3,000 vines have been planted on the side of the Haillecourt slag heap, in Pas-de-Calais.
The year 2020 will mark the eighth cuvée of Charbonnay, whose harvest was disrupted by the health crisis but embellished by the sunshine and little rainfall in recent months.
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To access the Haillecourt vines, you have to take a small path then zigzag on the side of the slag heap.
On this small hill made up of mining residues, characteristic of Pas-de-Calais, 3,000 vines have been planted.
After the harvest, the reasons will give a white wine called "Charbonnay", a nod to the past of the mine and to the cultivated grape variety.
Pruner in hand and hiking boots on his feet, Lauriane climbs up the slag heap, swallowing the 80% drop with a good pace.
"It is worth going to the vines of the slag heap. We are a little out of breath, with the mask it will be the constraint. But hey, we have the right to breathe", she smiles.
"It's a dream for winegrowers in Bordeaux or in the South!"
The Charbonnay is in its eighth cuvée.
But the harvests are a little reduced this year.
"During the two months of confinement, there was a total absence of passage in the vineyard. Like all plants, it nevertheless requires to be looked after and maintained every week", explains the winemaker Olivier Pucek.
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For Henri Jammet, also a winegrower, this 2020 harvest does benefit from a few positive points.
First, the sunshine, exceptional in recent months in Pas-de-Calais, and a relatively dry year.
"The grains are pretty, nicely browned. I bite the pips to see if they are very ripe. There I think we will have a wine around 12 °. That's good, it's a dream for wine growers in the Bordeaux or midday! "
The 2020 Charbonnay cuvée will be tasted next year.
It will take around 50 euros per bottle.