Le Roi Chambertin.

Harvest day 16, but only our 12th day with grapes…

As we say, it’s only over after the Chambertin is in – and today, finally, it was. Despite the wait, no complaints about the cleanliness and presentation of the grapes. More info after a short (maybe long) Paulée… 😉

Hooray! At 16h00 today, the rain stopped – so that was only 23 hours of rain…
That said, the sky remains very dark with just a few patches of blue – in fact it’s averaged several hours of rain per day since Saturday!

At the home domaine there is nothing to report – our last grapes are still on the vine, and it’s not certain if they will be picked on Friday or Saturday.

I’ll be signing-off from this series of reports just as soon as those grapes are sorted, but for info on the ferments, and something of the analytics of the 2015 vintage, I’ll include that in my September report.

For those who were asking, here’s the difference between (very ripe) pinot noir and pinot gris – locally called pinot beurot – from Charmes-Chambertin today.
[2x life-size]

We wake to rain – not particularly heavy, but unyielding. It’s still raining when our first truck of grapes arrives from Gevrey-Chambertin – avec nos Charmes-Chambertin – I bet the cases will be rather muddy (again) too! As it turns out the cases are in good shape – this grower fills them differently to the one in Marsannay.

Our grower’s Charmes is always something of a challenge to triage as it’s normally full of rot. This year, hardly a sight of rot – maybe a dozen bunches from many pallets of fruit – and they have also managed the oïdium better than most too, I found only 2 or 3 bunches in the 2 hour session of triage – chapeau! The grapes are dark and ripe, and it seems to me that they were needing to be picked – any hard handling and the berries begin to part with their stems – but yet again, what stems! Like the yesterday’s Marsannay, approaching brown/red colour for many – really lignified. I’ve never seen that before, but it’s really just these last two appellations that have presented themselves in such a way. These are our only grapes of the day – half the cleaning is done before lunch, the rest after. Fortunately today we triaged just a little longer than we cleaned!

Halfway through our triage there was sunshine but also an ever-growing force of wind. After lunch the floors of Beaune are littered with discarded branches and hundreds of horse chestnuts – the temperature was impressive too, whilst this wind alone could easily dry the vines, the temperature was well over 20°C – warmer outdoors than in. In Switzerland we would call this a Föhn wind, the Swiss also took this word for a hairdryer! Our forecasters suggested thunder and lightning would return by 19h00, so I went jogging at 16h30 – the thunder and first drops of rain started before I was back – and I was only out for 30 minutes. Rain returned with a vengence about 18h30.

Will our last appellation arrive tomorrow? It seems not, the talk is now of Friday or even Saturday – hmm – our Paulée is planned for Friday, and I’m not sure it’s allowed to bring in grapes after the Paulée. Tough decisions await 😉

(Part of!) Lunch:

I said it was windy! :

Bussy-le-Grand : gros dégâts après une forte rafale de vent http://t.co/GmYUXPlY5spic.twitter.com/zAaeZuAXeW

— Le Bien Public 🗞️ (@Lebienpublic) September 17, 2015

Lavaux St.Jacques.

The finishing-line is in sight now, but today we’re just going to focus on more Marsannay Les Longeroies and one of Gevrey’s bigger guns – Lavaux St.Jacques. Still, it won’t be very much fun cutting grapes today, due to multiple showers of rain overnight – but by 09h00 the streets and pavements of Beaune are almost dry.

As our first cases arrive – Lavaux (some say/type Lavaut) St.Jacques, it’s clear that conditions in the vines were less than perfect; the fruit in the cases is fine, but to the sides and the bottoms of those cases adheres plenty of mud – sorry, terroir! There’s a thought – over the last 40-50 years I wonder how much soil/mud from the Côte de Nuits has been washed down the drains of Beaune. Before that most fruit was processed locally as there simply wasn’t the ease of transportation of today. When our Marsannay arrives, if anything, the cases are muddier than we experienced with the Lavaux – and they were a pig to clean afterwards too!

It’s almost an anecdote, but the fruit was once-more excellent, I’ve really nothing more to add to the commentary from the previous days…

Tomorrow should have been our last day, but due to the rain – and it rained some today too – the sellers have slightly delayed some of their picking. So tomorrow it’s (only) Charmes-Chambertin…

It’s a bit confusing I suppose, as it is the 11th day since we began harvesting, but it is only the 9th day of harvesting for our team as we did none on Saturday and Sunday.

The weekend had no grapes as the forecasts were for apocalyptic rain-storms and hail – some moderately heavy rain arrived on Saturday afternoon and lasted into the early evening, but a surprisingly lovely Sunday followed with ever-more blue sky, sunshine and 24°C in the afternoon. BANG – is that thunder? We had at least 2 hours of thunder and lightning in Beaune from about 5pm – for a minute or so, even 1cm sized hail after which the road outside my apartment resembled a river. Beaune received about 60mm of rain and apparently the fire-brigade were called out 50 times in 2 hours! Nobody has reported hail damage, or even hail in the Côte de Nuits, so those (including our) grapes that are still on the vine are probably okay.

The grapes might be okay, but those that were harvesting on both Saturday and Sunday had no fun at all – very muddy, wet conditions – some making references to Ypres or the Somme. I expect no better conditions today, even if it’s sunny. Yet the grapes will be perfectly fine – too soon picked after/during the rain to be affected by the extra water, or for the chance for rot to bloom in the warm and damp – but those that wait longer into the week? That will be trickier…

For our home team, we are planning to be finished on Wednesday. Today we have no morning grapes – though I’m unsure the wait will improve picking conditions, only the temperature. So an early lunch before ‘attack!’

A nice lunchtime selection – if hard to read, that black label is Dominique Laurent’s 1998 Gevrey Clos St.Jacques.

Lunch over and we start un-loading our Marsannay Longeroies from the truck and – BOOM! – the return of the thunder. Actually, not just thunder, heavy rain too. It lasts no more than 20 minutes and then slowly the sky becomes bluer and bluer – of-course the rain is back two hours later! The grapes are almost as good as my 2015 benchmark (the first parcel of bourgogne), but with stems that are a little yellower/browner. For the first time this year the call is heard – ‘whole clusters!’ We quickly remove the destemmer and then carry on. 60 case of fruit are quickly despatched. I saw little botrytis, little oïdium though also some unripe in a few cases of fruit. Overall, excellent! We have a second parcel of this same fruit, and I have to say it’s a little less good – more oïdium – yet the standard remains high. So less than a hundred case of fruit today and cleanup starts at 17h30 – despite only starting at 13h45!

Of-course, we have more tomorrow!
 

13h30 – Hmm – do you think there may be rain coming…

Marsannay Longeroies

Oups! Marsannay (under cover – plus heavy rain

Oïdium…

Found on a single vine in Ladoix – there were other bunches, green like chardonnay with a fainter pink skin, but none of those were ripe. This almost all pink was ripe and sweet, with little extra flavour to define it though. It showed a very open bunch structure with large (minimum 2cm) grapes (melons). I asked about half a dozen locals – nobody had any idea what it was.

Ouf! It’s already Friday – where did all the time go?

Really our biggest day, volume-wise, but aided by an early start and fruit that essentially needed minimal trie – sometimes unripe bunches (Ladoix) or sometimes a little dried fruit (Beaune 1er Avaux), or sometimes a little rot (Hautes Côtes de Beaune) yet we had the opportunity for the triage table to run at full speed – the first time this harvest. We were even finished rather early – 19h30! You know(?) there’s almost nothing else to say about today – very fine fruit indeed – still a vintage of very consistent bunches, not small berries but no melons either.

Lots of grapes today, but not so many words. One thing to note, however, despite a little sulfur added into the tank, and temperatures in those tanks of 10-12°C, we already have two reds beginning to ferment!

Nex week we have only 5 more lots of grapes to come for these 2015s, theoretically on Monday through to Wednesday, but with some heavy rain on Saturday, heavier on Sunday, and now the forecast for rain creeping into Monday too – that looks like a moving target for now. One thing is for sure though, no grapes on Saturday and Sunday!
 

Portrait – Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune

Portrait – Ladoix

Portrait – Beaune 1er Les Avaux

Not much Ladoix? – that was about 1/3rd…

Clean, clean, clean…

Subtitled: Start your day with Santenay!

I had some great photos lined-up today, but due to the health and safety issues involved, I thought it just as well to keep the camera ‘holstered!’

Another healthy, clean tranche of grapes this morning – all from Santenay. There were only two or three isolated clusters with oïdium, a little easy to triage rot plus some weeding out of the unripe. Here was a reasonable amount of pinot gris, and the first I’ve seen that was universally ripe too – maybe the pinot gris is a little longer ripening this year(?) Perhaps a little too much reggae music though – it’s still cold in the morning, and you’re never going to get warm trying to dance to that! 😉

Then came a parcel of Gevrey-Chambertin ‘villages’ that was good too – not the smallest clusters but it fairly whizzed through the triage table, this time with virtually no oïdium. Our last appellation was Maranges 1er Cru – it seems to be on the triage table for ages – but that was probably because there was more than three tonnes of it – here also was plenty of healthy looking pinot gris, but to taste it simply wasn’t ripe. We finished triage just 10 minutes earlier than yesterday, but for various reasons, we finished our clean-up later. Oh-well – 21h45 isn’t too late for a refreshing glass of something, is it(?)!

There’s rain forecast for the weekend, so probably no grapes on Saturday or Sunday, and that also means that tomorrow could be our biggest grape-reception day of the harvest – woo-hoo!!!
 

Great Santenay…

The bee prefers Gevrey…

Elegantly wrapped desert for lunch

A bertter desert for lunch…

Maranges looking good!

Clean, clean and clean again!

Arlaud Vendange Day 3 – Weds 9th Sept 2015

Quick recap back to day two – did I mention in referencing the Morey Village that such included Morey Clos Solon ? It did/does, where I believe Arlaud both own vines but certainly have negoce fruit available. The Clos Solon fruit we harvested Tuesday was top notch, again little or rather no sign of rot in what is a lower lying location not usually immune and, for those ‘obsessed’ with just ‘super star’ names, the likes of one J-M Fourrier surely cannot have done better.

Anyways, today turned into one of those special vendange days, to be followed by Thursday, in terms of sites picked, moving around (for ‘recovery’ purposes), and variety. The weather continued to be just about perfect, if anything just a bit too hot, where a little more breeze or cooler temps would have been just right ! I was by now hearing rumours of bad weather for the coming weekend but for now all was serene in our world.

For me, today prompted the random thought (amazing what one can think about while picking) that this was the 40th anniversaire of joining my banking employers, albeit pre a take over and other rafts of changes over the years. Not something to celebrate in my ‘book’, instead maybe a bit sad. I almost looked for something else on several occasions but stuck with it. To now be away from the UK and be able to avoid any mention, or highlighting, of it suited me just down to the ground – Charmes-Chambertin the first today ! I’ll say no more about my employers etc as I would not want to get into any ‘trouble’ !! Maybe another 2-4 years will be such to see me decide enough is enough and pack it all in at last. More opportunities then to visit the likes of the Cote more often and plenty of wine to be drunk ! Alongside one anniversary this year is that this is my 10th harvest (my 8th at Arlaud) which strikes me in context of my banking day job’s 40 yrs as almost incredible. Those 10 years of vendanges have just flown by ! Seems almost like yesterday I was almost cutting my left hand index finger off in 2006 in Domaine du Duc de Magenta’s Chassagne Morgeot vineyard after a chance conversation with Amelie MacMahon, la Duchesse, that August.

Naughty M. J-P Feral. What are you doing with that leaf you are holding ?

Arlaud Vendange Team after CdlR GC

Arlaud Vendange Team after CdlR GC

As another little aside I’d by now noticed Cyprien A had a ‘new’ car. Well, not a brand new one, as he was atypically at pains to emphasise to me when I admired it, but a very nice Volvo V50 Estate in a hard to define colour but very dark blue (or blue/black metallic). Has very nice, almost BBSesque spoked wheels – all in all a handsome car. All the time I’ve known him C has driven an ancient looking small Opel (Vauxhall Corsa – in the UK) hence I was pleased for him at his quiet pride in this ‘upgrade’. Wife Carol drives the other family vehicle, also owned several years, a Renault Espace, doubtless essential to the family size etc. The sub text to the above is that, whilst other CdN vignerons might have not one, but two, helicopter(s), or drive BMW X6 or similar, the Arlauds have no signs of overt wealth, or in no way show it, are the antithesis of ‘flash’ or ostentatious, and for me are all the more plausible, real, genuine, likeable etc etc.

One evening Cyprien and I got onto the question of extra vineyard land (have no recall of how I might have raised this !) where C was directly honest in saying to me there was no way the domaine could, or would attempt to, afford any decent parcel/plot which is why I guess the negoce stuff emerged in 2013. Cyprien went onto discuss with me how the only probably realistic route to vineyard acquisition would be with an investor e.g with my then prompting him with the names of the likes of Francois Feuillet (associated with/wines made by David Duband) or the Murray Tawse/Pascal Marchand tie up.

Conversation moved on from the above to my suggesting that the current domaine vineyards must have very substantial value and as such the family, as others, could well sell up and live happily ever after without the admirable farming / wine making commitment. This was a bit naughty by me, whilst semi serious, but I’ve known Cyprien long/well enough now to convey in such a way he could see where I was coming from without taking offence. As it happens he agreed with me in terms of lying on a beach somewhere such as French Polynesia but otherwise shrugged and smiled his enigmatic smile, in effect conveying without words that it’s the family vocation being taken forward for the family legacy. He went on to suggest that his oldest daughter shows some interest but she’s way too young yet but I’m sure he’d be thrilled if the next generation would continue.

Sorry ! You want to hear about vineyards, grapes, wine etc I guess ? Well, as above, the very top section of Charmes-Chambertin, not quite directly across the road from Latricieres, was our early start focus. I’m bitterly regretting not taking any grape photos here as, continually banging on aside, the grapes here were just fantastic, maybe the best of the vendange. I’ve honestly never seen anything like them from this vineyard before. The vines are ancient, I think averaging around 80 yrs old, Cyprien subsequently telling me the oldest was 95 yrs old. Other than their appearance you’d never guess from the fruit volume this year just how old are these veterans. The reason for lack of photos was I just didn’t consider I had time to stop because, as a team we just moved at almost lightning speed down these rows. The vines were trained such that the bunch presentation, and without overt foliage as an issue elsewhere (e.g lower Clos St Denis), made cutting a quick fire dream. If I were to make a mental note for only one future purchase from this vintage based on grapes seen then Charmes would be the one. We were soon back at the road side and taking a break whilst the cases were sorted out with both camions (trucks away at the cuverie/en route at once). Another domaine’s vendangeurs arrived just up the road on a single decker bus (!), accompanied by covered truck which went into the vines, plus what was presumably the boss in a BMW X6. This turned out to be Domaine Jacques Prieur (spelling ?), Meursault.

Gevrey 1er cru Combottes fruit. Nice eh ?

Gevrey 1er cru Combottes fruit. Nice eh ?

Upslope from Gevrey 1er cru Combotte to Morey Mont Luisants

We left them to it and foregoing our own vehicles Herve walked us on foot along the road towards Morey to the roadside edge of Gevrey 1er cru Combottes. As long as I can recall the Arlaud vendange as always started with this terroir, until this year. Whatever, the vines here are average 40/45 years old, and again just looked superb. Some level of rot is not usually uncommon here either but all I saw this year was a little bit just once where two bunches had become intertwined. Combottes was notable, as it is every year, albeit this one maybe more so, for the incidence of millerandage. Have I said how many of there were this year ? We eventually ended up with a register of 55 names (am not sure if this covered the triage table two ladies – presumably didn’t include the domaine permanent, non family, staff of four). Whilst odd folk were missing odd days we had a substantial gang which, other than myself and the four young Poles from last year who were to arrive Friday from Beaujolais, were all French. Most regulars, just a number of new faces. One could tell the team was larger than past years by the population of the confectoire dining room at lunchtime !!! If you happened to be one of the selfless souls who, arriving back at base at lunchtime, voluntarily took it upon themselves to clean buckets, secateurs etc then when it came to getting your own, trestle table lunch space such was easier said than done – that is until we quickly wised up and Breton Annie saved 3 spaces for herself, husband Augustin (‘Tin Tin’), and moi. The core bucket washers were Tin Tin, longtime regular Dede, and myself. Initially in our first five days bucket cleaning was not unduly onerous given the dry ground but all that was to change later (and how !). I mention the size of the team as for Combottes, as happened elsewhere on several occasions the ratio of bodies to number of rows enable us to be two, or sometimes three to a row spread at suitable intervals. In Combottes we were two to a row, with myself in a group who were sent half way along the rows to start, and thus ended up finishing at the top on a little grassy plateau whilst fruit was collected/organised to be transported back down. Photo opportunities existed here leading to inveterate joker, Jean-Pierre Feral, taking it upon himself to pose for me with a large vine leaf ‘strategically’ held below waist level to cover suggested ‘modesty’. Pic to be amongst those for Bill.

Clos de la Roche fruit

Clos de la Roche fruit

Ground/earth in Morey 1er cru Blanchards

After Combottes we moved another short, on foot, distance to Clos de la Roche (just one of those ‘average’ terroir days !). I can’t remember much about this now other than I think here I was amongst a group moving down slope in our rows rather than the usual up. The vines nearest the road for Combottes, CdlR, and Clos St Denis all featured greater vine foliage (thus need for aggressive leaf stripping to avoid no bunches missed), and greater ground cover plants or weeds, the nearer one was to the road/bottom of the slope, the converse being true as one climbed the slope.

To take us up to lunch we whipped through Morey 1er cru ‘Blanchards’, adjacent to the Domaine Odoul-Coquard outbuildings. This terroir lives up to its name in terms of the number of white/pale coloured stones within the earth. Again, I’ve deliberately taken a photo of ‘my’ row to give an idea. By now this was turning into a seriously hot day ! My notebook simply records “hot, hot, hot” for the afternoon but, to end the morning session, we were glad to finish Blanchards for the very short distance back to base on this side of the village.

Old vine in Ruchots

Morey Blanchards grapes

Ruchots grapes

Afternoon was a session for adjacent crus on the other side of the village. The sun was by now beating down ! I think it was this afternoon (if not was Thursday) I consumed two full bottles of water of my own plus any cups on offer at rest points. The order here was Chambolle 1er cru Noirots, Chambolle 1er cru ‘Sentiers’ (part), and finally Morey 1er cru ‘Ruchots’ (part) . All looking good. I was a bit dischuffed at myself from the top of Sentiers, against the wall below the road (with Bonnes Mares GC across the road), to start walking back down the rows towards our vehicles without realising until about halfway that the others had moved along the wall to Ruchots doh ! A long, hot, slow retracing trudge !

That evening I had a look at the Gevrey Combottes fruit in tank with Cyprien. I’d been meaning to ask about his policy this year at the use of stalks as quite a number of bunches had come away easily, some without needing cutting suggesting to me (doubtless I’m wrong) but that the stalks were ripe. I know he’s experimented in the past albeit not going as far as other domains e.g Dujac where C is friendly with Jeremy Seysses. For Combottes whilst we gazed into the tank Cyprien, whilst suggesting volume was down on 2014, and highlighted the extent of millerandage we were looking at, told me in terms of stalks he was going 25%-30%. In terms of stalks he told me he was looking for green coloured one’s, with plenty of chlorophyll, and no bitterness – at this point he handed me a bit of stalk to chew asking me what I could taste. Not a lot really other than something a bit woody but certainly nothing bitter ! Cyprien went on to say sometimes one could taste a hint liquorice.

Arlaud Vendange Team resting after Chambolle 1er cru Sentiers before Morey 1er cru Ruchots

Arlaud Vendange Team resting after Chambolle 1er cru Sentiers before Morey 1er cru Ruchots

The boss, Herve Arlaud, one knows its hot when he wears that hat !!!

So, that was a lovely day three. More of the same or similar for day four and maybe my personal highlight this year to come.