Biscornus la Cave vins Bio Dynamiques
Applying the knowledge of today to the practices of yore @biscornus
I was introduced to Nico by our mutual friend Fiona, who is the unofficial Mayor of the Loire. I met Nico for a late morning walk and talk on his Domaine in Razines. This extended into a long lunch, then me helping plier (tie down) Sauvignon blanc for the rest of the afternoon, and finally dinner all together with Fiona. When you meet someone else with the same flavor of crazy ideas, there’s a lot to discuss!
Nico has two wine shops and a big project on his hands to develop his dream Domaine. Passing by, you wouldn’t realize that this is a vineyard to be. It looks like crop circles of straw mulch with rootstock growing and fruit trees all around. Then there’s his rustic farmhouse/temp winery and spectacular centuries-old ruins that will become the future winery (with adorable bats sleeping in le caveau, don’t worry, they are allowed to stay!)
He's spent the last 3 years preparing the soil with manure, cover crops, and “good vibes.” Next year, he will field graft onto the pre-established rootstock (like I saw in southern Italy) via whip and tongue cuts. 5 different rootstocks are planted in sequences of 3 plants at a time, tucked in with a diluted cow poo root masque, mushroom farm compost, and straw.
The crop circles are “La Grande Piece,” 2 hectares of converging circles of Gamay and Chenin to be (all massale selection). The rows are wide enough to allow a tractor to comfortably pass through the curved plantings. The idea is to allow a diversity of light exposure, plus it’s going to look très cool. Like me, he dreams of a healthy no-till vineyard floor, so he will try to achieve this by training the vines tall, using grazing animals, and crimp rolling.
It’s clear that Nico planned this all out to an incredible level of detail, yet he leaves space for improvisation and figuring things out along the way. I love that for a business/life mentality, and I can’t wait to come back one day to see how his project grows