and 50 fruit trees. Trees have been planted in order to be in the middle of the future rows, to obtain an ecological continuum, necessary for bugs, birds and bats.
Trees species are endemic. Considering the advices of the Conservatoire Végétal d’Aquitaine (Aquitaine botanical conservatory) and the soils analyses, we have selected the best places to plant them.

Hedges and trees will manage the air flow. We suppose the shadows will have a positive impact on the heat waves and will bring freshness to the vineyard. We also wish the hedges could block the cold air we fear during springtime frosts.
Considering the hedges and trees can change the vineyard microclimate, we have installed temperature sensors to figure out the impact on the air circulation.

….Plant cover

Considering plant cover, we experiment different plant cover technics: direct sowing or total grass cover between the rows and between the vines. We have planted different seeds mix with white clover, dwarf clover and subclover.
The ai mis the same as agroforestry: produce biomass as much as possible in order to create carbon.

To understand and study this environmental diversity, we surround ourselves with experts.
In our vineyard, we follow closely the soils and we do inventories of the wildlife.
At Chateau Petit Faurie de Soutard, we aim to produce a great wine, while preserving the environment and biodiversity.

Certification

Chateau Petit Faurie de Soutard’s environmental commitment aims to increase biodiversity in our vineyard. We want to have a richer, more complex and stable ecosystem with interactions.

The property is certified level 3 HVE Haute Valeur Environnementale (High environmental value) since 2021.

Agroecological vineyard