Pruning gets rid of the old wood and determines future growth.

In Saint-Emilion, the Single Guyot and Double Guyot techniques are used (leaving one or two twigs on the plant).

Pruning is an operation that demands both care and know-how, since it requires a keen sense of observation and analysis on the part of the winegrower. It is an all-important link in the chain of quality that leads to a great wine.

Pruning involves eliminating wood so as to limit the development of the trunk and the number of buds. This makes for even production throughout the vineyard.

There is a difference between “training”, which shapes the trunk in the first few years after planting, and pruning proper, which determines the production of the mature vine.

Pruning reduces the number of shoots, fixes the number of buds and so determines the quality and quantity of future production. There is no fixed standard for pruning, as each vine has to be treated individually; a stunted plant cannot stand being cut back to the same extent as a more vigorous one.

The pruner has to estimate the ideal “load” – the number of buds – for each plant, to ensure a satisfactory number of grape clusters and a satisfactory level of maturity. Also, pruning is done differently according to the planting density (the number of plants per hectare) and the grape variety.

Pruning can take place any time between December and March, from two to three weeks after the leaves fall until the last week before budburst.

In Saint-Emilion, the vines are pruned using the Guyot cut. Starting from the trunk, this method leaves:

- one long twig with 5 to 8 buds; the length of the twig varies according to the vigour of the trunk,

- a spur with 2 buds, which will be for pruning the next year.

The rest of the wood is removed and is often burned in a special burner that follows the pruners around the vineyard.

There are two types of Guyot cut:

- Single Guyot: one long twig and one spur,

- Double Guyot: two long twigs (shorter than for the Single Guyot)(see picture).

This pruning method requires a training system of posts and wires to support the plant (trunk and shoots) and foliage, and makes it possible to mechanize some of the vineyard work such as trimming and spraying.