Severe pruning at the end of the winter allows improving vegetation and control of the productivity of the vine. The pruning is the essential factor to obtain quality: when practised by an experienced winegrower, this meticulous work remains manual. Numerous type of pruning exists, but the most widespread in Burgundy and the one we have retained, is known as the "Guyot pruning". Each year we keep two branches, "la baguette" that will give productive branches and "le courson", which will give the woods to be pruned in the following year.

The work continues in the vines in the months of June and July, it is during this period that we do the raising and the tying-down, which constitue of disposing of the vine branches and to fix the small branches between the steel wires. This work which requires meticulous and precise care, is to facilitate the passage of the tractors who are doing the treatments under the vigilant supervision of the person in charge of the crop and who will also judge of the frequencies of the treatments. The "lutte raisonnèe" applied by the Domaine during the last fifteen years permits to avoid the over treatment and the packing down of the soil by the repeated passage of the machinery.

It is the most awaited moment: The Harvesting. The end result of a full year’s work. Period of joy for some, period of important responsabilities for others. The grapes of the highest quality are hand-picked and are then brought to the winery , this is where the talent of the winemaker comes in. A minimum yield exists for each appellation "d’origine contrôlèe". A reasonable yield seems to be around 30 hectoliters per hectare for the Grands Crus and 40 hectoliters per hectare for the Villages and First Growths. The particularity of a moderate production remains for our Domaine the essential premise and the main factor of quality.

Respectful of the tradition, Vincent Mongeard practices the vinification at the Domaine with the greatest care. The grapes are destemmed completely except for the appellation Richebourg for which we keep one third of the stems. The crop is then put in the vats were the alcoholic fermentation will take place. Equip with a very sensitive sulphate-measuring pump, he practices a traditional and moderate sulphating, nevertheless necessary because of the sulphurous anhydride (SO2) which is a natural antiseptic preservative that allows neutralising the development of bacteria. A moderate cool maceration of between 4 to 5 days, depending of the vintage, allows to obtain the extraction of the colouring matter, aromas and tannins. The start of the fermentation process is natural.

The vinification requires a vigilant and constant serveillance because a good fermentation as to be made at 30°C, therefore, the importance of the control temperature installations for a good thermal regulation of each the fermenting vats. After fermenting for 12 or 15 days, when the sugar is fully converted into alcohol, the devatting takes place. A supple pressing is made in one shot, in order to not introduce excess tannins. A pneumatic press allows a nice extraction of bright wines with less pressure. The wine is then place in a tank to unify the press juice and the free-run juice, and then taken down in the cellar by gravity and placed in new barrels in various proportion depending on the vintage and the appellation.

After a couple of months in the barrels, the wine has his fermentation malolactic fermentation. It will transform the malic-acid into acid-lactic and therefore reducing the acidity of the wine. The spring decanting allows to remove the fine sediments from the wines and also eliminate a great proportion of the carbonic gas. A second racking during the following winter prepares the wines of the bottling.

After 18 to 22 months of ageing, the bottle filling is made without any filtration, only one fining could be necessary. Over the years, a small depot could eventually appeared. It will not in any way alter the quality of the wine, but it will be a guarantee of the authenticity of our growth and the respect of our soils. Our wines are made to remain in the cellars for a very long period, our corks comes from Spain and a strict selection is made, they have to be healthy, supple, not porous and of a good size. The bottles will be age quietly for a few more months or years in our cellars awaiting the moment for the long trip: from our cellars to your table.