01-Sept – my 2022 Burgundy harvest day 2

1.9.2022billn

Corton from Aux Vergelesses
Day 2. Corton from Savigny’s Aux Vergelesses

An earlier start for me as I wanted to be in the vines with the pickers – Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Aux Vergelesses – and the views were worth the early alarm call!

So far we have avoided rain though storms are currently forecast for the late afternoon and evening tomorrow – but let’s enjoy today…

Savigny Aux Vergelesses with Aloxe-Corton in the distanceThe home domaine has plenty of vines (right) in Aux Vergelesses – red and white – today was a white day here, with the reds still biding their time. Optically, these were super grapes – smaller and cleaner versus the whites that were picked yesterday in Hautes Jarrons. Just the upper part of two rows was less attractive – greyed by oïdium – the domaine didn’t treat this part properly and the result was that the grapes wouldn’t be picked. Our boss comments “Sometimes it happens but it also helps to reinforce why we do what we do and how important the treatments are.

Triage already started in the cuverie at 07h45 as it was just about light enough to start picking a little after 07h00. Cosmetic triage except for occasional bunches showing some oïdium. The odd bunch had some grilled grapes too – but much fewer than in 2018-2020 – and certainly less than the reds this year. Currently, our boss thinks the acidity is comparable to 2020 – let’s see… Anyway, this was an appreciable parcel so we didn’t finish triage before 13h00.

Did somebody say lunch? If they did, it was only to say that it was delayed – the picking team had decamped to Corton – time to set up the de-stemmer – red Corton was on its way.

The 9th vintage of Corton-Renardes for our domaine, and the extra consistency and finer shape of the grapes/bunches was clear versus the Savigny’s of yesterday. There was still some triage to be done though; many of the bunches hid some small, completely dried berries that we didn’t want in the macerations/fermentations. The last few vintages have provided only 1 barrel of this – there was clearly much more this year – emblematic of most of Burgundy this year – where frost or hail didn’t make inroads.

Of course, more fruit means more time needed to triage – the last bin of fruit was emptied and triaged and the vibrating table was switched off – at 15h00! Could we now have lunch? Yes, we could!

The pickers also had a late lunch but the Corton was the last vineyard to be picked – so an earlier finish than normal – if only an hour by the time we’d finished eating 🙂

There was some wine too:

1999 Faiveley, Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley
I couldn’t match yesterday’s Haute Jarrons on a Haute Jarrons day – but Corton on a Corton day was close! Yet another cork that split in the middle – but I’m on a run – once more the second part of the cork was extracted in one!
But what’s that? Is that corky? Swirl the glass and it seems better – but it’s there – what the French would describe as ‘liegeux.’ Behind was a wine of impressive richness and depth of flavour – and eminently approachable – but corked!
Rebuy – Well, not a corked one!

To save face:

1979 Louis Voilland, Beaune 1er Montée Rouge
The domaine has vines here – typically one of the last parcels to be harvested – but not the same parcel. Another cork that split – which I can forgive as it’s 43 years old!
A colour with more brown than the Corton but no smell of cork – actually a little café in a slightly torrified style – that’s nice. Open, mouth-filling – I’m so rarely disappointed with Côte de Beaune 79s and here’s another completely sound example. Almost no tannin to speak of but with concentration and an engaging, sometimes slightly metallic – steely – impression to the flavour. This was very good wine.
Rebuy – No chance!

Tomorrow the team will be harvesting in Beaune – probably some villages and certainly 2 premier crus – but I have clients for 2 days so won’t be back in the cuverie (to work!) until Sunday…

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There is one response to “01-Sept – my 2022 Burgundy harvest day 2”

  1. Phil Eaves5th September 2022 at 12:41 pmPermalinkReply

    Hi Bill
    great updates as usual, wish I was there. If you get a minute can you ask the home Domaine what they do with their Pernand 1er En Caradeux I’ve not seen it for a while?

    cheers
    Phi;l

    • billn5th September 2022 at 12:44 pmPermalinkReply

      They harvested that one on Friday when I was away from the domaine – certainly in some recent vintages there wasn’t enough to make their normal cuvée. Tomorrow, I’ll ask which ones they have released…

    • billn6th September 2022 at 11:58 amPermalinkReply

      Last vintage was 19 – was sold with their Fichots in 20 as both parcels were very small. The bought extra Les Pins to make that cuvée bigger. Come to think of it, I probably wrote that elsewhere, before… 😁

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