Planting begins at Cantaloup

For my French friends: “L’implantation du vignoble est pour tout vigneron l’étape primordiale dans la réussite de son domaine”

Gilles and Clement of Rose + Paul have been carefully planning the vine plantation at Cantaloup for months precisely to ensure this success. They worked, levelled, and fully prepared the soil over the past few months and finally planting commenced this morning. The soil is just right for planting and there may only be a short window before the rains return, so it will be a busy day for all involved. This is the smallest, hardest and driest of the fields at Cantaloup. There is a rocky outcrop layer not far under the surface of the land on this field, so the grape type Grenache Blanc has been picked for planting here. The planting has been carefully planned on map, beforehand, taking into account the slope, the soil type, and the required density of vines.  A GPS device positioned at the bottom of the field now guides the planting along exactly the pre-planned tracks. The careful quality of this planting will directly impact the quality, and concentration of wine, which will be produced from this parcel of land after the fifth harvest.

Clement Foussat follows the tractor pulling the planting machine, behind it. This machine is guided by laser, and has two operatives on the machine. It can plant 3 to 4 hectares of vines a day!