How can one help a great terroir express itself? Re-discovering old ways does not imply a refusal to use modern techniques. For example, exploiting the latest research on Mycorrhiza Fungi (microscopic mushrooms that help the root system select its food), which we sowed on our first parcels starting in 1999. Naturally present in the soil, these had been destroyed by years of poor soil practices, some micro-organism like Endomycorrhizal Fungi, live in symbiosis with the root system. The external mycelium of the mushroom acts as an extension of the root system, strengthening it, improving its nutrition and reinforcing the plant’s immune system. With 40 hectares (99 acres) of vineyards in production, the domain sustains the ecosystem of 100 hectares (247 acres) including moorlands, resting plots, woodlands, edges as well as a group of traditional vernacular buildings. Biodiversity is not here a theory: it is concrete, practical and active.
The Terroir of Calce
