CEPS SICAVAC's massal selections

CEPS SICAVAC - Centre d’Expérimentation de Production et de Sélection du Service Interprofessionnel de Conseil Agronomique, de Vinification et d’Analyses du Centre – is a winegrower-led project dedicated to studying and preserving the genetic diversity of the Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Gamay grape varieties, as well as the quality of plant material.

The aim of CEPS SICAVAC is to produce scions from massal selection with wide genetic diversity. These scions are then supplied to partner nurseries, which must adhere to CEPS SICAVAC’s strict specifications to ensure the production of high-quality grafts sold under the CEPS SICAVAC trademark. Winegrowers are expected to anticipate their needs for new grafts a year in advance to guarantee optimal results.    
 

SPECIFICATIONS:
 

The CEPS SICAVAC specifications have been developed by a group of Centre-Loire winegrowers and SICAVAC technicians, based on insights gathered through consultations with companies specialising in plant or wood production (nurseries, technical institutes, trade bodies).

The CEPS SICAVAC specifications ensure the quality of new plants through a series of rules and regulations, including:

• Exclusion of potted plants: Plants must spend at least a full year outdoors in a nursery and be harvested after the natural fall of the leaves to allow complete shoot ripening.  
   
• Origin of plant material:    
  - All scions come from plots managed by CEPS SICAVAC.    
  - All rootstocks come from mother vines managed by the nursery, trained on a trellised system under the supervision of CEPS SICAVAC.  
   
• Growing conditions of bench-grafted vines:    
  - Herbicide-free    
  - Drip-irrigated  
   
• Regular nursery visits by CEPS SICAVAC staff to monitor:    
  - Batch traceability    
  - Nursery conditions    
  - Plant sorting prior to delivery  
   
• Transparency of the ordering and marketing process  
   
• Winegrower commitment: Orders must be placed one year in advance to ensure supply meets demand.    
   

To learn more about the creation of a CEPS SICAVAC vine

PLANT MATERIAL:
 

Massal-selected Sauvignon: Ceps Sicavac®Typicité and Ceps Sicavac®Excellence

From the early 2000s, Centre-Loire Wines placed genetic diversity and its preservation at the heart of its R&D projects. With the aim of safeguarding our heritage, the first massal selection was carried out.    
This selection identified 908 vines from 27 plots planted between 1920 and 1963, before the start of clonal selection.    
Over the next three years, these vines were monitored according to various criteria: varietal typicity, vine behaviour, ripening, and sanitary status (harvest and viral analyses).    
At the end of this period, in 2005, 267 vines were selected, multiplied, and planted across three mother plots, forming the Sicavac Massal Selection now available to winegrowers in the Centre-Loire.    
Each lineage was planted in series of five or ten vines on two of the three plots. After a further four years of monitoring, from 2009 to 2012, the selection was refined and defined, giving rise to the two Sicavac massal selections: Typicité and Excellence.

Massal-selected Pinot Noir: GEsT Sicavac®Pinot noir

The pinot noir massal selection is made of 147 vines from 6 plots of mother vines in Côte de Beaune, Côte de nuit and Maconnais. These six plots were selected from many plots explored by winegrowers, each of whom developed their own massal selection.

Massal-selected Gamay: GesT Sicavac®Gamay

The Gamay massal selection comes from two mother-vine plots, themselves derived from numerous plots in the Beaujolais and Mâconnais regions. The two mother-vine plots are in the Mâconnais. This selection, completed in 2024, comprises 68 vines.

Rootstocks: 

Rootstocks are essential elements for the success of a planting or replanting. Choosing the right one requires knowledge of the soil, the climate of the plot, and the style of wine you wish to produce. Today, many rootstocks are available under the CEPS SICAVAC brand.    
 

CONTACT:

CEPS SICAVAC SAS - 9, route de Chavignol - F-18300 SANCERRE
cepssicavac@orange.fr

Jean-Baptiste Roblin – Responsable
jeanbaptisteroblin@ceps-sicavac.com