Fascinating reading on the approach of nurseryman Lilian Berillon, recounted with Laure Gasparotto

A fascinating read on the approach of nurseryman Lilian Berillon, recounted with Laure Gasparotto. Offering healthy, high-quality plants resulting from rigorous massal selection. For him, this involves surveying the vineyards of France, isolating healthy individuals, and harvesting wood in winter to then graft them (favouring cleft grafting) onto rootstocks suited to the terroirs. Lilian Berillon's seemingly obvious approach is nevertheless very marginal in the vineyard. Plants are generally derived from clones and omega-grafted. Why? 1- because massal selection is expensive 2- because cleft grafting is costlier than omega grafting (not to mention T-bud or chip-bud grafts carried out directly in situ on the vine). 3- because the winegrower does not benefit from the same planting subsidies if they choose massal selection plants. This only widens the gap of a two-tier viticulture, with major estates gradually realising the importance of plant material, and fragile small estates unable to forgo subsidies, necessarily planting clones (and tomorrow, resistant grape varieties). These subsidies favouring cloned plants are clearly absurd. Winegrowers are being incentivised to plant vines condemned to decline more rapidly. In the 1970s, these qualitative clones were seen as an opportunity to produce better. Today, we realise that nothing can replace genetic diversity. The greatest wines, made from old vines, stem from this diversity. We will continue our work at Cazebonne, favouring top-grafting in the vineyard, working on massal selections, and reintroducing forgotten Bordeaux grape varieties. We have plenty to keep us busy for decades to come!