Our estates are situated to the foot of the hills lying west of Narbonne,
in the heart of Occitania.
Les Domaines Barsalou localisation
Located about 20 km (≈ 12 mi) from the sea and at an altitude rising from 20 to 140 m (≈ 65 ft to 460 ft), our estates benefit from a Mediterranean climate like the whole region of Narbonne. This climate is characterized by hot and dry summers, fairly mild winters, infrequent but sometimes violent precipitation, an intense wind regime throughout the year and a lot of sunshine. The prevailing winds, the cers and the tramontane, blow from the west and the north-west. They dry the atmosphere while cooling it during the winter and heating it during the summer. In contrast, the sea breeze (called marin or levant), humid, softens the temperatures.
Thanks to the local geological diversity, the vines are planted on a wide variety of soils ranging from ferruginous sandstone to rolled pebbles through limestone and clay soils rich of marine fossils.
HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE
Our estates are certified with High Environmental Value (HVE) mark
from the French ministry of Agriculture.
Validated
by an external audit, the agro-ecological performance of the
estates is assessed according to four
themes:
- soil
quality
- water
use
-
phytosanitary
strategy
-
preservation of biodiversity.
Agro-ecological practices that meet the
specifications of the High Environmental Value seek to reduce the use
of crop inputs
in order to limit the impact on the environment. They aim to preserve
the life of the soil to maintain the fertility of the plots. They
foster
biodiversity in order to provide a network of biotopes that
complement the crops.
Finally, they develop useful synergies with the natural environment
of vineyards and olive groves by sustaining
the development of auxiliary fauna (predators of parasites).
Thanks
to these High Environmental Value certified practices, we are
developing a more autonomous agriculture on our estates
with regard to fertilizers, water needs and
treatment products.