«I undertake to reduce the impact of our winegrowing operations on the environment. I am always ready to implement new practices and rely above all on a sincere communion with nature to bring out the unique expression of my terroir.»

Philippe Bardet

With degrees in winegrowing and oenology, Philippe Bardet worked hard to expand the family estate, increasing the vineyard area benefitting from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation from 9 hectares (22 acres) to 55 (136 acres) and acquiring 35 hectares (86 acres) of vines with the geographical denomination of Castillon, Côtes de Bordeaux.

In 1994, his involvement in sustainable development and protecting the natural assets of his estate brought him to become active within the Forum of Responsible and Environmentally Friendly Farmers (FARRE). Continuing to pursue his commitment, he became a member of the Saint-Emilion Wine Council, in which he directs the technical commission responsible for terroir and sustainable development.

New practices that protect nature
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As co-chairman of the Bordeaux Wine Board’s (CIVB) technical commission and member of the regional commission of INAO, the French National Institute of Origins and Quality, Philippe Bardet also applies this environmentally friendly approach in his own vineyards, which ensured the estate’s ISO 14001 collective certification.

As President of the Environmental Management System of Bordeaux wines, he demonstrates his commitment by applying all the natural ecosystem protection measures at Vignobles Bardet.
Because of his beliefs, he will always take a risk and try out new practices to enable his terroir to express its very best.

Because of his beliefs, he will always take a risk and try out new practices to enable his terroir to express its very best.

Practices that uphold natural balances and thereby reduce the impact of our activities on the environment include using grass as a cover crop between the rows of vines, developing hedging around the different plots to reconstitute natural ecosystems, maintaining a weather station to observe local weather patterns affecting the vines, strictly sorting waste and exploiting geothermal energy.