Since joining in 2024, Jean-Gabriel Amadieu has been working alongside Claude and Éric in managing the vineyard. Drawing on solid experience gained both in France and abroad, he shares his daily insights into the organic vineyard management in Gigondas. From adapting to climate change to preserving soil health and promoting biodiversity, he offers his perspective on sustainable and responsible viticulture. Read his interview.
Q&A with Jean-Gabriel:
- How would you describe our vineyard in Gigondas?
- The vineyard is now certified organic — what are the main challenges?
- On a daily basis, what does vineyard maintenance involve?
- Nestled within 230 hectares of woodland, 115 hectares of vines grow. Why is promoting biodiversity so important in our vineyard?
- What is the ASL initiative about, and what role do we play in it?
- And what about climate change?
- What is your medium- and long-term vision for our vineyard?
How would you describe our vineyard in Gigondas?
Our vineyard in Gigondas is located in the heart of the Dentelles de Montmirail massif and truly has the character of a mountain vineyard, thanks to its altitude and exposure. There are few terraces here; the vineyard is mainly composed of hillside plots. Facing north and northwest, they range from 300 to 500 meters in altitude, with some very steep slopes. The Romane and Pas de l’Aigle parcels are among the highest in the Gigondas appellation.
Another important characteristic, in my view, is that our vineyard is primarily made up of old vines. The estate’s story began in the 1950s when my great-grandfather, Pierre Amadieu Sr., acquired the land in Romane. Today, our old vines are over 60 years old. They are a true asset for our red Gigondas wines, thanks to their deep roots and naturally low yields. However, they are also more fragile than younger vines — for instance, more prone to coulure, and mechanical work around the old trunks must be done with extra care.
Learn more: an estate located in the north-eastern part of the Gigondas appellation
The Gigondas vineyard is now certified organic. What are the main challenges?
We cultivate 115 hectares of vines in a single block, surrounded by 230 hectares of woodland, all farmed organically. For the past 15 years, we have been working 40 hectares organically, but it wasn’t until 2020 that we made the transition to convert the entire vineyard. We received certification starting with the 2023 harvest. A long process of vineyard maintenance and restructuring helped facilitate this transition.
Our major daily challenge is related to the size of the area we manage and the topography of the land. Some plots are impacted by the age of the vines (very low yields, high mortality rates, etc.), as well as the challenges posed by the hillside cultivation (stones, steep slopes, erosion…), making the work on each plot quite difficult. The key challenges are preserving our soils and the potential of our old vines by minimizing erosion as much as possible, and maintaining biodiversity across the entire estate.
What does daily vineyard maintenance involve?
In the autumn, after the harvest, we work the soil to encourage wild ground-covering plants and to increase soil porosity, water infiltration, and aeration. We nourish the soil with natural composts: pomace from the previous harvest and fertilizers in the form of nitrogen and potassium pellets derived from livestock manure. In the winter, it’s time for pruning; both the vines and the soil are at rest. The cold temperatures promote the downward movement of sap into the roots and help eliminate disease sources such as mildew and powdery mildew.
In the spring, sheep come to graze our plots. They help maintain the grass and provide natural fertilization, while also preventing soil compaction that can occur from tractor traffic. This is also the time for sowing green manure. These nitrogen-producing plants grow in every other row and release useful nitrogen when we later fold or cut their stems. We keep the rows well-covered with grass to limit erosion, while working on every other row to avoid creating too much competition for the vines.
Soil maintenance is a daily challenge for our vineyard, both to promote water infiltration and to manage weed growth without creating competition for the vines, all while maintaining a plant cover to reduce erosion on our slopes. With the transition to organic farming, we mechanically weed around the vine trunks, but we must be careful not to compact the clay soils. The steepest plots, difficult to access with a tractor or with many old vines, are done by hand.
Since 2017, we have undertaken significant vine removal phases to restructure some of our terraced plots. These efforts will make future soil maintenance easier and will help reduce erosion.
What is the importance of promoting biodiversity to the fullest in our vineyard?
We are almost the sole owners of this beautiful land in the northeastern part of the Gigondas appellation, surrounded by 230 hectares of garrigue and holm oak forests. By maintaining biodiversity, we ensure a more resilient plant-soil system, better equipped to cope with drought and diseases:
- In the soils, biodiversity promotes permeability, aeration, and prevents compaction, making the soils more sustainable. Biological activity helps in the mineralization of organic matter and the development of mycorrhizal connections.
- For the vines, this promotes deep rooting, water absorption, and the availability of all the mineral elements the plant needs. Additionally, it aids in pest management, such as insects in the root zone as well as on the wood and leaves (snails, sharpshooters, mites, etc.).
The 230 hectares of woodland surrounding our Gigondas vineyard are also a reservoir of biodiversity. While we have mastered vineyard management for several generations, when it comes to managing the forest massif, we found it valuable to join the ASL project.
What is the approach of the ASL? What role do we play in participating in this project?
In continuation of our organic certification and with a desire to preserve local biodiversity, we have partnered with the ASL des Dentelles. This association’s mission is to bring together private forest owners in the Dentelles de Montmirail massif to manage the biodiversity and landscape of its forests in a sustainable way, while promoting fire prevention efforts. The maintenance of our woods goes hand in hand with the care of our vineyard. The woods contribute to the ecological balance of the Romane valley.
And what about climate change in all of this?
Of course, this is not specific to our vineyard. Everyone is experiencing the effects of global warming, and we can clearly see that the vine is struggling to adapt, even in our cool Romane terroirs. Arid conditions are becoming more and more frequent.
In this context, can we continue to produce? This is one of the key topics in the industry. There are indeed many technical solutions to counteract global warming: managing the vines with goblet pruning, where the canopy protects the grapes from the sun; planting at higher altitudes and on north-facing slopes; planting grape varieties that produce less alcohol and are more resistant to water stress… In the AOC Gigondas, we have already made significant progress with the authorization to include 30% Cinsault in blends (instead of just 5% previously). This grape variety is more resistant to high temperatures and produces more juice, which naturally lowers the alcohol content in the wines.
What is your vision for our vineyard in the medium and long term?
The medium-term goal is to maintain high-quality production. This involves renewing the plantings, investing in appropriate equipment, and restructuring by creating terraces (to limit erosion). In short, we aim to have a vineyard suited for organic farming, resilient to the challenges of global warming, while continuing to produce wines that are appreciated by our customers.
In the long term, we are working to preserve our winemaking heritage and maintain our mountain landscapes, which are characterized by forests, old vines, olive trees, and cypress trees, in continuity with the work of my great-grandfather.
