Lynch-Bages vineyards receive special attention from pruning gurus
Between January 18th and 22nd, Italian experts Massimo Giudici and Tommaso Martignon, from Simonit & Sirch have been introducing “gentle pruning” methods at Lynch-Bages in order to protect our most precious asset: the vineyard.
During the vine’s dormant time, pruning is the biggest winter job. At Lynch-Bages, the vineyard workers have started pruning on November 19th and will finish around mid-March.
This season, technical director Nicolas Labenne has entrusted the experts at Simonit & Sirch for the training and tutoring of the vineyard workers. Massimo Giudici and Tommaso come regularly to Lynch-Bages to provide tailored tutoring to each worker.
When asked why he chose to collaborate with Simonit & Sirch as consultants, Nicolas Labenne explained: "They have reestablished a method described by Poussard (Guyot-Poussard) at the start of the 20th century, which respects the sap flow of the vine. This technique avoids the serious consequences of pruning cuts, and works against the deterioration of the vineyards. It is a very good response to the serious vine disease Esca that can enter the vine through the cuts left behind by pruning"
Pruning is performed to extend vine life: reducing the impact that cuts have on the sap system of the plant and protecting the health of the vineyard. When training the pruning teams, Massimo and Tommaso work on young vineyards as well as on undamaged adult ones. They will be sharing their approach until budburst season at Lynch-Bages.
Read on:
Anson on Thursday: The Prada of vineyard pruning