Our commitments

We have chosen to adopt biodynamic methods at Domaine Kennel. After many years of practicing organic agriculture (certified AB), it seemed an obvious next step. We wanted to go even further in our alignment with the natural world.

• Fertiliser
We make our own compost from a base of horse manure, to encourage microbial life in the soils.

• Working the soils
We use a light touch on the soils. The grassing over in our parcels has precise objectives: the decompaction the soil, the production of organic matter, and the development of mycorrhization.

• Care for the plants
We use no herbicides or insecticides.

We apply biodynamic preparations composed of medicinal plants, minerals, and organic matter. Their role is to revitalize the soils and reinforce the plants’ own natural immunity.

Biodynamic preparations are diluted in water at 37°C and dynamized (a rhythmic form of stirring) for a set amount of time. This process of dynamization activates the preparations, which transmit information when they are sprayed on the soil and the plants.

The principal preparations we use are as follows:

• Preparation 500 (cow horn manure) is sprayed on to the soil. It encourages the development of a layer of humous and contributes to the fertility and the biodiversity in the soil.
• Preparation 500P is a beneficial combination of preparation 500 and compost preparations. It is particularly useful when little compost has been applied and we wish to limit the number of treatments.
• Preparation 501 (silica) is an essential element that acts like an “application of light” (1 to 3 treatments per year).
• Preparation 507 (valerian) mobilizes phosphorous and has a significant anti-stress effect.

The only fungicide that we use is copper, but at very low doses. For the last 3 years we have succeeded in remaining below 1.4g of pure metal per hectare per year.

The development of biodiversity is also one of our priorities. We cultivate our vines according to sustainable and environmentally friendly criteria. Figs, oak trees, beehives, swallows’ nests, and bat colonies are all part of the cohabitation of vegetation and animal life on the estate. The vines are bordered by two rivers and ancient woodland that offer natural habitats and the entire estate offers a space of safe reproduction for animals such as rabbits, partridges, and ducks, where hunting has been banished for over 10 years.