Presentation of the Domain
In 1947 the Château LAVAL was bought by Paul ALCAY, a wine merchant, from the Comtesse De Trinque Lague. Already an owner of two other viticultural domains, Monsieur ALCAY managed the three domains until his death.

History
In 1986 his daughter, Martine ALCAY, and her husband, Jean-Jacques CHEMORIN, moved into the Château and took charge of the domain. In 2002 a young man full of dreams, Julien CHAPTAL, took over as head of the company. The business is situated in the commune of Bellegarde, 12 km South East of Nîmes, and 15 km North West of Arles. The company is involved in several different activities. The vineyards are the domain’s principal activity. There are also fruit trees – cherry, plum, apricot and finally olives. Cereal (durum wheat), is also farmed as a rotation crop. The Château, where the owner Mme ALCAY-CHEMORIN lives, is situated at the centre of a magnificent tree-filled park of more than 15 hectares. Below is a river, a farm with stables, the cellar, barns and housing.

Viticulture
Limited intervention is the guiding principle in the management of the business. The short pruning of the cordon de Royat and Gobelet are used to ensure a better distribution of fruit over the length of the vine. Green interventions (de-suckering, thinning) are used to adapt the vines to their micro environment. The vines are tied with a supporting wire, a carrying wire and two supplementary tying up wires. All of our practices are in line with the standards of the charter of limited intervention agriculture.