Clear Skies over Bordeaux
September 28th 2008, by Gavin
It’s late and the harvest would have been a shocker if it hadn’t been for this fine, dry spell during the second half of September. And Bordeaux is a beautiful city when the skies are blue.
“Two things surprised me about Bordeaux,” wrote Paul Shearer in an article in the Financial Times, back in June. “The first was the breathtaking beauty of the place. The second was the warmth of the welcome from the Bordelaises.”
Seven Days in a Week
September 27th 2008, by Gavin
Saturday morning, 4.30am. While France sleeps, the competition are working.
I used to make the mistake of thinking that we had five days in a week in which we could harvest, from monday to friday. I then worked out that nature doesn’t take the weekend off, so Daniel, Nelly and I now focus on simply getting the timing right. Having not picked since wednesday 17th, the old semillon vines in Les Trois Hectares are ready to go. The grapes taste great, the analysis looks good, and the weather forecast is a worry for the middle of next week - and we’ve got a lot of white grapes out there. Over 13 hectares, in fact, or 33 acres. We could harvest the whole lot in a day but we’d lose the morning freshness.
Cutting Away Unwanted Grapes
September 26th 2008, by Gavin
The lovely, dry weather gives us the double benefit of waiting for the grapes to ripen and the chance for us to ditch any bunches which are affected by botrytis or rot before they are picked. As well as Nelly, Daniel and Samira, we’ve got Clementine (right) and Ronan staying with us to help out. This week we’ve been snipping away at the white grapes - the sauvignon blanc and the semillon.
It’s chilly and dry in the mornings, which helps to stop any rot spreading, but jackets are off later in the day.
Dinner with Oz and a Private Book Signing
September 24th 2008, by Gavin
Our good friend Oz Clarke came to Bordeaux last night to launch his new book, ‘Bordeaux - the wines, the vineyards, the winemakers’. I’ve got a copy or two of the earlier version, published by Webster’s, but the updated hardback from his new publisher, Anova, is a far more impressive affair. The Bordeaux Wine Bureau (Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux) were handing out free French versions to invited guests, with Oz signing merrily. I took one as a birthday present for Daniel, our vineyard manager, but we can’t decipher what Oz wrote.
In Honour of Didier Dagueneau
September 21st 2008, by Gavin
We were saddened to read about the untimely death of Didier Dagueneau, who was killed flying a microlite at the age of 52 last wednesday. ‘Dagueneau was known worldwide as an outspoken and brilliant winemaker’, reported decanter.com.
Many years ago, Angela and I went to see Dagueneau’s artisanal set-up near Pouilly in the Loire, where he had ‘decided to make the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Not at all pretentious for someone who’s been making wine for two years.’
Start of the Harvest: Night Attack
September 17th 2008, by Gavin
We began the harvest this morning at 4 o’clock. We’ve hired the same man and his impressive machine that we’ve used since 2006, bringing in the grapes really cold and fresh before dawn. The flavours of the sauvignon blanc, from early ripening young vines, are superb. And with the early start, a Full Moon and the chill of the night, the grapes are fresh, crisp and juicy - with little risk of oxidation as they come into our winery within minutes of being picked.
All Systems Go
September 16th 2008, by Gavin
We’ll start harvesting tomorrow. A parcel of sauvignon blanc, new vines which we planted in 2004 on gravel and clay soils, are tasting delicious and aromatic. Sugar levels are high at just over 13% potential alcohol and the acidity has lowered over the last few week to the optimum level. It’s the taste that counts though - and one of the many things I like about sauvignon blanc is that the flavours you find in the grapes are just like those that you’ll find in the wine. Assuming you don’t cock it up, which is easy to do.
Here Comes the Sun
September 15th 2008, by Gavin
After a lovely July, a mixed August and a dodgy start to September, we need sunshine. And, mercifully, the forecast looks good. In 2007, September sunshine saved the harvest (as happened in 2002), and although each and every year is different, it looks like the same could be true for 2008. The problem is that this will be a late harvest, and more than likely the latest we’ve seen. We don’t just need sun, we need three to four weeks of it.
We have one parcel which will be ready before all the others - this week in fact - a block of sauvignon blanc vines which we planted in 2004.
The Bordeaux Marathon
September 9th 2008, by Gavin
We hosted a small team from Gordon Ramsay’s this weekend as they took part in the Médoc marathon on saturday. ‘Taking part’ is an apt expression because it’s more of a stage show or a carnival than a serious race. A glimpse of the 8000 competitors from all over the world, mostly in fancy dress and running through the vineyards of some of the most prestigious estates in the world, is certainly worth a detour.
Stuart Gillies, the chef from Boxwood Café in London, organised the trip as a birthday present for his boss, Chris Hutcheson. Chris is the father of Gordon’s wife Tana, and he runs the Ramsay empire while his son-in-law does his stuff in front of the cameras or in the kitchen.
Saint-Emilion on the Left Bank. In Paris.
September 5th 2008, by Gavin
One perk of being an accidental wine critic (for Wine & Spirit magazine) is that I get invited to taste some very good wines in lovely surroundings. This time it was a line-up of mature (or maturing) vintages of Premiers Grands Crus Classés from Saint Emilion in a private dining room at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris. With the TGV taking just 3 hours from Bordeaux - and costing around €60 each way for a first class ‘IDTGV’ ticket booked over the web - it’s an easy and affordable day trip. The lunch was arranged by the Groupement de PGCCs de St-Emilion for a handful of wine writers from around the world to meet the owners of the 14 chåteaux involved. For me, there was the added advantage of catching up with people like Neal Martin (above right, chatting to Philippe Castéja of Château Trottevielle, with Nicolas Thienpont of Pavie Macquin looking on). Neal has had a meteoric rise to wine-writing stardom since his Wine-Journal website was merged into erobertparker.com a couple of years ago.