Notes from the Producer: The Domaine des Grabottes was created in 2015 by Jonathan Garnier, a young independent winemaker.
From a surface area of 1.2 Ha at start, it has since expanded to 4 Ha. Since the creation of the estate, the vines have been worked according to the principles of organic farming, without the use of synthetic chemical, with weeding carried out solely by working the soil. The vineyard is therefore currently transitioning to organic labelling and only a few parcels are not integrated in this process yet. Interested by biodynamic agriculture, Jonathan Garnier began testing this method in 2016 before generalizing the practices across the whole vineyard in 2017.
As he works alone on the estate, Jonathan preferred to keep a reasonable surface of vines so that he could manage them accurately and avoid excessive mechanization. He tries to make as few tractor passages as possible in order to limit soil settlement and respect biodiversity. The health of the vineyards comes first, in order to obtain grapes of the best quality.
As far as grape varieties are concerned, the black Gamay with white juice is the only one used for the production of red wines. Most of the vines of this variety were planted in the 50s and 70s, guaranteeing a mature and high-quality plot. The white wines are produced in very small quantities, with grape varieties Chardonnay and Aligoté from younger vines, planted in the 80s. Jonathan plans to develop Chardonnay's plantations with mass selection, in order to develop the white plot of the estate.