The vineyard is run in a similar manner to Dujac's, reasoned and integrated protection: neither insecticides nor acaricides (acarians = spiders and mites) are used; treatments are only done if necessary, they are not systematic. Prevention is achieved through cultural methods rather than chemical methods as far as possible. Triennes has a rich population of the natural acarian predator: Typhlodromus pyrii. The differences of temperature kill off any caterpillars (Eudemis and Cochyllis) during the June-August period, it frequently being between 30 and 40°C during the day and 10-15°C at night. The ground has been cover-cropped which experience at Dujac suggests has several advantages: the cover-crops act as a sponge after a rain, absorbing excess moisture from the soil, controlling erosion and helping to ensure a natural balance in the biological activity of the soil. Cyril Bongiraud, of the GEST (Groupe d'Étude et de Suivi des Terroirs) came to Triennes to construct a profile of the soil and its activity and understand it better. His work demonstrated that levels of biological activity had improved with the cover-cropping and he recommended the addition of a grapeskin compost every three years. The level of biological activity appears to be important as it affects the nutrient take-up by the vine's roots: a good biological activity will help the vines express terroir.

The target yields for the estate are as follow:

	Target	Achieved in 2002	Achieved in 2002
Chardonnay	35-45 hl/ha	27 hl/ha	33 hl/ha
Viognier	35-40 hl/ha	20 hl/ha	26 hl/ha
Syrah	45 hl/ha maximum	30 hl/ha	40 hl/ha
Cabernet	45 hl/ha maximum	35 hl/ha	31 hl/ha
Merlot	40 hl/ha maximum	28 hl/ha	22 hl/ha

Currently, a replanting program is being established at Triennes with the help of Raymond Bernard, who is providing advice on rootstocks and choice of cuttings and clones. In the coming years, the proportion of Viognier on the estate will be increased.

Rosé

The rosé is made entirely of Cinsault. About half of the grapes are pressed directly while the other half is put in tanks during a few hours for skin contact. This maceration brings a bit of colour and allows the extraction of more aromatic precursors.

After pressing, the must is cooled and left to decant for a period of 24 hours with the addition of enzymes. This process helps to bring purity and finesse to the rosé and eliminates potential green flavours and tannins. After decanting, the must is fermented in tank and the temperature is kept between 18 and 20°C. After fermentation, the wine is racked and only the fine lees are retained. The wine then spends the winter on the lees, before being bottled in the spring.

The Triennes rosé aims to be about 12-12.5% alcohol and the style is fresh and light, without an excess of acidity.

White wines

Chardonnay is usually the first varietal to be picked at Triennes, towards the end of September. It is pressed upon arrival at the winery, though a portion of the grapes may undergo some skin contact. After a short decanting, the wine is put in barrels or tanks (the percentage of barrels depends on the size of the vintage), where it undergoes both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. The barrels come from Domaine Dujac and are between one and three wines old. Temperature is kept under 25°C and bâtonnages are frequent (once a week) during fermentation; they are gradually reduced subsequently. The wine is bottled nine to eleven months after harvest. The time of bottling is decided by tasting.

The picking of the Viognier begins about 10 days after that of the Chardonnay. It is vinified very much like the rosé, with a larger proportion of the grapes undergoing skin contact. The vinification is geared to express the natural exuberance and aromatic quality of the grape. At no time do the wines go through oak in order to conserve the purity of fruit of Viognier. Jacques' ideal of wine has always been about harmony and the Viognier is no exception to this. The first few years were spent adapting the winemaking so that the nose and the palate reflected one another.

Red wines

The early vintages of Triennes were vinified very much like Jacques had vinified Pinot Noir: with minimum oxidation, and gentle extraction techniques. With Syrah and Bordeaux varietals, this didn't prove to be the best approach: the wines came out very closed, with some reduction. Syrah needs considerable aeration to counter its reductive tendencies. Cabernet and Merlot are somewhat similar. Pigeages were replaced by an increase of remontages and even délestages (wine is run out of the tank into another, and then pumped over the cap of grapeskins), now done on a daily basis during the alcoholic fermentation. There also was a problem with the wines lacking in roundness, so in the summers of 1995 and 1996, Jacques visited winemakers in Bordeaux, at Lynch-Bagès, Pichon-Baron and Mouton-Rothschild, and in California, where he talked to Paul Draper (Ridge), John Kongsgaard (formerly at Newton, now Luna), Tony Soter (Araujo and Etude) and the Mondavi winemaking team. It was generally suggested that a longer time of maceration might lead to a greater polymerisation of tannins and to more roundness. From 1995 onwards, experiments have been led in that direction, and the reds are now kept in tank for 23 days to a month. As a result of this, malolactic sometimes happens in the tanks. At the end of the malolactic fermentation, the wines are put into former Dujac barrels (one to four wines old) for a period of a year, to mature on their fine lees. They are then blended in tanks prior to bottling. Trials have been taking place to find the most suitable fining agent with some interesting results for a new type of gelatine. None of the reds are filtered.

Triennes makes two blended red wines as well as the single varietal wines. Les Auréliens is a blend of Cabernet-Sauvignon Syrah and Merlot. The 1997 Saint-Auguste is made from a selection of our best Cabernet-Sauvignon and Syrah.

Grape variety	Surface area
Cinsault	bought from our neighbors (old vines)
Chardonnay	4.36 ha
Viognier	12.71ha
Syrah	7.7 ha
Merlot	5.11 ha
Cabernet	12.05 ha
Total Acreage (in production)	41.93 ha