Marie-Pierre Iché gets us up to speed on Oupia in 2012.

September 24th, 2012

Our harvest started on September 6th with the whites. Our newly planted Viognier was of high quality: the wine is already vinified and balanced (13%, medium acidity, round and generous). I get citrus rind, white flowers and dry apricots.

Next was the Roussanne, a new experience for us that is looking very promising.

On September 10th, the Syrah got in the mix. The skins' maturity was much more advanced than the pulp's, so the grapes came in ripe and lower in alcohol (which isn't a bad thing). On certain parcels, the heterogeneous sanitary state of the grapes led us to a very thorough sorting to assure the highest quality. The results in the cellar are more than satisfactory.

Our acquisition of a pneumatic press this year gave us the opportunity to make press rosé with the Syrah, which gives the wine a new palate, geared more towards minerality and finesse.

The reds are currently macerating. It will was a naturally tannic vintage, so we will decrease our usual maceration time. We are still waiting a little longer for the Grenache, as they have not yet reached optimal maturity. Same for the old Carignan, who need even more time.