producers visit

<p><strong><em>This visit with Fran&ccedil;ois Cazin took place&nbsp;in July, 2013.</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Words by Jules Dressner, photos by John Kafarski and Jules Dressner.</em></strong></p> <p>It&#39;s kind of nuts when you think about about it, but we&#39;ve been working with&nbsp;Cazin for over 20 years! That&#39;s two decades of <glossary title="867">Romo</glossary> for the American people, and Fran&ccedil;ois&#39;s discovery is a pretty funny story.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> According to David Lillie of&nbsp;<a href="http://chambersstwines.com/" target="_blank">Chambers Street Wines</a>&nbsp;(then working as <glossary title="602">Loire</glossary> kingpin at&nbsp;<a href="http://ttp://www.garnetwine.com/">Garnet Wine and Spirits</a>), he and my father were at the&nbsp;<glossary title="904">Salon&nbsp;des Vins de Loire</glossary>&nbsp;in the early 90&#39;s, looking for a <glossary title="283">Cheverny</glossary> producer. They were so jazzed about finding a new <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> that after word got around, the department of the <glossary term="Loir-et-Cher" title="601">Loir-et-Cher</glossary> decided to start an annual festival in hopes of attracting more American importers.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//3c/c7/3cc7b96dac10a25f0314edd404fbe48e.jpg" /><br /> <br /> It just so happened that the <glossary title="283">Cheverny</glossary> <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary> had its own section (a rectangular stand of producers that still exists today), and in a completely improvised maneuver, David and Joe tasted alone, starting in opposite directions, trying all 15 producers before comparing notes. Without saying who it was, both agreed that only one truly stuck out of the pack. It was none other than&nbsp;Thierry Puzelat!<br /> <br /> Just kidding, it was totally Fran&ccedil;ois.<br /> <br /> Speaking of Fran&ccedil;ois (who after all is the subject of this post), look at some pictures of his nice house!</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//e8/7e/e87eb37a076bea166019d9132bb850ff.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//5c/20/5c208f03eab7bf79d71c5b966c463444.jpg" /><br /> <br /> His cat Boinko didn&#39;t trust us, choosing to stay high in the trees.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//1b/f4/1bf4d233e6d73327c16049df6d42e5e9.jpg" /><br /> <br /> The first <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> we visited 0.7 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>&nbsp;of young <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> planted in 2003.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//80/53/8053f793b8692f686d809d1e27344f02.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//05/d9/05d9be0ae3fa527a439b3ec6deb38dc9.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Fran&ccedil;ois planted these in the fall, which is unusual since vines are usually planted in the early summer, because you don&#39;t want them to be in their infancy going into the winter. But due to the exceptionally hot 2003&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> it ended up working in his favor. Winning!<br /> <br /> Fran&ccedil;ois has just started working the soils on this young plantation.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//75/bd/75bde41b03d3b859b949a006d7d60abb.jpg" /></p> <p>2013 is shaping to be another challenging year due to too much grass, in itself due to too much rain. Like everyone else, Fran&ccedil;ois is fearing&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1136">hail</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> especially after their <a href="http://louisdressner.com/harvest-reports/2012/?producer=454" target="notSet">devastating 2012</a>.<br /> <br /> A little further on the same site are some older <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> vines planted in&nbsp;1958.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//fe/93/fe93f357abd6ccbffac2ae015d66bb73.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//e0/10/e0108023697e50dae27607c1742afa22.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//cf/ab/cfab8173675da9b746f45cd48fea5a85.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Past the 1958&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romo</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="1201">Sauvignon Rose</glossary> is planted in <glossary title="909">sand</glossary> soils, along with more young <glossary title="867">Romo</glossary> that will go into production this year.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <glossary title="867"><strong>ROMO</strong></glossary><strong> FACTOID 1:</strong>&nbsp;You can easily spot a <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> vine by its red&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="232">canes</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//ae/9b/ae9bdedf7428cc4e2620f05040761644.jpg" /><br /> <em><glossary title="867"></glossary></em></p> <p><glossary title="867"><strong>ROMO</strong></glossary><strong> FACTOID 2:</strong>&nbsp;<glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> vines are highly affected by winds, because the (red) <glossary title="232">canes</glossary> are very soft and could easily snap off. To counteract this, Fran&ccedil;ois has started using polyester lines instead of barb wire because they are more flexible, thus offering better grip.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//31/5e/315eb4ea9f26529891f674c594fa7b5b.jpg" /></p> <p>Winning!<br /> <br /> The third <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> we drove to consists of <glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//27/eb/27eb48a5e82b3cb86d4533a142b0ec78.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//df/5a/df5a92e90872242b321977fd862a9fd5.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//13/46/1346916b3d5843fcb16c901332ac0ad8.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//90/0a/900ad78ca7affdb372ab4a1dd54afbb0.jpg" /></p> <p>This was one of the first <glossary title="1133">plots</glossary> Fran&ccedil;ois rented when he started in 1980. He now owns it, and has replanted <glossary title="805">Pinot</glossary> where <glossary title="217">Sauvignon</glossary> used to be. The soils are composed of <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> and <glossary title="909">sandy</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="301">clay</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> The <glossary title="206">buds</glossary> here were just starting to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">flower</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//52/63/52630540b3cf74299d035a437c9df144.jpg" /><br /> <br /> We then drove to a <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> of <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> on heavy <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> soils planted in 1976. A team of two guys on the tractor were doing a&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="409">d&eacute;cavaillonage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the process of removing soil formed around the base of a vine, thus permitting <glossary title="73">aeration</glossary> in warmer months.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//42/6a/426ad6c969095121c1dbca64e9e539da.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//e7/28/e728704d5ade307c6407719714872aaf.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//d2/40/d2405c2dc43f57c4fb3f4b181b5ed613.jpg" /><br /> <br /> <em>&quot;You have to do it with two&nbsp;people, because with this much grass, it&#39;s impossible to see what you&#39;re doing from the driver&#39;s seat.&quot;</em><br /> <br /> The last <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> we visited was right by the Cazin&#39;s house, 85 year old <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> planted in in 1928.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//49/61/4961b5cf7e8ca3406247d96e647a52a4.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//2d/c1/2dc176fd23f54cb921af02410b801e89.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//0b/b8/0bb846428a1aa71305822fe6bd781a15.jpg" /><br /> <br /> <em>&quot;These are as old as my dad! They were planted by grandfather the year he was born.&quot;</em><br /> <br /> These are apparently the oldest vines of <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="283">Cheverny</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and therefore&nbsp;<strong>THE WORLD</strong>. Everything has to be done <glossary title="520">manually</glossary> here, because of solid coat of <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> directly underneath the superficial soil.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> It goes without saying that these are 100% in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="941">massale</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and Fran&ccedil;ois swears that these are in better shape than the vast majority of his other vines.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;The </em><glossary title="304"><em>clonal selection</em></glossary><em> on the other side of the house is much younger, but there is way more mortality.&quot;</em><br /> <br /> We ended the visit by tasting, and everything is delicious. The only real thing to take note of (besides there being next to no wine) is that the <glossary title="283">Cheverny</glossary> <glossary title="163">Blanc</glossary> is 95% <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> in 2012 because Fran&ccedil;ois lost almost all of his&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Here are pictures of Priscilla the cat.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//49/6f/496fa96855a6e8aaf6e6be88fb943603.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//0a/dc/0adca1c4c37850b1806340eb1c1746b4.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//8e/73/8e73075456aaccf5b46780cc967d6680.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//4c/cc/4ccc7c81345e66da2449908f3d03540f.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_02//32/61/326182609a069cd72912a947b17bc1d2.jpg" /><br /> &nbsp;</p>

harvest report

<p>2023, not so easy...</p> <p>From <glossary term="Budding" title="1166">bud break</glossary> to the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span>&nbsp;extreme climate once again put us up against&nbsp;major challenges. April was fresh and humid; we avoided any <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> but this weather persisted with regular rainfall up until early June, forcing us to be very attentive to the vines in regards to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> By mid-June the weather had gotten warmer, which was favorable to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">flowering</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It also felt like 2023 was going to be more precocious than the last few&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintages</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The summer was very dry up until mid-August, but the weather became very stressful for the second half of the month, alternating between brief rainfalls and really hot days which complicated the grapes&#39;&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturation</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p>The red grapes suffered most from this capricious weather, but we had to wait as the the sugar levels were still too low to pick. We began the 2023 <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> on September 11th with the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinots</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which required a tremendous amount of <glossary term="Sorting" title="1380">sorting</glossary> work in the vines and in the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> to salvage usable grapes. Things did however go a lot more smoothly with the white grapes: the <glossary term="Chardonnay" title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> were low <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yielding</glossary> but very ripe and the <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignons</glossary> were generous (40 to 50<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary>) and very balanced, with <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potentials</glossary> between 12% and 13% depending on the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">Fermentations</glossary> ended in early November for most of the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">vats</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p>By September 25th, we were ready to pick the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We prioritized the young vines: the sugars were showing <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potentials</glossary> of 13% but the <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> is still nice and present. As were the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which came in around 40 to 50&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We ended with the old vines, which of course were low&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yielding</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romo</glossary> juices are very promising, and they too finished <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermenting</glossary> in November.</p> <p>After four weeks of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvesting</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> everyone is tired but we feel satisfied with the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I&#39;m waiting to see how the reds evolved by the Spring, but for now things are rather promising.</p> <p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/8b/54/8b54297e45910ce9d5b33d2ad2d88dca.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/4a/e5/4ae5c22c4f2fe63b4d9c29bb5b921ac8.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/b1/f4/b1f4df9e22295f59afafeffbbb338e55.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/d1/67/d167966813061b3486510cdb59f3201d.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/7f/59/7f5927b957ad6a4d40f7af1ea4949a6f.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/a3/91/a39132bfd6f22ed8d71d7449aa031dbf.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/77/2d/772d0c2217dbf0eefc0b085699ec771d.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/84/0f/840f40dd98d4fbf4b871f9073012ef80.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//999/b7/85/b785d11c2bf6e0275c3c26bf64e256df.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>2022 was full of unexpected twists. It was a capricious&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but finally everything turned out well.</p> <p>Following the cold mornings in March and early April, we did not suffer significant losses from <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary><span class="zalup"><span><span>.</span></span></span> From May onwards, we had to face a major&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Drought" title="1167">drought</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Maintaining the land and getting rid of competing grass became essential to preserve resources of remaining water in the soil.</p> <p><glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">Flowering</glossary> took place under good conditions, but a period of violent storms in late June/early July had us trembling. One in particular was incredibly violent and traversed the <glossary term="Loir-et-Cher" title="601">Loir et Cher</glossary> on June 19th, passing east of <glossary term="Cheverny" title="283">Cheverny</glossary> and severely affecting many&nbsp;of our neighbors in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Touraine" title="1036">Touraine</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> But we were not touched, save for about 10 minutes of very small hailstones that did not damage our just-formed&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cluster/Bunch" title="1138">bunches</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p>From that period the summer remained dry and hot; the young vines really suffered here. But one positive aspect was that we did not have to worry or protect the vines from <glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary> from June 20th onwards: this has never happened here before! On the flip-side, we had to keep a maximum of foliage to try and keep the <glossary term="Cluster/Bunch" title="1138">bunches</glossary> covered for risk of them getting sunburned.</p> <p>We&nbsp;waited until September 5th to begin the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which was wise as the summer heatwaves began to subside and rain in the very first days of the month benefitted the grapes&#39;&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We had to be quick in <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvesting</glossary> the <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary>&nbsp; before the sugars became too high. With an average <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yield</glossary> of 3<span class="zalup"><span>0<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/ha</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the first juices are quite promising.</p> <p>The <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignons</glossary> were followed by the <glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot</glossary> and <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary> - a great <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> for the red grapes, remarkable even for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot</glossary><span>:</span></span></span> fantastic grapes, good <glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannins</glossary> and color.</p> <p>To top things off, it was an exceptional <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Despite the constant&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Drought" title="1167">drought</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> are quite satisfying, 30<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/ha</glossary> on the <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary> and 50<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/ha</glossary> on the young ones. Despite some very precocious&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the last <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> of <glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romo</glossary> was&nbsp;picked on October 4th; the <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidities</glossary> have been conserved throughout after <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentation</glossary> and it makes us think we will produce a stand out&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p>Fran&ccedil;ois, Claudie</p> <p>Henri, Onorine</p> <p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/81/6a/816adb54aeeb81770291b6acda6e4881.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/68/b8/68b86da741ebb4f53bdae6b08a68704d.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/90/2b/902bb60b0ba63ad391abd7c1330f352c.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/6d/5c/6d5c53aaca04428459845b45f3c9e9ed.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/5d/8b/5d8ba89128d943299bd93b449285532a.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/6c/ba/6cbaeed2330606f426792c130db04f63.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/5f/5a/5f5a85c90bdb91c1fbab9c8202013d82.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/63/01/63019c1bade6482ab5ca0bf3fe4edcf4.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/5a/9e/5a9e7be04012bcd8776a3b61df6552fe.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/f6/c0/f6c0356029a41bf5b170b40bd3b82a1b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/b2/d9/b2d964ccc64a4d66fd615cc031515001.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/8e/f1/8ef128c2d4b7610d45c564bd70888c6d.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/08/7b/087ba3f18f78280c43f85a5f60544ef4.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/7c/76/7c76a09568dc456f0b3659d3ba20f3fb.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/f7/22/f722efa7ab10f04973fbfe64be38b38d.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//966/9d/cd/9dcdab39020c2ab794efdea8389c816a.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>This &quot;1&quot; year will not have spared us (<strong><em>trans note</em></strong>- there is a superstition amongst <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vignerons</glossary> that <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintages</glossary> ending in 1 are notoriously difficult), the <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> snap between April 6th to the 12th greatly damaged <glossary term="Bud" title="206">buds</glossary> that had precociously started breaking. After all these years of <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> -2019, 2017, 2016, 2012- we have been forced to organize our work differently, most notably by delaying <glossary term="Pruning" title="834">pruning</glossary> on the most&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary><span>-</span></span></span>prone&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> buying an anti<span class="zalup"><span><span>-</span><glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> </span></span>tower in a sector that covers many <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> and laying down candles in the most isolated&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plots</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In the end these efforts saved us a half-crop as the the <glossary term="Second Growth" title="937">second growth </glossary><glossary term="Bud" title="206">buds</glossary> were mostly spared. But then we had to face a humid spring and early summer favorable to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> meaning we were in the vines intervening non-stop to protect the <glossary term="Cluster/Bunch" title="1138">bunches</glossary> that had survived the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p>Our optimism came back with a dry and sunny August, letting the grapes&#39; <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturation</glossary> evolve positively and leading us to predict starting our <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> on September 15th. In a way this was a &quot;return to normal&quot; compared to the last few years were everything was way in advance. In the end we started on the 22nd with the <glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot</glossary> and <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> as the priority. We <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> very little <glossary term="Chardonnay" title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> (10<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary>) as this was the grape most impacted by&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The result is a <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> that will be fresh and balanced for the whites and in all likelihood lighter and fruitier for the reds, all with very satisfactory&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potentials</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p>We started picking the <glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romorantin</glossary> on October 6th and finished the 12th. We were pleasantly surprised to bring in 25<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary> with nice&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potentials</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We&#39;ll see where it&#39;s at after a year on the <glossary term="Lees" title="590">lees</glossary> and if it goes through <glossary term="Malolactic Fermentation" title="622">malo</glossary> or not.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//910/87/e1/87e19953588d741fb12f038e01b8e2e1.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//910/33/e6/33e68f0978b7a068fd9ec7693ef925b4.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//910/a6/96/a696bed120dd246e49c89d98bb1abb89.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>You can give 2020 a score of 20/20.</p> <p>Following in the continuity of 2018 and 2019, the vegetal cycle launched very early at the beginning of March and was followed&nbsp;by the &ldquo;shiver&rdquo; of our usual spring&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> this year to no grave consequence. This meant&nbsp;the potential for a full crop was in view for the entirety of the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> <glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">Flowering</glossary> took place in excellent condition and there was a total absence of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p>Our soil work in the spring went off beautifully without a hitch. It was very helpful and permitted our soils to retain the water they needed to get through the very hot, dry summer. Finally, a <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> with no major climactic disasters: it makes us hope this is still possible.</p> <p>It was a generous crop for the whites, high <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potentials</glossary> but enough <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> (you can taste a nice freshness as the <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentations</glossary> finish). <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">Yields</glossary> are a little lower than we&rsquo;d hoped on the reds (25 to 30<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary>) as they suffered more from the heat and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Drought" title="1167">drought</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> is very rich and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Concentration" title="324">concentrated</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> All the <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary> will be <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> as red and we&rsquo;ve reserved the <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> of <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">C&ocirc;t</glossary> for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">ros&eacute;</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which will be <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blended</glossary> with a little&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p>A special note about&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>:</span></span></span> <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary> are skyrocketing for this grape. We harvested everything from September 20th to the 30th. The quality is superb, with excellent <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> of 4<span class="zalup"><span>5<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It&rsquo;s going to be a very promising year for this grape; great freshness (most notably on the <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary>) and a great &quot;Renaissance&quot; to look forward to.</p> <p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/03/ae/03ae65b3f8ee5a1265c4db84e9322762.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/b6/0d/b60d57634a8401ec22bd12829d938023.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/df/62/df62781e097924657d4b0f26e600eaeb.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/07/e2/07e2ce616a1b1b801b47b334138daaac.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/c7/6c/c76cd967d213521d5e5b3808649123da.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/a4/58/a4580aa778bc75765d31dd11c73c6e3c.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/36/3e/363efaa5f15d1e80dd462d22e94a9d28.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/6d/9a/6d9ab4b1f662d7c402360723caeb878d.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//852/f0/e2/f0e23e398312eeee3389ef0d5c5c6ba2.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p><u><strong>October 20th, 2019:</strong></u></p> <p>2019: More Fear than Anything!&nbsp;</p> <p>After a complicated start with an episode of <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> in early May which affected our <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamays</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinots</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the <glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">flowering</glossary> in June announced a late&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> But a a cloudless sky with no rain and a heatwave from June 15th to September 20th changed that.&nbsp;</p> <p>We began harvesting on September 12th. Despite the dryness and hydric stress on the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Young Vines" title="1130">young vines</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> our first <glossary term="Chardonnay" title="271">Chardonnays</glossary> are promising and balanced juices. The hot September days made sugar levels rise so we quickly picked the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignons</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> With <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> of 30 <glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/ha</glossary> and higher <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidities</glossary> than 2018, we anticipate a good&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p>It was however a minuscule crop for reds, though the wines should be good if unusually&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Concentration" title="324">concentrated</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">ros&eacute;</glossary> will have a lot of freshness.&nbsp;</p> <p>We started picking <glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romorantin</glossary> on September 25th. The grapes were magnificent, some rain finally came and the <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary> were right to make <glossary term="Dry/Sec" title="405">dry</glossary> wine. The <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentations</glossary> are slow but the <glossary term="Aromatic" title="120">aromatic</glossary> expression is already very promising.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Oct_06//b5/26/b526c01780eaec324864a06b9467893d.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Oct_06//11/9e/119ed131a30d450adacafbdd6b5fef2c.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Oct_06//90/e9/90e910e2b21eeb9bf858f8a6e95ebecf.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Oct_06//87/1c/871c6bb8ac34d3c5b14e68e6cf1039af.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Oct_06//01/aa/01aa1d4d84c1492a8b5d98850d56f545.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Oct_06//4b/8d/4b8dc32db9c8abb2035357bdc42ebbb6.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Oct_06//f1/ea/f1ea6bb164c3e52778e2aa8f8ba8177f.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>2018 was the <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> we all were waiting for: a plentiful <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> with good quality.<br /> <br /> No climate problems despite a very humid spring and a very dry summer. <glossary title="1179">Flowering</glossary> was smooth, though we had to be very vigilant with&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1137">mildew</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> August to October was perfect, leading to optimal&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="639">maturities</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I&#39;d go as far as saying these are some of the best <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> I&#39;ve witnessed.<br /> <br /> Our <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> took place over the course of five weeks, from September 10th to mid-October. We had to pick the <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> and <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> quickly to avoid sugar levels getting too high. It will be a very rich <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> for the whites, but the <glossary term="Young Vines" title="1130">young vines</glossary> will bring a bit of much needed freshness.<br /> <br /> It&#39;s a superb <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> for the reds, with homogenous <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> for the <glossary title="805">Pinot</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> <glossary title="1129">Yields</glossary> were generous but not excessive, between 30 to 50&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The wines will show a nice roundness but also power.<br /> <br /> The first <glossary title="867">Romorantins</glossary> were picked on October 2nd. Despite very high sugar levels (14&deg;/15&deg;) the <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> will stabilize it and we expect a balanced result after the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//eb/45/eb45dadcd2672adb958780e918d7c506.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//94/88/948859ade573801fec90f7f1581f5c32.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//6b/ee/6bee84e83d651e734a0af4ced732312d.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//e9/a6/e9a63d8ef477f5acd551cb62add225d8.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//ff/6c/ff6ca25d2bf33e0fe948dc030f5eadb5.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//41/97/4197b550750dee716c899edfda903122.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>After the horrific <glossary title="1135">frosts</glossary> of April, all hope of a real&nbsp;<glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> was strongly compromised. Spring and summer, both warmer than 2016, permitted the vines to relaunch themselves in a way they could not in the previous year. Lo&nbsp;and behold, we still had grapes, particularly on the vines that were <glossary title="834">pruned</glossary> later in the season.<br /> <br /> The heat of the summer made the grape&rsquo;s <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> rise very quickly. We started picking on September 11th, with <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> lasting two weeks. Everything went really quickly, which is to be expected with the extremely low <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> of 10l&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span>/<glossary title="524">hl</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Only the <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> was a little more generous, as one <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> was spared from the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1135">frost</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> The whites are very ripe, with a high concentration of sugar but also good&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> For the reds, we had some pleasant surprises with the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinot</glossary><span>:</span></span></span> the wines are tense and with good&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="990">structure</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> was picked the last week of September, a tiny <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> with just &nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span>5<glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It was the most impacted grape of ours this&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//0f/1c/0f1c0857acf67c3878b8d0e115772494.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//1f/bb/1fbbfb35bd679205d7015bc1fd6956e0.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//89/e0/89e00e4db48301c3bd7c7dac939c2b58.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//3b/ef/3bef3fb735d83214499c44af3730c4a0.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//46/80/46804ae2e334425396edce3c33a05d36.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>This will have been my 40th <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> at Petit Chambord. Each year is of course different, but 2016 might hold a world record for &quot;year of all excess&quot;:<br /> <br /> -The worst will have been a long period of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1135">frost</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> from the 17th to the 27th of April<br /> -A &quot;monsoon&quot; from mid-May to mid-June, culminating in over 200mm of rain<br /> <span class="zalup"><span>-<font color="#7b143e"><b><glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">Mildew</glossary> pressure</b></font></span></span>&nbsp;during <glossary title="1179">flowering</glossary><br /> -An incredibly dry July to September<br /> -A heatwave in late August that burned grapes<br /> <br /> At least we had good weather for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which took place from September 26th to October 10th. It took just nine&nbsp;days to pick what nature left us, about 25% of a normal&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Fortunately, the quality is there, which very good&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="639">maturities</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The small rain on September 15th rejuvenated the vines a little, which was fortunate.<br /> <br /> The results are a lovely <glossary title="283">Cheverny</glossary> &nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="871">Ros&eacute;</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 100%&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="392">direct press</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> as the <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> were too low to properly <glossary title="610">macerate</glossary> and make reds. There will only be one <glossary title="363">cuv&eacute;e</glossary> of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="352">Cour-Cheverny</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> as the <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> particularly suffered from the <glossary title="1135">frost</glossary> (only 8 <glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary> <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary>). The quality, however is very promising, with a lot of <glossary title="324">concentration</glossary> thanks to the eastern winds in early October.<br /> <br /> We ended up with a very pleasant fall, which we took advantage of to cultivate the vines and work the soils.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//fa/29/fa2995cc4c2dbaa4b3aea8a0194745d9.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//3f/94/3f94cbdd3e995a124cbf730fac690e29.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//30/82/308225de815db3c6988273299a045ec1.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//73/20/73208873ac69ef11147fa5a1a727ff85.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//b3/9e/b39e56680bbbcaab2fd68226e46dd1bd.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//35/b9/35b995cc4ef5ac4692582cf70156a837.jpg" /></p> <p>This year, we finished <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> on October 2nd. Though it was a precocious vintage, we still decided to wait until September 10th to start. We began with the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="927">Sauvignons</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> prioritizing the <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> that suffered most from the summer&#39;s&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1167">drought</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Sugars were overall high in these vines, which were followed by the <glossary title="740">old vine</glossary> <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> and then the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Globally, the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> of whites is comparable to 2014, with a more generous amount of <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> compensating for the lack of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> Though the <glossary title="1381">alcoholic potential</glossary> was quite high, our <glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary> went well and the first <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> have developed the pretty aromas of white flowers. It was also a very nice <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> for reds, with superb grapes, particularly the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We barely had to <glossary title="1380">sort</glossary> grapes, the <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> were solid (35<glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary>) and the matter is very promising.<br /> <br /> Everything went very fast: in 10 days we brought in both the whites and the reds, in large part due to our effective team, who stayed jovial even through the bit of rain in mid-September. After a few days of rest, the <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> was in a great place, with the anticyclone winds in the last week of September leading to favorable&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="324">concentration</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In exceptionally precocious conditions, we began picking the <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> on September 28th.<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> are surprising, with sugar/<glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> balance rarely seen on this grape: 14 to 15&deg; <glossary title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary> against 5 to 6.5 grams of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It will be a fantastic <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> for&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> both for the <glossary title="405">dry</glossary> and the &quot;Renaissance&quot;.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//9f/3d/9f3de3dae12ee6ba176764cfe497c4ea.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//d6/15/d615032bb454ace0b4f6971408e3b58d.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ae/b2/aeb260a9e1dce0724ef9644203618eb0.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//a5/a4/a5a4096be73784b8975d8006d28a3845.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//1d/ea/1deafb909db6cc1421a9823aa1561bab.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//9a/44/9a44fe8a92e90cd30ee5628d47fb601d.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>Our team of 23 harvesters brought in the first <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> of <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> on Monday, September 22nd. Like so many others, we took advantage of the unexpected indian summer that helped balance the three prior months, which were quite capricious. For the first two weeks, we were <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> and <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> in straw hats!<br /> <br /> Everything was in a perfect sanitary state, with beautiful <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> and present&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We were a little disappointed in the <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1129">yields</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which were in the order of 2&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span>0<glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="927">Sauvignons</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> on the other hand, came out to a correct 4&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span>0<glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> <glossary title="441">Fermentations</glossary> have been going smoothly and should last about two&nbsp;weeks, since the sugars are in some cases above 13&deg;.<br /> <br /> We are very happy with the reds as well: excellent&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinot Noirs</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> decent <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> (30<glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary>), very ripe, nice color... We&#39;ll be be doing the <glossary title="410">d&eacute;cuvage</glossary> of the first <glossary title="1140">vat</glossary> next week. We brought in the last <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> of <glossary title="805">Pinot</glossary> on October 6th. These being our <glossary title="740">oldest vines</glossary> of red, the <glossary term="Concentration" title="324">concentration</glossary> was impressive and it will be <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> separately. Everything is good for the <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> as well, which as always is <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1124">whole-cluster</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The most fragile <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> were <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> before the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinots</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> After a week break due to rain, we <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary>&nbsp;two&nbsp;<glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> of <glossary title="1130">young vine</glossary> <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> planted from our own&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="941">massale selections</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In the end, we are incredibly satisfied with this&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which (for the time being) I compare to 2002 and 2008. Because the <glossary title="740">old vine</glossary> <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> is in great shape, we will wait out this nice weather to pick for a<font color="#7b143e"><strong>&nbsp;&quot;</strong></font>Cuv&eacute;e Renaissance&quot;, which is exciting and long overdue!</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//0a/10/0a10a52dfee0a03bbf95917b7502989e.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//c9/1c/c91c78f154c00e843b6b8fe62e02ac6b.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//3d/9b/3d9be921df5132cffa15b99606c93b4e.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//60/fd/60fd2cb21abd2c7c34773eb547b4b5ff.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//30/f0/30f07a557b0496c9e5323f5796841984.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//87/79/87795c24a06a28ccb6c82bece9bc3f8c.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//5d/ef/5def4e973118a5d02ea5ac3c89ee5cfc.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//4c/f9/4cf909cc8dcd88ce602ff5adebe77462.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//d8/2d/d82d2c81dea6429f80a593c967b4f5fb.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//c9/e9/c9e9275bdcaf713f72e0f3d883199f6c.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//4e/0b/4e0bea035117e036e8327350534f4595.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//f1/8c/f18c2e295afb41147ee08af1f56eea1a.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//3b/ad/3bad93480128e42fb56ed8b23beb7b9e.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ae/c2/aec2ff42eeaa9a2f0da301a8e64e4665.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//1e/64/1e64621b0d8b89c756eb8a0597cf233f.jpg" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

harvest report

<p>The days and weeks have been passing by, giving us much worry about this&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> On a positive note, there are grapes this year, but it was under very stressful &quot;against the clock&quot; scenario to avoid <glossary title="181">botrytis</glossary> on numerous&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="760">parcels</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> particularly the reds. We began on October 2nd, and did not stop until the 24th. Fortunately, our team was solid and invested in their work: we made a tremendous effort sorting at&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> followed by a systematic second <glossary term="Sorting" title="1380">sorting</glossary> of the reds.<br /> <br /> The result is encouraging, with the first <glossary title="365">cuves</glossary> of <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> finishing their <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary>; very fruity and a little bright as we wait for them to start their <glossary title="622">malo</glossary> to round them out. <glossary title="639">Maturities</glossary> are nothing exceptional but correct, with a <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potential</glossary> of 11&deg; to 12&deg;. <glossary title="1129">Yields</glossary> are moderate, from 25 to 40&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> We finished with the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> from the 20th to the 24th; nice <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> but the grapes didn&#39;t make the cut for &quot;Cuv&eacute;e&nbsp;Renaissance&quot;. The balance of the <glossary title="700">must</glossary> reminds me of 2008, and we expect nice <glossary title="363">cuv&eacute;es</glossary> for the <glossary title="405">dry</glossary> wines, most notably from the older vines, where the grapes were at their ripest.<br /> <br /> I&#39;ve attached some pictures from the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> as well as the celebration for the 20th anniversary of the <glossary title="283">Cheverny</glossary> and <glossary title="352">Cour-Chevery</glossary> <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary>&#39;s, which was a big success.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//b1/fb/b1fbb8010863c3bc4c6a5a683bb45eda.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//87/fc/87fc4da22b6777286132cb12e80baf97.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//5b/ad/5bad319c5562281ce8789ee1b0873270.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//62/3d/623d9ac24666137627071e159e824342.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//67/3a/673aafa9f94fad1ed681bf733bf7fdfe.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//3b/e1/3be15fb2e5c94346d4697f5eed3697f2.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//7b/ef/7befb865ae2e799c09adef44caab9b0b.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//aa/c0/aac033769302e4228e313b591c4aa5b0.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ff/f6/fff6b3bdd81a21a4a50b2ec3ed0de555.jpg" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

harvest report

<p>The grapes that survived the winter and spring&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="1135">frost</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="1137">mildew</glossary> and <glossary title="1252">coulure</glossary>&nbsp;are in the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Our 2012 <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> is over!<br /> <br /> We started with the <glossary title="927">Sauvignons</glossary> on September 25th, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the juice: rich in sugar (superior to 13%) and good&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> However, volume was extremely low; at 1<span class="zalup"><span>5<glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we only brought in about 30% of a normal&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//4f/db/4fdb0b19d9e680710486428bc37f6e6f.jpg" /></p> <p><glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> will be almost abscent in the <glossary title="168">blend</glossary> this year, with <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> inferior to 5&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The last times we had <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> this low was in 1991.<br /> <br /> Starting October 1st, we started on the reds: three&nbsp;days with 20 harvesters covered our eight&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="523">hectares</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We got in 27 <glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary> <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> of <glossary title="805">Pinot</glossary> and a little more <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> (which is <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> <glossary title="1124">whole-cluster</glossary>). For both reds, we have very good color and a lot of fruit so I&#39;m expecting something of great quality.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//ed/95/ed95803ba9b75c6eaac8808634e2401c.jpg" /></p> <p>At this point, we decided to break because the <glossary title="867">Romorantins</glossary> weren&#39;t ready: sugar levels were good but the <glossary title="71">acidities</glossary> were too high. But the weather chose not to be favorable for optimal&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="639">maturity</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so we called the team back on October 11th for a <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="">young vines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Then, on the 15th, we <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> our other <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> which include our very&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="740">old vines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In the end, we managed to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> 1<span class="zalup"><span>0<glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but it would have been worst if we&#39;d waited longer. There will be no <glossary title="363">cuv&eacute;e</glossary> Renaissance 2012, as I prefer making a single, <glossary title="405">dry</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="363">cuv&eacute;e</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> The one positive thing across the board was absence of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="181">botrytis</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> &nbsp;<br /> Here are some photos, including a vine of GOUAIS <glossary title="163">Blanc</glossary> (the only one we have!), which is apparently the ancestor of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> This is a very delicate grape, and yet this year it was in excellent condition!</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//fa/5f/fa5fdc149a30fc1f40ba2ad5e421e2a4.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p><u><strong>Part 1:</strong></u></p> <p>We have been <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> since September 5th. Time is flying this year; a lot of work and it&#39;s a real challenge to keep up!<br /> <br /> After a rainy summer we pushed back <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> to the last possible moment. Everything&#39;s been going well so far. Today we finished harvesting the <glossary title="927">Sauvignon Blanc</glossary>; nice berries, their ripeness and sugar levels are more than satisfactory.<br /> <br /> Same for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so it&#39;s looking like a great year for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="283">Cheverny Blanc</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> However it&#39;s important to mention that we <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> about 30% less than last year...<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> is quite healthy as well, save for a <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> of <glossary title="1130">young vines</glossary> that I&#39;ll need to keep an eye on.<br /> <br /> We&#39;re in no rush to wrap up the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The weather seems to be clearing up, so we&#39;ll wait and see...</p> <p><u><strong>Part 2:</strong></u></p> <p>We finished our <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> almost a month ago. With the weather getting better, we stopped half-way through, and the <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> and <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> ended up getting an unexpected week of &quot;summer&quot;.<br /> <br /> We therefore <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> the <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> the last week of September: small&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1129">yields</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but magnificent grapes with great&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> It&#39;s now late October and some things are still&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I&#39;m very happy with the<font color="#7b143e"><strong>&nbsp;&quot;</strong></font>Cuv&eacute;e Renaissance&quot;&#39;s promising balance of sugar<span class="zalup"><span>/<glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> The <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> and <glossary title="">Chardonnay</glossary> are done&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and the wines are drinking nicely. They&#39;re a lot of freshness and fruit this year, so we&#39;ll keep <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> the wine on it&#39;s <glossary title="590">lees</glossary> for at least three months.<br /> <br /> I&#39;ve attached some photos of the last week, as well as from our PERSIL (big meal on the last day of the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary>).</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//a9/4e/a94ea2745139bc5ab1c3a354780ceee8.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//72/ea/72ea815a67b5d01d10f658d5adec2e8c.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//c6/9a/c69abcab6708708144a8184bba0fffca.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//80/67/8067511b57e74ddd0f11f46f99332b9f.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//0a/72/0a726a236eb4881536caa1452b32a513.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//40/ba/40ba669ba45e1dd690a3075630d7f2b9.jpg" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

harvest report

<p><u><strong>Part 1:</strong></u></p> <p>We are talking&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and are getting ready to start on Thursday Sept. 23rd.<br /> <br /> This year the season was rather dry and cool, the vines grew slowly and now the grapes are ripening, slowly&nbsp;but surely.&nbsp;So we have to wait, and remember that an October <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> in our region is quite normal. The grapes are healthy, our <glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> has to be checked closely but there is no worry for other varieties. We&rsquo;ll start with a young, early-ripening <glossary title="1133">plot</glossary> of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and the grapes meant for&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="361">Cr&eacute;mant</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p>We&rsquo;ll tell you more soon.</p> <p><u><strong>Part 2:</strong></u></p> <p>We are thinking of giving you news, but days are flying by and our nights are short&hellip;<br /> <br /> Our <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> is going well, we&rsquo;ll probably be done in the middle of next week. We started in great weather, then two&nbsp;days of rain wrecked our plans. Rather than pick in the rain, we went to remove leaves on several <glossary title="1133">plots</glossary> of <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> This was a good idea, as it helped the <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary> to enjoy the good weather that followed, sunny with a perfect eastern wind which dried the vines and stopped any rot.<br /> <br /> This <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> has been a bit difficult for our&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinot noir</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we had to spend a lot of time <glossary title="1380">sorting</glossary> the grapes before putting them in the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">vats</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and we got good results.<br /> <br /> But it is an excellent year for our <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> grapes, with low&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1129">yields</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> good <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary> and color, we&rsquo;ll be done with this variety tomorrow and can plan <glossary title="610">macerations</glossary> of two weeks at least.<br /> <br /> As of Oct. 9th, all our <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> and <glossary title="927">Sauvignon blanc</glossary> have been picked. A good crop for&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="283">Cheverny Blanc</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary> are going quietly. We did not get excessive ripeness this year, from 11.5 to 13% on average, and <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> levels comparable to 2008.<br /> <br /> After one day of picking&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we can say that this variety is full of promise: very ripe, a little dried-out, and we are lucky that temperatures have dipped, which protect the grapes from any&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="754">oxidation</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We have bought a <glossary title="811">pneumatic press</glossary> this year, and it is a great improvement for <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> particularly.<br /> <br /> We hope for a few more days of good weather to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> our <glossary title="867">Romo&nbsp;</glossary><span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="740">old vines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>

harvest report

<p>The<strong>&nbsp;</strong>2009 <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary>&nbsp;is beautiful, despite some worries about finishing the <glossary title="87">alcoholic&nbsp;fermentation</glossary>&nbsp;on two batches of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="927">Sauvignon Blanc</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> At picking time, the <glossary title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary> was 13%, but after <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary> it is above 14%, so it is no surprise that the last grams of sugar are hard to transform: at any rate, I will keep about five&nbsp;grams of <glossary title="853">residual sugar</glossary> in the wine to compensate the high alcohol. The <glossary title="622">malolactic fermentation</glossary> has started on these <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> this week, but, as usual and with some patience, we&rsquo;ll get to a finished wine.<br /> <br /> <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> is easier than normally, its <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary> is finishing, and it is very promising, it has fat, roundness and citrus&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="120">aromas</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> grapefruit particularly.<br /> <br /> <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> is also easy, the first <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> of <glossary title="405">sec</glossary> are done, and after <glossary title="843">racking</glossary> they taste easy-going, not too much <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> and good balance. I think in six&nbsp;to eight&nbsp;months we&rsquo;ll have interesting wines. Our crop for the <glossary title="740">old vines</glossary> and the late <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> are still&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> no doubt those will be beautiful.<br /> <br /> Our <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> were better than the preceding&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintages</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> with 40<glossary title="528">HL/HA</glossary> for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="283">Cheverny Blanc</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 30 to 50<glossary title="528">HL/HA</glossary> for&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="352">Cour-Cheverny</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> A great <glossary title="521">harvest&nbsp;</glossary>of red grapes also, the&nbsp;<glossary title="805">Pinot Noirs</glossary> are very pleasant&nbsp;with <glossary title="990">structure</glossary> and color, the <glossary title="478">Gamays</glossary> are deeply colored and strong. I did 20-day&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="610">macerations</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> yet the <glossary title="1010">tannins</glossary> are silky.</p>

harvest report

<p>Last week, we <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> a few <glossary title="1133">plots</glossary> with our team, as a test. We picked the grapes for our sparkling wine, and the <glossary title="1130">young vines</glossary> of <glossary title="927">Sauvignon Blanc</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Then we took a break, the weather is so beautiful that it would be a shame not to wait.<br /> <br /> The summer wasn&rsquo;t good, but a lot less humid than 2007. The grapes are healthy, we were able to combat <glossary title="1137">mildew</glossary> without <glossary title="328">over-treating</glossary> and there is practically no rot. That&rsquo;s thanks to the east wind that has been blowing for the last 10 days, bringing sunny but cold weather.</p> <p>The grapes are gaining in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Concentration" title="324">concentration</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so again the sugar levels are high. But the <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> levels remain very high, and that&rsquo;s why we are waiting a bit longer.<br /> <br /> On Monday, Sept. 29th, we&rsquo;ll pick&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> then <glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> and <glossary title="927">Sauvignon blanc</glossary> late in the week.<br /> <br /> Our <glossary title="867">Romorantins</glossary> grapes are fantastic, with a little patience we are expecting a great&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>

harvest report

<p><u><strong>Part 1:</strong></u></p> <p>The dominant theme this year has been dryness with big temperature swings.<br /> <br /> After a particularly cold spring with <glossary title="1135">frost</glossary> threatening right up to the beginning of June, summer finally arrived and stayed until the end of July. The high temperatures in July helped the vines catch up on their late start in the spring.<br /> <br /> In August, the grapes slowly began to ripen and change color. The whole month was marked by overcast skies and very little rain.<br /> <br /> Summer-like weather has returned in September and in the last fews days, the speeding up of the ripening process has sometimes been quite impressive. The lack of water has resulted in high concentration of sugar.<br /> <br /> We have every reason to hope for a very good&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> different from 2003 and 2005, but still exceptional.<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> will begin on September 18th, we will send our first impressions next week.</p> <p><u><strong>Part 2:</strong></u></p> <p>We finished the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> in the first days of October. Everything went very quickly this year. The little bit of rain we got in the middle of September sped up the ripening process and almost all the <glossary title="1071">varietals</glossary> were ready to be picked at the same time. With our great team of harvesters, we managed to intervene in time in most of the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1133">plots</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> This year, yet again, the sugar levels are breaking records. Most of the <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> are still <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> and have 14%&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> However, the wines will have better balance than in 2003 because of better <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> levels.<br /> <br /> It will be a particularly good year for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which we harvested from September 28th to October 4th. Exceptional quality but a very small <glossary title="1129">yield</glossary> (less than 30<glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary>).</p>

harvest report

<p><u><strong>Part 1:</strong></u></p> <p>A year that has been very good for the vines in the <glossary title="602">Loire Valley</glossary> and with very little rain. Our <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> was lucky enough to escape the violent <glossary title="1136">hailstorms</glossary> and with the little bit of rain we did get and working the soil, we were able to conserve enough water and thus reach a very good ripeness around 10 days earlier than usual.<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> started on September 19th. The first grapes we brought into the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> lead us to predict a very high degree of <glossary title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary> with a very good balance of sugar and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> as well as a high <glossary title="324">concentration</glossary> of color for the reds.<br /> <br /> This week we will pick the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="927">Sauvignons</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the grapes are in perfect health and we have every reason to hope for an exceptional&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> The <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> grapes look marvelous, a little bit of patience and I&rsquo;ll tell you more later.</p> <p><u><strong>Part 2:</strong></u></p> <p>As we were projecting a month ago, we can confirm that we have a very good <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> in the making, now that all our vines have been&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvested</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> Our highly <glossary title="324">concentrated</glossary> <glossary title="700">musts</glossary> are <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> slowly. The grapes&rsquo; health was perfect and will allow us to prolong <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> on the <glossary title="590">lees</glossary>&nbsp;and thus take advantage of the richness of the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Aromas emanating from the <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> where <glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary> are further along are already very pleasing.<br /> <br /> Our <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> vines were <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> during the second week of October. The grapes were very ripe with good&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so we have the two essential factors to produce a good wine. As we are prone to do, we&rsquo;ll be very patient to let this beautiful <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> express its full potential, especially for the &quot;Cuv&eacute;e Renaissance&quot;.</p>

harvest report

<p>At last a normal year without any major climatic incidents in our region. An early <glossary title="1179">flowering</glossary> in the beginning of June and an abundance of grapes took advantage of a very nice month of July. A crop which was so good that we had to do a <glossary title="507">green harvest</glossary> in a few&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="760">parcels</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> Then the weather went downhill in early August, the rain which we had been waiting for finally came and for a whole month, worry took the place of optimism. The&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> originally scheduled for mid-September, was pushed back to the end of September.<br /> <br /> But nature is unpredictable and dry weather came back in September with summer temperatures for a whole week. The persistence of this good weather gave us hope again and motivated us to push back the start of the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> for as long as possible.<br /> <br /> We began on September 27th with a few <glossary title="1133">plots</glossary> of <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Today we are finishing the <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> of the <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> grapes. The sugar levels are much better than we had hoped (12 degrees of <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary> on average) and the grapes are of very good quality. We are pushing back the <glossary title="927">Sauvignon Blanc</glossary> <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> for as long as possible. There has been quite a range of ripeness levels according to <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> this year, we will have to consider each <glossary title="1133">plot</glossary> on a case to case basis. In the beginning of September, we defoliated several <glossary title="1133">plots</glossary> to let more sun in and to keep the grapes healthier.</p>

harvest report

<p>It all went so quickly!<br /> <br /> This year started very badly with the severe <glossary title="1135">frost</glossary> of April 11th which destroyed much of what had been potentially a very large crop &ndash; up to 80% of the <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> and <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary> was lost.<br /> <br /> Almost immediately after that, it was as if Mother Nature was trying to make up for it by sending us very warm weather which was very good for the growth of the new shoots. Within a few weeks, the vines had caught up from their slow start and the first flowers appeared at the end of May &ndash; two weeks ahead of time. From that point on, we were already predicting an early&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> The heat wave in June confirmed this advance on the normal schedule and everything seemed to go very quickly. We had very little time to <glossary title="1039">train</glossary> the vines onto wires, to trim the tops of the vines or the <glossary title="810">plow</glossary> the soil. We did a light thinning of the leaves on the North side of the most vigorous&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1133">plots</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> This precaution paid off later in the summer when we were able to save a portion of the crop from the burning heat wave in August (temperatures over 40 C for a whole week).<br /> <br /> These high temperatures sped up the ripening process of the grapes and resulted in a significant decrease in <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> from August 15th onwards.<br /> <br /> The&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> originally planned to begin around September 10th, had to start a few days sooner for the earlier ripening&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1071">varietals</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We started on September 4th with enough pickers to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> and the <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> before September 15th. The quality is exceptional, with <glossary title="700">musts</glossary> at 13% to 14.5% <glossary title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary> and generally low <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> (around 30 <glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary>).<br /> <br /> At the time of writing this, we have just finished <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The weather is still beautiful and warm, so we&rsquo;re waiting a few days before <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We have every reason to be quite hopeful about this <glossary title="1071">varietal</glossary> which may have some very nice surprises in store for us. But it&rsquo;s really too early to say. We will have to wait until early October to say for sure.</p>