The stages of production
Harvest
All the grapes are gathered by hand by twenty people. The harvest period runs generally from mid-September to the end of October.
Winemaking
Once the grape is gathered and selected, we bring it to the cellar.
Then the cabernet-franc juice is moved into wooden or concrete tanks, where the alcoholic fermentation will take place.
As for the chenin, it will be directly pressed and the sweet juice is moved into barrel to ferment and ageing.
Ageing
After the alcoholic fermentation, some of our cuvees are aged in barrels for about 12 months.
The passage in wood allows the wine to be stabilised thanks to the oxidation that takes place through the pores of the oak.
We use a small amount of brand new barrels in order to not mark the wines and let the terroir express itself.
Bottling and packaging
At the end of the winemaking and ageing process, the wine is bottled. During this phase: meticulousness is required!
Packaging consists in labelling the bottles and conditioning them. Depending on the customer, the cuvée and the format of the bottle, there are many possible combinations!
Pruning
That is a crucial step to obtain great grapes. Single and double guyot pruning is practiced at Coulaine, as well as “cordon de royat” particularly on chenin.