Here is the list of Féchy vineyard terroirs, as well as the geological nature of each soil.
Calcareous soil with marl base
- These are calcareous soils of medium or clayey texture, deep (100 to 150cm), into which vine roots spread easily.
- It rests on marl highly compacted by glaciers and the roots rarely spread there.
- Grass covers are necessary in all rows to calm the vines’ vigour while protecting the slopes against erosion.
- This type of soil gives wine a slaty mineral character and a slippery texture in the mouth.
- The quality of these soils depends on the quality of the drainage carried out by winegrowers, because the soils from clayey moraines retain water temporarily despite the sometimes steep slopes.
Calcareous soil with compact limestone base
- These are calcareous soils of medium or light texture, not deep (50-70cm), into which vine roots spread easily.
- They rest on a rather limey marl that is extremely compact and can cause water stagnation problems deep down.
- They are less fertile and must sometimes be ploughed
- This type of soil gives wines a flinty mineral character and a powdery texture in the mouth.
- Just as with the previous soils, their quality depends on the drainage carried out by winegrowers in zones where water accumulates between the soil and the compact marl below.
Colluvial slope-bottom calcareous soil
- These are brown calcareous soils of variable texture, very deep (over 150cm), not very rocky and very fertile.
- These soils give strength to the vines that the growers compensate for by using weak rootstock.
- These soils may have high levels of active limestone (13% at the bottom of Berolon), giving the wines a saline mineral character
Non-calcareous soil
- These are non-calcareous soils, of light to heavy texture, deep (150cm), into which roots spread easily.
- They rest on a very compact moraine into which the vine roots do not spread.
- This type of soil gives wines a certain mineral character, tighter and more concentrated
- Certain plots grow complex and elegant Chasselas.
- The advantage of this soil is the possibility of grafting the vines onto Ruparia, which is the best rootstock
Rocky soil on spreading cones
- The important number of rocks allows the water to be evacuated quickly and ensures the soil is well warmed.
- The vine roots have to suck their water from the rocks, giving the wines a pleasant mineral character.
Rough, sandy soil
- Sand gives the soil a very light structure, allowing the roots to spread into the terroir and giving the wines finesse and a “pearly” mouthfeel
- These sandy soils are usually better suited to white wines.
Red non-calcareous soils
- These soils come from accumulations of rolled pebbles in the subsoil, forming red iron oxide because of strong soil aeration.
- It is interesting to ferment the grapes from this zone separately because the red non-calcareous soils give the wines a superb tension