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Alphonse Mellot & his son
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[Edito] [] [] []
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Dear Friends,
If there is one profession that nourishes both the soul and the spirit, it must surely be that of the Artisan.
The masterpiece produced at the end of his training is the culmination of his skills and is indeed a work of art, a true source of emotional and esthetical happiness in exactly the same way as one produced by a musician, an artist or a sculptor.
For the same reasons, the work of the winegrower can also be compared to that of an artisan and the wine he produces, can only provoke the same sensations if it is the fruit of his own personal skills.
A wine reflects exactly the knowledge, skills, imagination, the integrity and in a certain manner the courage of the winegrower who has, throughout the course of the year nurtured this transformation from vegetal to mineral.
Harmony that becomes a complex when faced with the challenge of the weather…that can be likened to a couple in constant search of concord.
The grower is aware that such harmony can only be achieved under very strict conditions and adds his own personal touch that will bring perfection.
To understand this complex mechanism one has to realise the importance of the soil, the climate and the underlying stone.
Michel Onfray gives us a superb definition in "Les formes du temps".
It goes without saying that this description gives us a completely different view of the soil!
Bearing this in mind, working the soil becomes an essential function in order to provide a deep, comfortable bed for our two grape varieties the Sauvignon and the Pinot Noir.
This will enable the roots and its many ramifications to plunge deep into the underlying rock and feed on the dissolving minerals.
This is the only possible way for a wine to be doted with rich mineral qualities and complexity.
This would all be nothing without tending to the vines themselves :
Pruning and caring for the damage vinestocks and limiting the number of buds and superfluous grapes as the vine is only capable of feeding a limited quantity of fruit to perfect maturity.
And of course, the grapes are harvested by hand in small trays in order that the precious fruit can be transported to the press without it being damaged in any possible way that may cause an irremediable change to its texture.
And finally, scrupulous observation of the leaf stomata which are the vines unique receptacles of light and capable alone of synthesising the sky's minerals.
"We only really know the things that we are capable of taming" said the fox to the little Prince.
When we are capable of taming the soil and the wines the wine that we have taken such great care in producing will give us the same emotional and esthetical happiness as with a piece of music, a painting or a sculpture.
Thus is Mother Nature. She is a mirror of ourselves and yields all that we have given her, in her generosity she even gives us back more than we deserve.
We have compiled this manual in order to introduce you to our house.
We are determined to set out and conquer this century, in which the copy is preferred to the original, certain that this will prove to be a real challenge and a good enough reason to continue to make wine for your pleasure and of course… for our own!
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[Edito] [] [] []
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