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Sustainable Winemaking Since 1795
When we speak of sustainability at Château Méaume, we're not discussing a recent initiative or responding to market trends. Our commitment to environmental stewardship began in 1795 - more than 200 years before "sustainable bordeaux wine" became a category or certification. For over two centuries, our family has understood a simple truth: the land sustains us only if we sustain it first.
Today, as Mark and Sandra continue this unbroken heritage alongside our winemaker Bruno, we recognise that what our ancestors practised instinctively has become urgent and necessary. But whilst 75% of Bordeaux has recently adopted environmental certifications, our approach remains rooted in something deeper than compliance - it's embedded in 230 years of family agriculture and a personal connection to this 250-acre working estate.
230 Years of Environmental Stewardship
In 1795, when our estate first began cultivating vines in the rolling hills of Bordeaux's right bank, sustainability wasn't a concept - it was survival. The families who worked this land understood that healthy soil produced healthy grapes, that preserving water sources ensured future harvests, and that maintaining diverse ecosystems protected against crop failures.
This wasn't environmental activism. It was agricultural wisdom passed through generations, long before terms like "organic vineyard bordeaux" or "biodiversity conservation" entered our vocabulary.
What makes Château Méaume different isn't that we've embraced sustainability - it's that we never abandoned it. Whilst the wine industry industrialised through the 20th century, adopting chemical fertilisers and intensive farming methods, our estate maintained practices that prioritised long-term land health over short-term yields. We didn't need to "return" to sustainable viticulture because we never left.
This consistency matters. Generations of the same family have worked this land, each inheriting not just property but responsibility. When you know your great-great-grandchildren may walk these same vineyard rows, you make different decisions. You think in decades, not quarters.
Our 1795 origin predates the modern sustainability movement by two centuries. We weren't pioneers or visionaries - we were simply farmers who understood that the land's health and ours were inseparable.
Alan's Environmental Legacy
When Alan Johnson-Hill purchased Château Méaume in 1978, he inherited this heritage and amplified it. In the early 1980s - decades before sustainability became an industry buzzword - Alan began transitioning our vineyard practices towards organic viticulture. His colleagues thought him eccentric. The industry was moving towards agrochemicals and standardisation; Alan was moving in the opposite direction.
He eliminated synthetic pesticides from our vineyards, choosing instead natural pest management through biodiversity. He abandoned chemical fertilisers, returning to composting and cover crops that enriched soil structure naturally. He preserved the forest edges and hedgerows that others cleared for expansion, recognising them as crucial habitat for beneficial insects and birds.
Alan's environmental work in the 1980s positioned Château Méaume decades ahead of industry trends. What seemed unconventional then is now standard practice across Bordeaux - but we've been doing it for 40+ years.
His pioneering approach wasn't driven by marketing or certification. Alan simply believed, as his predecessors had, that wine quality begins with land health. His daughter Sandra remembers visiting the estate as a child and seeing her father inspect soil by hand, study weather patterns obsessively, and maintain detailed records of biodiversity observations. He was a farmer first, a winemaker second.
When Mark purchased the estate from his uncle Alan in 2019, he inherited not just vines and cellars but a proven philosophy: sustainable practices aren't constraints on quality - they're the foundation of it.
Our Sustainable Practices Today
Mark and Sandra don't just preserve Alan's legacy - they advance it. With Sandra's agricultural background from managing her family's Manitoba farm, she brings systematic expertise to environmental stewardship that complements our historical intuition.
Soil Health & Viticulture
We treat our soil as a living ecosystem, not a growing medium. Between vine rows, we maintain cover crops that prevent erosion, fix nitrogen naturally, and support beneficial microorganisms. Our composting programme returns organic matter to the vineyard, building soil structure that retains moisture and nutrients without irrigation or chemical inputs.
We've eliminated synthetic herbicides entirely. Grass management happens mechanically, and our "weeds" often serve purposes - deep-rooted dandelions break up compacted soil, whilst flowering plants attract pollinators and predatory insects that control vine pests naturally.
Water Management
Our 250-acre estate includes natural water sources we've protected for generations. We don't irrigate our vines - their roots extend deep into the soil, accessing water naturally and expressing our terroir authentically. This produces smaller yields but more concentrated flavours, and it conserves water resources for the broader ecosystem.
Rainfall runoff is managed through preserved forest areas and hedgerows that act as natural filters, preventing erosion and protecting local waterways from any vineyard materials.
Biodiversity Conservation
This commitment extends beyond our vineyards. Château Méaume is a working farm encompassing vines, forest, pasture, and cattle - a deliberately diverse ecosystem where each element supports the others. Our cattle provide natural fertiliser; our forests maintain habitat for wildlife; our vineyard edges host beneficial insects. We view sustainability as ecosystem management, not vineyard-specific practices.
Minimal Intervention Winemaking
In the cellar, Bruno continues this philosophy. We use native yeasts from our vineyard rather than commercial strains, allowing our terroir to express itself fully. Our winemaking involves minimal intervention - we guide the wine, we don't manufacture it. This approach produces wines that taste distinctly of our place, vintage after vintage.
For those interested in the complete picture of our practices, we've documented everything in our comprehensive 27-page Sustainability Report, which details specific methods, measurements, and ongoing improvements. Transparency isn't just a value - it's proof that our commitment is real, not marketing.
Biodiversity: A Living Vineyard
Step into our vineyard at dawn, and you'll understand why we describe Château Méaume as a "living vineyard." Birdsong fills the air as species nest in our preserved hedgerows. Insects pollinate the flowering cover crops between vine rows. In the distance, cattle graze on pasture that provides them forage whilst enriching soil with natural fertilisation.
This biodiversity isn't accidental - it's cultivated.
Our 250-acre estate intentionally maintains diverse habitats. Approximately 75 acres of forest surround our 100 acres of estate vineyards, creating wildlife corridors and wind protection. Our pasture supports grazing cattle that contribute to the farm's fertility cycle. We've preserved ancient oak trees, maintained hedgerows, and protected wildflower meadows that some neighbours cleared for expansion.
Why? Because a diverse ecosystem is a resilient ecosystem. Beneficial insects control vine pests naturally, eliminating the need for pesticides. Bird populations reduce caterpillar damage. Deep-rooted plants improve soil structure. Our cattle's manure enriches compost. Each element supports the others in a cycle that's sustained this land for 230 years.
This working farm model differentiates Château Méaume from vineyard-only estates. We're not just preserving biodiversity - we're proving it works. Visitors frequently comment on the vitality they feel here, the abundance of wildlife, the health of the vines. That's not romantic imagination - it's measurable ecological health.
From Sustainable Vineyard to Quality Wine
Some might assume sustainable practices compromise wine quality. Our experience proves the opposite.
Healthy soil produces balanced vines. Balanced vines produce grapes with concentrated flavours and natural structure. Natural fermentation with native yeasts expresses our terroir authentically. The result? Our Bordeaux Supérieur wines have earned 89-91 points from The Wine Advocate - recognition that sustainability and quality aren't competing priorities but complementary ones.
When vines struggle against chemical inputs or irrigation, they develop weak root systems and unbalanced growth. When vines adapt naturally to our soil and climate, they develop resilience and character. You can taste the difference.
Our oenologue Bruno observes that sustainable vineyards often produce more consistent quality across vintages. Why? Because healthy ecosystems buffer against weather extremes. Our deep-rooted vines access moisture during drought. Our soil structure drains excess water during wet years. Our biodiversity controls pests naturally without vintage-specific interventions.
Sustainability isn't a constraint we work around - it's the method by which we achieve quality. Every decision Alan made in the 1980s, every practice Mark and Sandra maintain today, serves a dual purpose: environmental health and wine excellence. They're inseparable.
When you taste our Bordeaux Supérieur wines, you're experiencing terroir shaped by 230 years of environmental stewardship. That's not a marketing claim - it's measurable in every vintage.
Experience Our Sustainable Estate
We recognise that sustainability claims require verification. That's why we invite you to see our practices firsthand.
Visit Château Méaume during harvest season, and you'll witness our hand-picking methods, observe our natural pest management, and walk between vine rows rich with cover crops and beneficial insects. Tour our cellars with Bruno, and he'll explain how minimal intervention winemaking preserves the character our sustainable vineyard produces.
Stay at our luxury gîte, and you'll experience an eco-friendly approach to wine tourism - accommodation that reflects the same environmental values we apply to winemaking. Wake to birdsong from our forest habitats, walk our vineyard trails, meet our cattle grazing on pasture, and understand why we describe Château Méaume as a working estate, not just a winery.
Sandra personally manages our visitor experience, bringing the same hospitality and attention to detail she learned from her family farm. Meet the team who make this commitment real, not just us but the agricultural traditions they represent.
For those unable to visit, our 27-page Sustainability Report provides complete transparency - specific practices, measurements, and the philosophy behind our approach. Download it, read it, and judge for yourself whether our commitment matches our claims.
We don't ask you to take our word for sustainability. We ask you to see our working estate, taste our wines, meet our family, and decide for yourself whether 230 years of environmental stewardship makes a difference you can experience.
Because at Château Méaume, sustainability isn't a programme we adopted - it's who we've been since 1795. And we'd be honoured to share that heritage with you.
Visit us. Taste the difference. Contact us to arrange your experience.
