The legendary Combe d’Enfer is a spectacular and formidable place: a natural amphitheatre enclosed between two steep walls, which descends the slope and captures extreme heat: up to 40°C in summer near the walls, which explains its evocative name.
It should be noted that there is a significant difference in maturity between the left side (facing west) and the right side (facing east). They therefore benefit from almost opposite orientations: the right side is very hot and arid, with poor soil; this contrasts sharply with the left side, which faces east, is cooler and has richer soil. It is also the part that is most quickly shaded by the ridge at the edge of the valley.
The terroir rests on ancient geological formations from the Aiguilles Rouges mountain range: gneiss, crystalline schist and granite are sometimes mixed with glacial moraines and pebbles. These thin soils, poor in organic matter, are very well-drained and allow the vines to develop deep roots. The steep slopes require cultivation on terraces, supported by dry stone walls, built and maintained by hand. Access is difficult, which means that all work must be done manually. It is a vineyard of hard work and passion, where each plot is conquered at the cost of considerable physical effort.
The microclimate also plays an essential role. The heat accumulated during the day and released at night creates a hot, dry environment. It is a terroir on which we grow a few grape varieties, including the very capricious Cornalin, which yields a harvest only every other year, more or less. But when it does, it can produce wines of remarkable uniqueness.
