Summer arrives at Château de la Selve!

Here is the latest news from Château de la Selve after a spring that, as usual, kept them very busy in the vineyards!

It was with great relief that they arrived in July with a crop that looked as good as it could, having been spared both frost and hail.

Florence and Benoît Chazallon are looking forward to the promising 2023 vintage with confidence and enthusiasm.

Local Flavors

Here’s hoping the sun and warm weather will arrive soon; luckily, we’ve had some good rain so far, which has given the Ardèche a vibrant green hue—a region that’s usually much duller at this time of year.

Vineyard Sides

In the vineyards: a busy spring

New plots have been planted!

Wine Cellar and New Arrivals

Taking advantage of the moisture and cool temperatures of mid-spring, we planted new grape varieties that have historically been grown in the terroirs of southern Ardèche. You’ll find them in our Petite Selve white!

This vineyard is planted with Grenache Gris, but Clairette Rose has also been planted here.

This first grape variety is known for its resistance to wind and drought, while producing very juicy grapes with thick skins. Clairette rose, for its part, is prized as a table grape because it is flavorful and aromatic. It is also highly drought-resistant.

After winter pruning, and after training and tying up the new shoots on the vines, it’s back to the vineyard for suckering (removing excess shoots to create more open vine canopies and a more balanced harvest; they leave two shoots per cluster, which amounts to 5 to 6 clusters per vine!).

Then they raised them—that is, they threaded them through the wires to ensure good airflow and plenty of sunlight.