Costières de Nîmes, Bien Veillant, Terre des Chardons - 2020

The Chardon family has been established in the Gard region in the commune of Bellegarde since 1982, a land of sun, stones and wind. In 1999, Jérôme, the son, took over the thirty hectares of the family farm devoted to market gardening and arboriculture (olive trees). He then decided to plant 9 hectares of vines, which he undertook to cultivate according to the principles of biodynamics, which at the time was only practised by a few avant-gardists. Since 2002, the estate has been certified Demeter. The soils here are made up of siliceous pebbles, once deposited by the Rhône and known locally as "gress". These rolled pebbles give the soil better filtering properties and therefore guarantee natural freshness. They facilitate the access of the roots to the deeper water tables and thus offer the vines a better resistance to the summer drought. The climate is Mediterranean, with the Mistral wind blowing regularly and ensuring good ventilation and limiting the risk of disease.

The vineyard is composed of 4.5 ha of Syrah, 2.5 ha of Grenache and 0.5 ha of Cinsault, but also 1.50 ha of Clairette (dedicated to the production of white wine). These southern grape varieties are trellised and trained in cordon de royat, for better aeration of the bunches and good maintenance of the vegetation. The soil is worked with a small vineyard plough. The removal of the surface roots forces...