Decanter World Wine AwardsChateau Lafite Rothschild goes green
- Monday 23 May 2011
- Comments (5)
The sustainability charter is ‘a program to become cleaner and cleaner’ DBR managing director Christophe Salin said.
‘We have been working on it for many years. I hate to see it as a marketing tool: it’s something we do as farmers,’ he added.
‘We are giving the charter to all our suppliers, our clients and our workers because we are trying to make everything better, not only for the vineyards and the wine, but the people we are living and working with.’
Trials to limit pesticide application have been carried out for two years on ten of the 92ha at the company's Château Rieussec in Sauternes using the ‘GreenSeeker’ system.
‘We have reduced the volume of fungicide used for mildew and powdery mildew by 17% while maintaining the vines in perfect health,’ vineyard manager Jean de Roquefeuil said.
He added that the results needed to be confirmed, ‘because there has not been a high risk of mildew. That is the question that we need to answer before we apply this system to the rest of the vineyard.’
The goal of the development charter is not only environmental, but involves ‘the efficiency of our organization, economic sustainability and our social responsibility,’ Salin said.
The company's main technical initiatives involve stopping ‘all short-term chemical weed control, and reducing pesticide treatments through the use of new technologies such as vigour sensors, natural defence stimulators and more time devoted to observation.’
Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) produces some 10m bottles annually, from properties around the world including Château Lafite, L’Evangile, Duhart-Milon and Rieussec in Bordeaux, Château d’ Aussières in the Languedoc, Viña Los Vascos in Chile, Bodegas Caro in Argentina and a vineyard under development in China.
Have your say!
amer
March 12 09:09
The wine was magnificent. Still young, dark and lruppe, it opened up with power and force, holding a lot of complexity and finesse within, promise for future special occasions. Sounds like something you'd also expect from your son. Regards!
Gav
May 26 12:12
Good to see that they are trying to make an effort - long overdue....
But who knows how 'real' this will be in practice...without the necessary checks in place.
So I hope we dont hear any more about it ..in their marketing ..until 3rd party audits are in place
David Holmes
May 25 22:34
Here at Richmond Plains wines in NZ we have been certified organic for 20 years and are now certified Biodynamic too. Are Rothschilds expecting applause for a 17% reduction of powdery Mildew chemical sprays in one little block of vines?? It's certainly too little and we can only hope it is not too late for the health of their consumers. 17% indeed!!
Gregory Sims, Berlin
May 25 15:00
Perhaps the headline should more accurately read: "Château Lafite Rothschild goes ultra-pale, barely discernible green"? A whopping 17% reduction in fungicide use? They must be kidding! What a pathetically timid initiative from a wine producer with practically unlimited financial resources! Half-hearted (at best) efforts such as this one give the much-bandied word "sustainable" a bad name. Maybe CLR could seek some advice from Château Pontet-Canet, for example, on how to go about it with conviction?