Rite of Spring

It is 8 A.M. on Tuesday, March 29, and spring has brought warm temperatures. Dominique Arangoïts invites us to walk among the vines with him.

As temperatures rise, the soils start to warm up. The buds selected during pruning begin to swell before opening and revealing the wool that protected them through winter. All of a sudden, the green tip of each rosette of leaves pokes through, a sure sign of spring.

Perched on his tractor, Damien, at Cos since 2009, removes the soil that was piled at the base of each vine to protect it in winter. He aerates the soil so it may warm up and foster early, homogenous bud break throughout the vineyard.

Between the rows of vines, the barley and vetch planted in October has started to grow. “On the richest plots,” Dominique explains, “they regulate the vigor of the vine by balancing the quantity of nitrogen available.” »

We head down to the plots of Cabernet Sauvignon on the Marbuzet terroir, where we meet Jonathan, who has been a member of the vineyard team at Cos d’Estournel since 2017. He is completing the last phase of pruning, which is undertaken late in the season to control the vigor of certain plots and limit the risks of damage from frost.

With the advent of spring, the vine comes to life, as do the hedges that border the vineyard’s plots. Located along the stream known as the Breuil Jalle and its surrounding marshland, the hedges were pruned in the fall. They are essential to the vineyard’s biodiversity throughout the growth cycle.

Our visit of one of the last plots, where pruning will occur within the next few days, reveals a magnificent vision of a familiar place…