A member of the Charlois group since 2018, Tonnellerie Marchive benefits from 13 generations of forestry and stave-making expertise.
With this unique experience, it is able to secure its supply of 100% PEFC stave wood and ensure that this wood complies with its own stringent specifications, thus contributing to the long-term reproducibility of its range of oak barrels.
This affiliation, which reflects a combination of different expertise, also represents a sharing of values, in particular, the respect of good forestry practices and the use of every part of the rare oaks (over 100 years old) used in cooperage.
Defects are prevented thanks to a strict protocol of analysis and control of the wood in the stave mill. These controls are part of our HACCP procedures certified by Bureau Veritas.
After leaving the stave mill, the staves are transported to the Tonnellerie Marchive yard for 24 to 36 months of open-air seasoning.
During this period, the wind, rain and sun work together to achieve three objectives that are essential to the quality of the future barrel:
– Mechanical: the stave pieces go from a moisture content of about 70% to 15% by the end of the seasoning period allowing them to be worked properly in the cooperage.
– Oenological: the porosity of the wood increases and this will facilitate gas exchange (microoxygenation) which will benefit the wine, creating texture and stabilising its colour.
– Organoleptic: the period of seasoning reduces some of the wood’s undesirable characteristics (greenness, harsh tannins, etc.) while releasing the precursors of the desired aromas that will be brought out by the toasting process and subsequently found in the wine.
In addition to the Charlois Group’s forestry and stave-making expertise, there is that of Tonnellerie Marchive’s own coopers. After 24 to 36 months of seasoning, the stave wood is shaped by the coopers into staves which are then assembled together using a hoop at each end and based on the prestressing principle which utilises the flexibility of the staves. This prestressing, calculated according to the wood’s yield strength, is useful for the next step: the bending process.
The staves thus assembled inside the temporary hoops are placed over a fire fuelled by oak offcuts from the workshop. The increase in temperature and regular water spraying prepare the staves for the bending process.
During this stage, the staves are progressively tightened until they are perfectly joined together.
Next comes the bousinage stage: this process brings out the aromatic molecules present in the oak and developed during the staves’ seasoning. The barrels are placed over new braziers which are also fed by the oak offcuts from the production process. The barrels are turned several times in order to obtain uniform toasts. This stage is crucial, as it is during this stage that the oak will release its organoleptic qualities.
Tonnellerie Marchive offers the traditional toasts (light, medium, medium+ and heavy) and other special toasts created by its coopers to meet the needs of winemakers and the demands of fine wine lovers. It has thus developed the Infinite toast for fine white wines and the Respect toast dedicated to fine red wines. While the staves for the heads are assembled using a jointing system which will ensure that they are watertight, the ends of each barrel are trimmed and thus prepared to receive the barrel heads. The fullyassembled barrels are then tested to ensure that they are watertight.
Several stages of careful finishing, sanding, rehooping and laser marking then follow. The barrels are finally ready to be shipped throughout France and around the world.
