October: looking back on the past months…
Those with a more pessimist side would say that times and climate are changing. Is that due to nature’s whims or global warming? Remember that sweet month of February when the temperature rose up to 16-20° in Gironde, as almost everywhere in France. July was extremely hot with temperature records (41° ! in Bordeaux) and a dry period continuing all summer long. What is certain is that a winemaker’s life is a real Rush! For the third consecutive year, we had to face up the climate hazards, this time with a frost event that effectively destroyed up to half the harvest. Fortunately the rest of our vines are doing pretty good and we have been spared any mildew attack. The summer was significantly warm and dry, which has clearly impacted the volume of the berries. The bunches are small and we can expect a slightly lower crop yield. Luckily we experienced great variations in temperatures in September and cool nights during ripening had a good effect on the maturation of the grapes, involving a perfect state of health of the fruits. Now the stage is set for a beautiful vintage.
In short, the year’s crop is shaping up to be of good quality, if not big!
September 12, 2019
First ripeness checking before harvesting. The berries already have some lovely flavors!
September 20, 2019
The harvest began on September 20 for our young plots of merlot, cabernet and malbec. Berries affected by spring frosts were the first to be harvested, by hand to preserve their quality as much as possible. Our late-ripening parcels of Montagne Saint-Emilion were harvested one more week later.