Since the end of 2009, Château Mille Roses has been committed to organic viticulture certified by ECOCERT. This official certification guarantees that our practices comply with a strict set of specifications, checked every year by an independent body. Beyond the label itself, it reflects a genuine working philosophy, built on respect for nature, for the soil, for the vine and for consumers.
Organic certification rests above all on one essential principle: supporting natural balances rather than replacing them with synthetic chemical solutions. For the winegrower, that means a great many rules, in the vineyard as in the cellar.
In the vineyard: work framed by precise rules
In organic farming, synthetic herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are banned. So we cannot fall back on most of the conventional products used against diseases, pests or weeds. And believe us: with global warming and a climate that looks more like the tropics than anything else, it is genuinely very difficult.
To protect the vine from the main fungal diseases, downy mildew and powdery mildew above all, we use only products authorised in organic farming, mainly copper and sulphur based. Their use is strictly regulated and has to be carefully considered to limit their impact on the environment.
How much copper is allowed in organic viticulture?
The average dose must not exceed 4 kg of metallic copper per hectare per year. So you have to go easy to stay within the rules. Copper and sulphur are the two pillars of protection in organic farming, always alongside very careful observation of the vine.
Soil care is just as fundamental. Without herbicides, controlling the grass under the row calls for more mechanical work: soil tillage, mowing, managed grass cover, passes with specific tools. These practices encourage biological life in the soil, improve its structure and allow the vine to root better. At Mille Roses we have invested in a fair amount of equipment to be operational.
Fertilisation is also regulated. Synthetic chemical fertilisers are banned. We favour natural organic inputs: composts, plant matter, authorised soil improvers. The aim is to feed the soil so that it can feed the vine over the long term.
Biodiversity, finally, plays an essential role. Maintaining cover crops, hedges or areas favourable to wildlife creates a more balanced ecosystem, able to limit certain pests naturally and to strengthen the vineyard's resilience. There we still have work to do: the project we will open this autumn will most likely be the planting of hedges in various parts of the property.
Strict rules in the cellar too
Certification does not stop at the harvest. Winemaking is also subject to a precise set of specifications.
Organic grapes have to be identified and tracked throughout the process to ensure perfect traceability. Every stage is recorded and checked. There are fewer authorised oenological inputs than in conventional winemaking, and certain processes and additives are banned or heavily restricted. The aim: to preserve as much as possible the authenticity of the grape and the expression of the terroir.
Does organic wine contain sulphites?
Yes, contrary to a widespread idea. Organic wine can contain sulphites, but the maximum authorised doses are lower than in conventional wine. At Mille Roses we are sometimes at only half of the already reduced organic doses, because we keep high acidity and fine tannins. All the better for the balance of the wines.
The winegrower therefore has to stay very vigilant throughout the winemaking, to guarantee the stability and quality of the wine with more limited use of that protective tool. As it is not our style to use many oenological inputs, it is not really an issue for us in the end.
A deep adaptation of the winegrower's craft
Making an organic wine is not a matter of swapping one product for another. It is a whole approach, which demands constant adaptation and a much finer observation of the vineyard.
First consequence: a greater presence in the vines. Diseases have to be anticipated rather than corrected. Regular observation, reading the weather and reacting quickly become essential. Every intervention has to fall at the most opportune moment to be effective.
Mechanical soil work also takes more time, specialised equipment and know-how. We have two tractors and two sprayers, which Manu and I sometimes use together when the window is too short during rainy spells. There are more passes and they have to be adapted to the conditions and to each plot. Our Merlot plots, for instance, are fairly sensitive to downy mildew, especially the most vigorous ones, which produce more suckers and trap moisture at the heart of the vine stock.
The vine itself gradually adapts to this way of being managed. A living soil, rich in organic matter and biological activity, encourages a deeper root system. The vine stocks then become more self-sufficient in the face of climatic variation, particularly during dry spells.
Managing vigour also takes on particular importance. Balanced foliage lets air circulate better around the bunches and naturally limits disease. Green work, such as debudding and lifting the wires, is essential in that search for balance. With one hot vintage after another, we have not practised leaf removal for years, to avoid too high a concentration of sugars and therefore wines that are too alcoholic. And all the better: it also brings down our cost price.
Finally, this approach involves a greater share of risk. In some years, when conditions strongly favour disease, the room for manoeuvre is far narrower than in conventional farming. It takes great vigilance, and sometimes accepting lower yields to preserve quality and respect organic principles. In 2023 we lost 80% of the crop that way, ravaged by a downy mildew that almost no one, especially in organic farming, managed to contain.
A long-term commitment
ECOCERT certification rests on regular and rigorous inspections. Every year the estate is audited to verify that our practices comply, that our operations are traceable and that the whole of the organic regulation is respected.
Beyond the regulatory side, this commitment reflects our wish to pass on a living heritage to future generations. Preserving the soil, encouraging biodiversity, limiting synthetic inputs and supporting natural balances: all choices that call for more work, more technical skill and more observation, but that match our vision of the craft.
When you taste one of our organic wines, you are tasting the fruit of a daily commitment, from the vine to the bottle. Demanding work, which seeks to express our terroir while respecting the environment. And believe me, some years it is anything but a soft option. The 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and above all 2023 vintages were terrible to manage, heavily hit by that wretched downy mildew.
