Researching how Bordeaux is rising to the challenges of sustainability, several themes come back repeatedly, amongst them, biodiversity.

I wanted to take a closer look at how some properties are putting the theories into action, Château Phelan Ségur in Saint Estèphe is a perfect example.

Saint Estephe is the most northerly and second largest of the village or communal appellations of the Medoc. Halfway up the Medoc peninsula, the 1300 ha of Saint Estephe vines rise up and away from the banks of the Gironde Estuary commanding some of the best views of the peninsula from the gravelly outcrops and plateau. When you visit, and you really should, approach Saint Estephe from the estuary side of the appellation, along the Boulevard Maritime, rather than the D2, La Route des Châteaux. Just as you reach the village of Saint Estèphe, you’ll  see the majestic Château Phelan Ségur at the top of the slope.

Diversity 

Of this large 114 ha estate, 70 ha are vines, spread over four large sections from the waterfront marshes up the slopes and across the plateau from north to south between the vineyards of Châteaux Montrose and Calon Ségur. 

This spread brings a diversity of terroir, of gravel, clay and sandy soils. A diversity that is reflected in the blend of the grape varieties and the complexity of the wines. It also contributes to that precious biodiversity.

This distribution of plots comes from the origins of the property. Bernard Phelan, a successful Irish wine merchant bought two vineyards, first Clos de Garramey in 1805 and then Ségur de Cabanac in 1810. His son Frank followed in his footsteps and they gave their name to the property at the beginning of the 20^th  century. 

Biodiversity also comes from the 44 ha not under vines, including fields and meadows that cover 25% of the agricultural land of the property, plots of poplar trees on the damp land along the Gironde estuary, streams, hedgerows and woods across the higher plots and the historic park around the château. 

An English garden 

The parkland surrounding the Château also dates from the creation of the property. It was the fashion amongst the Bordeaux bourgeoisie in the late 19^th century to create natural ‘English gardens’ rather than the formal French style, using ‘exotic species’ from abroad  such as Giant American Sequoias, Cypress and Magnolias trees.

This style is still found in many Medoc properties, Château Giscours, Chateau Mauvesin Barton and Chateau Loudenne are all beautiful examples. 

From past to future 

When Philippe Van de Vyvere purchased Phelan Segur in 2018, he returned to this English theme, working with British landscape gardener Tom Stuart-Smith. Together they have planted more trees, replacing and adding to the 60 trees lost in the 1999 storms, including a new alleyway entrance from the estuary.  They have created a lake at the bottom of the slope in the front of the chateau, which, as well as being beautiful, has encouraged the arrival of new waterfowl, fish and coypu.

The garden also includes a kitchen garden, beehives (the bees love the nearby village flower gardens) and a 25 year-old orchard with figs, apples, quinces, pears and plums. All a source of inspiration for the chef, Jean-Luc Beaufils, who is a champion of Médoc cuisine. He has published a beautiful book ‘Medoc Gourmand’ and welcomes guests to a garden to table experience in the chateau dining room.

The park and gardens are the most visible part of their philosophy to protect and increase the ecosystem and biodiversity, but it doesn’t stop here. 

Taking the measure 

An eco-inventory of the estate counted over 200 different plant species, including wild orchids and over 400 animal species, there will most likely more when they start counting invertebrates. 

Managing such a large and diverse vineyard, spread across the appellation isn’t simple. Diversity brings complexity to the wine but also viticultural challenges. The terroirs, the grape varieties, the rootstocks, the vigour and the water resistivity of the soils all change from plot to plot. As I walked through the vineyard with vineyard manager Luc Peyronnet, it’s clear every plot is farmed differently as a function of  this diversity.

Over half the vineyard is planted with cover crops to reduce erosion and control both the vigour of the vines and the water content of the soils and, of course, adding biodiversity. But cover crops also need maintenance, mowing and discing.

Luc has been with the property since 1993 and knows each plot, knowledge that embraces both old and new techniques. Château Phélan Ségur banned the use of pesticides in the 1990s, preferring sexual confusion using pheromones. More precise forecasts and pest modelling have dramatically reduced inputs.

Careful pruning reduces bunches touching each other and spreading disease, trellising optimises leaf surface area, ‘rognage’ or strimming has been replaced by ‘tressage’ or plaiting. Nothing is prescriptive, their aim is to actively protect and preserve, a regenerative approach rather than passive maintenance. 

Certifications and cynicism

The property was certified HVE 3 (Haute Valeur Environmental) in 2020, currently they have 20 ha in organic agriculture and are experimenting with biodynamic methods. 

Luc is a fan of bio control, using natural solutions to reinforce the plants defences. As these treatments are systemic, they are not allowed under organic certification, but as they reduce the tractors passages through the vineyard they dramatically reduce the carbon footprint compared to organic. Luc is a little cynical about some ‘green washing’; why install insect hotels when old logs for insects and  piles of stones for reptiles will do the same job? Although it may not be as aesthetic for Instagram. 

Château Phélan Ségur has the good fortune to have over a km of stone walls around the ‘enclos’, the historic heart of the property. They are the perfect microcosm for both the insects and the predators that feed on them. 

Agroforestry 

As you drive through the Medoc, you could be forgiven for only seeing an ocean of vines but look more closely. There are streams and the famous drainage ‘jalles’, woods and fallow lands, hedgerows and stone walls running through the vineyards. These ecological corridors are habitats for local fauna allowing them to move safely between the zones of greenery. 

Château Phélan Ségur is the perfect example, there are eight hectares of woodlands across the vineyard that act as a reserve for flora and fauna. They have preserved old, isolated trees, mainly elms planted in the past as shade for animals working the vines. 

Luc is not a fan of the new agroforestry trend of planting trees in the rows of vines. Instead, working with Stephane Rougier, they have created a 100 m2 Miawaki forest on the Houissant plateau at the very centre of the appellation. This mini forest contains 325 plants of 27 indigenous species; trees and shrubs selected from the hedgerows of the property. This concentration in a small space rapidly imitates a mature forest. In 20 years, it should mimic the conditions of a 200 year old forest creating an oasis of biodiversity in the vines, bringing humidity and cooler temperatures to the heart of the vineyard. It completes the network of 10 kms of streams, ditches, strips of woodland and hedgerow across the property.

Agroecology : social, technical and economic

Planting and maintaining hedgerows between plots and along the streams takes work. You see the close relationship Luc has with the vineyard team as you go through the vineyards with him, he knows their names, their jobs, what needs to be done and where. There is a visceral attachment to the terroir, its history, the soil, the environment and the team. He is very aware of the physical challenges of the job, and the challenges in finding, training and keeping the team of vine workers that tend the 600 000 vines.

The property works with training organisations l’Ecole de La Vigne and Les Vignerons du Vivant with 18 staff currently in training. A project completed by ‘compagnonnage’ or mentoring, where younger team members put newly acquired techniques into practice alongside the experience of the more established. The responsibility for the terroir, the soils and the vines is in the hands of the people who work them. 

Nothing new, everything new

It hasn’t always been this way. In the early 1800s most of this area, especially the gravel soils now highly valued for their Cabernet Sauvignon, were growing cereals and Saint Estèphe was a vibrant port. Rather than an ocean of vines, the region was under mixed agriculture using animals to work the soil, creating and maintaining a natural biodiversity. 

Knowing this, places the maintenance and regeneration of their biodiversity in a historical perspective. Just as with with the  parkland, by looking backwards, they are moving forward. 

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