Since he took over the estate, Philippe Castéja has done everything he can to protect the environment. In 2011, he joined forces with ten other Pomerol wine estates, in collaboration with INRA, to set up a collective biological pest control programme. To do this, the 11 estates installed sexual confusion diffusers to eliminate harmful insects by disorientating the males, which will not find the females.
This is always done on the estate, to avoid mass reproduction of insects. This method is a good alternative to insecticides. Château la Croix du Casse also has High Environmental Value 3 certification.
Each season, the vines require a great deal of attention in order to produce as many bunches of quality grapes as possible. At Château la Croix du Casse, the soil is worked and the vines are pruned in winter to encourage the circulation of sap but also to combat wood diseases.
De-budding and pruning, which consist in eliminating the suckers and internodes of the vine, help to aerate the vines and reduce the risk of disease. Leaf thinning, carried out in summer, consists of removing the leaves around the bunches so that they can grow properly.
At the end of the summer, during the veraison period, and depending on the year, the grapes may be thinned out, which consists of removing the excess grapes. When the grapes are fully ripe, at the end of September or beginning of October, manual harvesting begins. Once picked, the grapes are de-stemmed, sorted, crushed and placed in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats.
Vinification is controlled throughout the process, which lasts around 1 month. For a few days, the aromas are allowed to emerge thanks to pre-fermentation maceration. The sugar is then transformed into alcohol during alcoholic fermentation. The tannins can be refined if necessary thanks to post-fermentation hot maceration.
Running off and pressing will extract the wine and separate the juice from the skins and pips. The final stage in the winemaking process, called malolactic fermentation, consists of transforming malic acid into lactic acid, with the aim of stabilizing the wine and making it more supple.
The wines of Château La Croix du Casse are aged in French oak barrels for 18 months, with 50% of the barrels replaced each year. The wines are then clarified by fining with egg albumin, and then racked every 3 months or so, depending on tasting. Before bottling, the Grand Vin and the second wine are blended, depending on the quality.
Barrel ageing allows the wine to breathe thanks to the wood, which allows a small amount of air to circulate, and improves its structure. The wood also gives the wine tertiary aromas (woody, toasty, vanilla, leather, etc.).
