One tonne per hectare: why we feed our vines lime

Beaujolais is a land of granite. That pink, friable, crystalline soil gives our Morgon and Fleurie their unmistakable character — fine, spicy, alive. But granite has one major flaw: it is naturally acidic.

The "locked fridge" problem. Why is acidity an issue? In simple terms: when a soil is too acidic, the vine struggles to feed itself. The nutrients are right there, but acidity blocks them chemically. The plant cannot absorb them. Imagine a fridge full of good things — locked. The vine stands hungry in front of a full pantry.

The solution: white gold. To unlock the situation, we apply what we call an "amendment". This winter, we will spread lime across our parcels. The quantities are striking: about one tonne per hectare.

Lime corrects the acidity (it lifts the pH, in technical terms). Doing so, we "open the fridge door".

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The vine feeds better.

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It becomes more resistant to disease.

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The grapes ripen in balance.

We don't feed the plant directly (this isn't fertiliser); we treat the soil so the soil, in turn, feeds the vine. That is the whole philosophy of our work: respect the soil to make a great wine.