Planted on the clay-limestone hillsides of Saint-Hippolyte at around 100 meters above sea level, Ferrand is one of the highest vineyards in the Saint-Émilion appellation.  It looks down onto a curve in the Dordogne valley and enjoys ideal exposure to the winds.  Following a process of mapping the soil and subsoil and of winegrowing plot regrouping, Château de Ferrand undertook a programme of replanting, tailoring its choice of plant material to the estate’s different soil types.  Planting density was increased sharply to 8,300 vines per hectare as replanting work was completed.  The leaf to fruit ratio was increased, significantly improving the quality of each harvest.  At Ferrand, the vine is an organism that needs to be taken care of, just like the soils and humans.  Pruning, trellising, disbudding, shoot removal, trimming, leaf thinning, green harvests, vineyard monitoring in the summer, and finally harvesting: vine training is not just an attentive process, it is also consistent with the estate’s particular ecosystem.