Ecological pillar
Drawing inspiration from the way ecosystems function
to preserve the environment and resources
Living soil
With common sense and pragmatism, we reason our viticulture from the soil to the plant. This means making the greatest possible effort to maintain a living soil. One cm3 of soil contains several billion living organisms. Mushrooms, bacteria, earthworms and insects all contribute to the proper functioning of our soil, which we regard as a larder. We respect it as such by never ploughing it, by covering our vine rows with plant cover which is destroyed on the surface. They structure and aerate the soil, provide organic matter (food for the inhabitants) and protect it from the wind, sun and heat.
Finally, we regularly add calcareous marl to maintain a good chemical balance.
Encouraging biodiversity
Our plant cover is rich in melliferous plants: red clover, sweet clover, buckwheat and broad bean attract insects and, by extension, birds. Similarly, small mammals and reptiles populate our vines thanks to the food available and the habitat encouraged and preserved by our practices. Beehives set up on the edge of our plots also contribute to the vigour of the environment.
This biodiversity is also stimulated by the many trees on the estate. From the practice of agroforestry to the agro-ecological park encompassing woodland, copses, meadow strips, ponds and wild open spaces, trees are at the centre of our thinking and are our major asset for regulating the environment and absorbing climatic hazards as effectively as possible.
Our aim in promoting biodiversity is to maintain a healthy, balanced and resilient growing environment. Our vines sometimes face competition, but this strengthens their defences and their ability to adapt. We seek balance for our grapes, so that they are perfectly ripe at harvest time and reflect the terroir and the vintage.
Preserving water resources
The climatic context encourages us to consider water as an essential element of our agricultural system. Too much rain all at once, not enough in winter, summer drought, wet winter, etc. The water situation is far from linear.
We collect the rainwater that falls on our winery to carry out our treatments during the growing season.
Our soils, which are covered and protected from intrusive mechanical work, are capable of absorbing water as it falls and storing it so that it can be released over time, as our vines need it.
Trees are also an invaluable tool for managing water resources. They structure the soil, allowing infiltration and capillary rise according to the needs of the crop.
Energy sobriety
Our agro-ecological practices enable us to store 240% of our carbon emissions for the production of our grapes in the soil. However, we are constantly thinking about how to optimise our energy consumption. Our agricultural work is rational and economical, in terms of the number of operations and the tools we use. Our tractors consume very little fuel, and we use horse-drawn vehicles to reduce our consumption even further.
Finally, elbow grease is a remarkable way of reducing consumption! Pickaxes, hoes, spades, rakes and backpack sprayers are our everyday tools.
Economical pillar
Reclaiming an inclusive economy serving the common good
Local employment
Our approach is global and sustainable. We give priority to human and artisanal work, which shapes the landscape and maintains our estate. We welcome many students on work placements, who are always fully involved and help us to move forward and think things through. Our team is close-knit and close-knit, always ready to meet the challenges of day-to-day work and long-term projects.
A sustainable estate
All our practices are part of a sustainable approach. And on our scale, sustainability has to be economic. Whether it’s a question of developing our business by offering high-quality products, or paying our employees as well as we can, but also of taking pleasure in giving our time and energy to tending the vines and making our wines, our aim is to build a viable estate, i.e. one that has what it takes to last.
Social pillar
Cultivating solidarity and social responsibility through an ethical and supportive approach
Small-scale farming on a human scale
Our practices are far from revolutionary, but they sometimes make our neighbours, walkers and professionals sit up and take notice. Yet we are guided by good farming sense, based on observation, consultation, listening and exchange. We take part in regular training courses, focus groups and technical bodies. We plan our plots so that they make sense: orientation, grape varieties, pruning.
Sharing skills and knowledge across the board
The whole of the estate’s team is involved on a daily basis in the issues surrounding our committed viticulture. Weed and plant cover management, the plants used in our sprays, gentle pruning, the maintenance of complants, etc. Every action must make sense to everyone. Decisions are discussed and taken with the help of everyone’s input and skills.
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🇫🇷 La vie suit son cours au Domaine Les Trois Toits 🌿.
Plantées il y a à peine trois semaines, nos jeunes pousses profitent pleinement des doux rayons du soleil printanier, et leurs premières feuilles commencent déjà à émerger.
Les cépages Villard, Selenor, Abouriou, ainsi que le traditionnel Melon de Bourgogne, s’épanouissent peu à peu dans le parc agroécologique de La Ville au Blanc, en pleine transformation et porteur de promesses pour des cuvées d’exception.
🇺🇸 Life goes on at Domaine Les Trois Toits.
Planted just three weeks ago, our young shoots are taking full advantage of the mild spring sunshine, and their first leaves are already beginning to emerge.
The Villard, Selenor and Abouriou grape varieties, as well as the traditional Melon de Bourgogne, are gradually blossoming in the agro-ecological park of La Ville au Blanc, which is undergoing a complete transformation and holds great promise for exceptional vintages.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #domaineviticole #agriculturebiologique #nantes #cepages #villeaublanc #agricultureresponsable @les_extra_terrestres @vertou
🇫🇷 Le domaine a la grande douleur de vous faire part du décès de sa vigneronne, Cécile 😢.
Son aura, son énergie et sa force irrigueront les vignes pour toujours.
🇺🇸 The estate is deeply saddened to announce the passing of its winemaker, Cécile.
Her aura, energy, and strength will forever nourish the vines.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #domaineviticole #agriculturebiologique #nantes #vigneronne @villedevertou
🇫🇷 Le Selenor, kézako ?
Vous n`avez jamais entendu parler de ce cépage ? 🍇
Normal, il est planté pour la première fois et c`est aux Trois Toits que cela se passe !
C`est un cépage dit résistant qui est inscrit au catalogue national officiel des variétés de vigne depuis 2021. Il offre une résistance à de nombreuses maladies sources de nos insomnies (mildiou, oïdium, black rot). Nous l`avons choisi pour ses qualités organoleptiques proches de nos cépages ligériens, offrant une aromatique légère avec des notes florales.
Nous lui offrons un habitat exceptionnel sur une des parcelles centrales de notre secteur de La Ville Blanc. C`est également lui que nous avons choisi pour faire nos premiers essais de conduite de la vigne mariée (vigne dans l`arbre).
Suivez-nous et dans trois ans, vous serez les premiers à le déguster !
🇺🇸 What is Selenor?
You`ve never heard of this grape variety?
Well, it`s being planted for the first time at Les Trois Toits!
It`s a so-called resistant grape variety that has been registered in the official national catalog of vine varieties since 2021. It offers resistance to many of the diseases that cause our insomnia (mildew, powdery mildew, black rot). We chose it for its organoleptic qualities, similar to those of our Loire grape varieties, offering light aromas with floral notes.
We offer it an exceptional habitat on one of the central plots in our La Ville Blanc sector. It`s also the one we`ve chosen for our first trials of married vine training (vine in tree).
Follow us and in three years` time, you`ll be the first to taste it!
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #domaineviticole #agriculturebiologique #nantes #cepages #villeaublanc #agricultureresponsable @villedevertou
🇫🇷 Vive les vacances avec un bon bulletin de notes pour ce deuxième trimestre : un 87 pour Phileas et un 90 pour notre La Haye Fouassière, décerné par le très prestigieux @wine_spectator.
Pas de conseil de classe pour recevoir les félicitations, mais nous sommes tout de même très fiers et chanceux de figurer sur ce palmarès.
🇺🇸 Long live the vacations with a good report card for this second quarter: an 87 for Phileas and a 90 for our La Haye Fouassière, awarded by the highly prestigious Winespectator.
No class council to receive the congratulations, but we`re still very proud and lucky to be on this list.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #nantes #muscadet #vinsdeloire #vignoblenantais #vinsdenantes @les_extra_terrestres @vertou @muscadetvinsdenantes
🇫🇷 Ce lundi 14 avril est un jour fondateur pour l`avenir résilient du domaine : sur un sol régénéré, non labouré en profondeur, nous plantons Melon B., Abouriou, Villard noir et Selenor, un mix de cépage historique et identitaire, de cépage rustique et de cépage résistant.
Cette plantation est intégrée dans le parc de La Ville au Blanc que nous remettons en paysage depuis deux ans désormais. Ces vignes, dans leur diversité, vont nous permettre de produire dans un environnement climatique changeant tout en gardant notre identité ligérienne.
Cette plantation est l`aboutissement d`un long travail de fond mené avec l`équipe de paysagiste @laplumeetlesecateur, ainsi qu`avec les @pepinieres_mercier et Gentié.
Nous remercions sincèrement l`accompagnement professionnel qu`ils nous ont apporté et les échanges visionnaires que nous avons eus.
🇺🇸 This Monday, April 14, is a founding day for the resilient future of the estate: on regenerated soil, not ploughed in depth, we plant Melon B., Abouriou, Villard noir and Selenor, a mix of historical and identity grape varieties, hardy grape varieties and resistant grape varieties.
This plantation is part of the La Ville au Blanc park, which we`ve been restoring to landscape for two years now. The diversity of these vines will enable us to produce in a changing climatic environment while retaining our Loire identity.
This planting is the culmination of a long and in-depth project carried out with the landscaping team La Plume et le Sécateur, and the nurserymen Mercier and Gentié.
We sincerely thank them for their professional support and the visionary discussions we had.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #domaineviticole #agriculturebiologique #nantes #cepages #vinbio #terroir #villeaublanc #cepagesresistants @villedevertou
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