Made from the "picholine" variety, gathered on the estate and pressed for
us, our extra virgin olive oil "L'Oliveraie" will delight EVOO lovers...
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The position of Château Mas Neuf, half way up the southern flank of the Costières de Nîmes is very special. The exposure to the sun is similar to that found in the Languedoc or Provence, but the proximity of lagoons and the sea allows it to take advantage of warm sea breezes drifting up from the Mediterranean. In summer we often see dew settle during the night and early morning, and we note temperatures 4 to 5°C (8-9°F) cooler than those found further inland.
At the Southern extremity of the Rhone Valley (a very warm region), this unexpected coolness is a real singularity which marks the selection of the most adapted grape varieties and on the style of wine. We call it the "Rhône paradox".
The principal vineyards grouped around the winery have the advantage of being firmly planted on well drained brown fersiallitic soils, with a good proportion of Villafranchian era pebbles from the Durance and the Rhone. This soil ensures that the vines can get regular but moderate supplies of water. The differing depths and composition create micro terroirs with different characteristics, which we enhance by varying our viticultural techniques. |
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Grape varieties, adapted to the conditions of the terroirThe planting consists mainly of Syrah (45%), Grenache noir (25%), Carignan (10%), Mourvèdre (16%), Cinsault (5%), Grenache Blanc (4%) and Roussanne (5%) for a total area of 65 hectares, topped off a hectare of olive trees. |
The vines are aged from 3 to 90 years averaging 30 years old. Some small parcels here and there are planted and worked experimentally with high quality varietals not common in the area: Viognier, Chardonnay and Merlot.
Man in harmony with his landThanks to the way we look after our vineyards, every trump card is played to help the vines express themselves most elegantly. We only use spur pruning techniques, such as Cordon de Royat and Gobelet. While the vine is growing, each intervention (de-suckering, disbudding, cluster thinning and topping) is used in such a way as best to adapt the vine to its micro-environment. Most of our parcels are grassed over with care, and when essential, only organic fertilisers are used. |
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All of our vineyard practices are in line with the terms of the TERRA VITIS charter for sustainable agriculture.
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We start harvesting when the tests we carry out on crucial parcels of land - at first weekly, then daily - show optimum maturity. The harvest is done partly mechanically and partly by hand. The hand picked part consists of the white wines, and the top quality blends, and in these sections, we carry out a preliminary screening of the grapes on the vine. |
As for the mechanical harvest, it is carried out passively and with extreme care, in such a way as to minimise the time taken to get the grapes to the winery. This is always under 20 minutes, thanks to their close proximity.
We are but stewards of our natural environment...The environmental impact of everything we do in the vineyards is carefully considered. Thus their protection is done responsibly and sustainably,
using pheromone traps and insecticides which cause the least possible
collateral harm to other insects. 50% of the estate is grassed with
seed mixtures appropriate to the parcels. Where the land isn't grassed
over, it is ploughed. |
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Panoramic picture |
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Luc Baudet CHÂTEAU MAS NEUF - 30600 GALLICIAN
Tel. : +33 (0)466 733 323 - Fax : +33 (0)466 733 349
