Arlaud Vendange Day Two – Tuesday, 08 09 2015
Time is at an absolute premium during one’s vendange, and I’m not joking. I don’t know how Bill does what he does (seriously) with the website as well as his ‘main’ duties 😉 .
Quick snapshot of how my day goes:- up at 5.00 a.m, ablutions, sometimes with wet shave sometimes not, get my clothes sorted for the day plus my other ‘stuff’ i.e knee pads, that day’s left hand glove (don’t wear one on my secateur hand), get up the yard for brekkie (I just have coffee and a breakfast bar plus sometimes a banana), then we’re almost ready to go between 7.00 a.m. – 7.30 a.m. We work (hard !) until approx 12.00 then pile back into the vehicles to Morey Centre, get cleaned up, clean the buckets and secateurs (well, some of us do, funny how just a few of us do that), lunch, short siesta or whatever other thing you may need to attend to, then we go again about 1.30, maybe earlier. Work until close to 6.00 p.m. then same routine back. Here, in my case I might clean my gear quickly as well as top and tail myself, or just get changed quickly so as to dash to the cuverie for the wi-fi (for Burgundy Report, nowt else). Head back to the village for about 8.00 p.m for dinner with my fellow lodgers then bed unless I do more tech work e.g photo downloads. One sleeps well, at least I do, i.e as soon as my head hits the pillow !
Back to Tuesday’s vines matters. After a rather leisurely Monday the full team arrived Tuesday a.m. Mostly very familiar by now faces, just a few new youngsters and one or two older. A group of 4 ladies stand out – I’m guessing mother and three grown up daughters. More of them later . Evereybody’s French except moi, just how I like it !
As regards work in the vines this was largely a Villages day, and unremarkable except for a) it was a lovely warm, sunny, dry day again (very hot in the afternoon !); b) the village grapes were all uniformly excellent. No rot at all (for me anyway – remarkable). They varied from great big pendulous bunches to small fiddly bits of millerandage (and everthing, but clean, in between). Just bits of odium; c) Volume seemed pretty good but Cyprien was to tell me later its down on 2014 – but I’ll check back in on this later.
Just on the 2014’s I’ve heard and read little so far on the wines from that year and am keen to learn more from my man’s perspective but he has briefly told me he likens them to 2002. Again, I’m intent on finding out more and maybe having a taste or two. But, I just wonder if 2014 might be a ‘Cinderella’ vintage to 2015 ? We’ll see I guess but, such is the demand for Burgundy these days, surely to goodness there won’t be difficulties selling 2014 (will there ?) .
After a mostly Chambolle morning, part of it just to the south of Roumier’s Clos de la Bussiere, (and am led to believe we might have done all the Chambolle village but am not so sure my informant, Rene the truck driver, is correct at all – we’ll see) we went north of the village to do some long rows of again jaw droppingly fantastic fruit from some Morey Villages. And then to lunch. Apres lunch, back to Morey Village until late in the day when we had our first domaine owned premier cru action (other than Monday’s negoce Nuits). Well, what can I say ? The recipe is the same in terms of wow factor. I thought maybe 2014 was some way the best in terms of grapes in my 8 vendange in Morey but now I’m not so sure at all. In the likes of Millandes, Blanchards and Ruchots some elements of rot is the norm. Not this time monsieur ! This was a most enjoyable romp up slope in Millandes with only the day’s fatigue and stiff back weighing on the pleasure factor. I’ll shut up now, whiz this to Bill, and accompany it with some photos for hopefully you to adjudge fruit quality for yourself !
Lots of exciting stuff to come on Wednesday’s diary note including the first grand cru action and grand cru porn !
Oh, and the weather, whilst still good (if not better than that) is subtly changing I think. Haven’t seen a weather forecast but guess Bill has and will be spot on re Saturday and Sunday. Hum !
Anon.