Mainly Côte de Beaune pics from the start of last week:
Charles Lachaux's Romanée St.Vivant…
Today, it’s raining in the Côte d’Or – we were luckier earlier in the week:
I think it may have been recorded before Christmas – but at any rate:
This week (Tuesday) we took a nice walk around Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey St.Denis – 10km – only at the very end did I see some vines with the tell-tale signs of herbicide – a shame – but certainly a better result than in Puligny-Montrachet!
Much more interesting were a bunch of areas we saw that looked like giant vegetable patches – the vines almost completely obscured by bean plants (right). I ‘guessed’ (actually with the help of Google Lens!) broad beans – and yes it turns out that they are better known in some other places as fava beans – and very aromatic they were too!
In this case, it was a large parcel of vines in Chambertin Clos de Bèze – and the vines belong to Domaine Bruno Clair* – so I asked what they were up to. It was Edouard Clair (brother of Arthur – and son of Bruno & Isabelle) who kindly sent me this answer:
“In the majority, yes, these are fava beans. We also sowed annual clover and rye – rye only in vines that support it.
We are going to roll flat these plant covers over the next weeks – 100% for the legumes and mid-May for the mixtures with rye.
Our objectives are multiple:
– to add organic matter to the soil
– to provide nitrogen thanks to the legumes
– to cover the ground over the winter & spring which makes it possible to minimize and/or delay the growth of weeds
– after rolling, we will try to keep the straw on the ground, which allows it to be “refreshed” in the summer
– to create porosity in the soil thanks to the ‘galleries’ made by the roots – which will remain after the death of these cover-crops (obviously you must not plough the inter-row in the summer)
– from this we hope for some soil decompaction thanks to those roots
– and to stimulate the diversity of aerial fauna – ‘the rhizosphere…’That’s it for the summary!”
Thank-you Edouard!
*I note that, amongst others, Pierre Vincent of Domaine Leflaive in Puligny is also a big fan of planting beans in the vines!
The candles were deployed last week in the Côte d’Or – the windmills too.
Most were not used – but a few saw service with temperatures hovering around -1°C. The weather was dry so these measures were more prophylactic than as a counter to any yield-limiting events. I could say the same for Beaujolais too where I noted a few candles in the vines but none that were gainfully employed.
In Chablis, there were a couple of nights of candle-burning – the sprays were turned on too – temperatures a little lower than the Côte d’Or. I’m not aware of any major gnashing of teeth, so I suspect that they probably got through things relatively unscathed. All the regions have ‘enjoyed’ a little wind so that usually reduces the impact of frost too.
Did I mention that the timing of (potential) frost(s) was, almost to the day, exactly the same as in 2021 and 2022? That being the case we can see that the growth is less advanced this year than either of the last two vintages, so issues should be few and far between – for now. Given similar timings of frost, the stage of growth in the vines becomes important. 2023 is at a similar growth timing to last year – 2022 – ie – a few days later than was the case in 2021 – so 2023 has less to damage and the (frost) temperatures were milder this year too – so for now – all looks fine. There are always earlier areas (and younger vines are earlier too) but bud-burst (on average) for Chardonnay is not expected until mid-April with the pinot noir expected to follow one week later.
Over the last 6 months, the average of rainfall across the Côte d’Or/Hautes Côtes is 333 mm with a minimum of 286mm recorded in Auxey-Duresses and a maximum of 389mm recorded in Echevronne. The average is currently 362mm, so the deficit over these 6 months is only 9%. Nobody is reporting any excess dryness at this stage, despite the popular news stories at the start of this year proclaiming that France had over 30 consecutive days without rain.
Ignoring frost or rain, the mange-bourgeons – caterpillars to you and I – are starting their annual rampage, and this year they could pose the threat of more losses than the frost. A farmer’s work is never done!
It’s idyllic – no?
Right – this is the image I conjure in my head every time a vigneron(ne) starts to talk of their conversion to organic viticulture – or a next step to biodynamics* – surely the bottle that comes from the pictured Chevalier-Montrachet will be worth at least €350! But up to Easter you can easily spot the vineyards where, cheaper, short-cuts have been made – with herbicides. I get on my high horse about this every year yet because, despite many domaines’ trigger-happy approach to pricing, the weening off of their reliance on herbicides seems to progress at a more glacial pace.
I note that the corner of Criots Bâtard-Montrachet that was so often turned chemical-orange in recent years is, this year, ploughed – and not just to hide the evidence of chemical treatment (yes, domaines do that,) I could find no part-hidden tufts of orange grass this year – progress! Would that so much of neighbouring Puligny-Montrachet could take similar strides – there can be no excuse from the perspective of pricing. I expect flower meadows at the prices of even the village wines of Puligny today – stark are the differences of neighbouring plots – ploughed or just sprayed. Oh, and it’s not just the village wines – significant areas in the 1er crus are also moonscapes right now, vineyards that are lush with growth when I visit them in the summer with their likeable owners – yet right now they are a (very) depressing sight – unlike the Chaevalier-Montrachet in my photo.
*A very well-known producer made me laugh last week when he told me, “I believe in 2 things – science and God – because when one has no answer the other does – which is why I struggle with biodynamics!”
As a contrast to the flower meadows I offer you also some of the other photos I took yesterday in Puligny:
Yes, very late with this small note – but it was worthwhile and a nice addition to another ‘recent‘ 1984…
Dinner in Pommard – as befits the labels…
The 2007 Beaune was nicely structured – a rarity for 2007s – certainly 2007s in their youth. Here’s a 2007 that I could get better acquainted with – taught, good precision – all those things that are so-often lacking in the vintage. Then the 1993 Taillepieds – now we were talking! Smoky, almost a hint of tobacco and wonderfully chiselled wine – still with obvious minerality – not an easy, comfortable, wine – rather one that challenges you – it was super! Then came the last, blind wine. Complex, also structural – a certain austerity but personality too – I thought it clearly a wine of the 1980s – but when our hostess said the worst vintage that anyone could remember – I jumped in with 1984 – receiving much-misplaced adulation – but there really is only one 1984 – and this was the second more than good wine from that vintage that I’ve had in the last 6 months.
I know many in the wine business that maintain that they never tasted an even ‘good’ 1984 but here was a wine that would captivate a table of enthusiasts – despite being the least ‘delicious’ of this trio of bottles.
History in a bottle!
The domaine is continuing its offering of ‘library’ wines as in previous years.
DOMAINE BONNEAU DU MARTRAY 2020
CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE 2020 75cl 450.00 (*Swiss Francs)
Two ‘library’ releases with this offer:
CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE 2018 150cl 910.00
CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE 2014 150cl 910.00
After a period of price stability – 2016-2018 @ around 220 Swiss francs – the blue touch-paper has been lit…
*As always, these swiss franc prices are delivered but lack the 7.7% Swiss VAT…
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