Organic Farming
"Working in organic and biodynamic agriculture is above all a way of being. It is respect for the earth, the animals and the people. It means being aware that we are part of a whole. It means constantly striving for balance and harmony in everything. Lionel Boutié's vision.
Over time... It is by observing the world around us that we can try to understand it. In 1999, we began our transition to organic farming. Although this was obvious to us, it was not easy. At the time, we looked like fools. Today, we are pioneers in our region. Organic farming means knowing how to observe, listen and exchange with our colleagues. Since January 2021, we have taken a new step: we have started our conversion to Biodynamics.
Biodynamics: using the simple practices that our ancestors used, using common sense.
Preserving biodiversity by protecting our ecosystem
We take care to conserve and develop the naturally occurring wetlands, streams, copses, ditches...
We plant hedges of shrubs on our plots, which favours the diversity of habitats for a variety of fauna: birds, bats, insects, mammals...
Preserving water
Repeated droughts force us to pay particular attention to water management.
In order to save water, we have put in place cultivation practices that preserve water and delay irrigation as much as possible.
The installation of a drip system allows a fair and controlled water supply. For the newly planted vines, we choose indigenous grape varieties that are better adapted to our terroirs.
Respecting the soil
We sow cereals such as faba beans, rye, camelina, black oats and crucifers. Their different root systems maintain the soil and favour the assimilation of the nutrients contained in the soil. They will also serve as mulch after destruction and will be returned to the soil in the form of organic matter.
On our vineyard, flocks of sheep accompany us in Autumn and Winter.
Looking after the vine
Our common thread: using what is around us.
The role of the winegrower is to create the conditions that will allow the vine to get what it needs from the soil at the time it needs it.
To do this we follow the rhythm of the lunar calendar. We only work with natural elements, herbal teas and decoctions, natural essences, plant composts that we dynamise and spray on our vines..
Creating our wines
The last stage is the vinification, the moment of creation. Thanks to the work carried out upstream, we obtain grapes of a high quality which allows us to intervene very little in the vinification process. Our objective is to make them with as little or no sulphites as possible, which is the case for our Méthode Nature range. We need to create a link between the soil, the plant and the animal world, to think of our environment in its entirety.
The secret is balance. We must create a link between the soil, the plant and the animal world, and think of our environment as a whole.
Lionel Boutié
Owner of Domaine Ricardelle de Lautrec
It is the French label created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. It certifies that a product contains at least 95% certified organic agricultural ingredients.
The logo can only be used on certified organic products. This certification indicates that they meet strict requirements for production, processing, transport and storage. A product can only carry the organic logo if it contains at least 95% organic ingredients, and only if the remaining 5% comply with strict conditions.
This public commitment, made on honour, is intended to unite a large community around the values (craftsmanship, transparency, independence, social dimension) and the principles of production and distribution of the "Vin méthode Nature".
The Demeter label was created in 1932 in Germany to promote biodynamic agriculture.
This label is an international brand present in more than fifty countries.
This type of agriculture aims to safeguard the fertility of the earth and to work in accordance with the laws of life.
Here, all chemical substances are avoided and the lunar and planetary cycles are taken into account.
