harvest 2009 – sunday 13th sept

By billn on September 13, 2009 #picture gallery#vintage 2009

beaune 1er cru bressandes
Beaune 1er Bressandes out of the bottom of the de-stemmer

Sunday – and did I mention the weather?

Well yesterday was mainly bright and the still-air temperature was nice and warm – perhaps 23° – but our old friend the harvest north wind was quite blustery and not that warm frankly. Today we have bright blue sky again though perhaps only 21-22°, yet it feels warmer as we have less wind.

Yesterday I popped into Domaine des Croix to see their massive new extension – actually an adjoining building which came up for sale – now for the first time they have somewhere to park their tractor, and probably a plane should they wish! The team had some Beaune Bressandes 1er cru (above) on the triage table and it looked superb. David told me that his Beaune Grèves looked very special, and certainly better than his grapes in 2005! Sunday would see for them the arrival of a new cuvée for the domaine – Corton.

Back to the ‘home team’; 10 a.m. Sunday and we are ready to start the machinery for our 1.4 tonnes of Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers. Another innovation this year (more of a just-in-case) is a refrigerated truck to bring the grapes to the winery – and very efficient it is too! Anyway, just like the Meursault of yesterday, we dispensed with the triage table, simply removing the occasional dodgy bunch but mainly leaves. You can see from the picture below, we had to remove only about 7kg from the whole 1.4 tonnes!

After the Chassagne we had Corton Les Rognets and what beautiful grapes and clusters! One third of the quantity was not destemmed – we simply went from the triage table direct into the tank with the first cases, and what a good decision that 1/3 was – the later cases we found were more variable in ripeness so we threw as much as 10% away. Only rarely was rot spotted, certainly less than the Volnay of yesterday – no fauna in the cases either – except for a few honey bees sucking-in a little sugar.

Ah, lunch-time, paté de campagne, Poulet Basque, cheese (very mobile Epoisses indeed) and a lovely almond and pear tart – accompaniment was an Emmanual Giboulet Côte de Beaune ‘Pierres Blanches’ (blanc), a NZ 2006 Bell Hill pinot noir and a 2001 Savigny villages. I was almost too full to drink my coffee 😉

No more grapes today, just cleaning, fermenting and walking in the vines I think! Tomorrow should remain dry, but we could get rain on Tuesday…

UPDATED: With pictures from a walk on the hill of Corton near Pernand around 5 p.m. Followed by a more modest repas! Crocque monsieur, vegetable soup and the obligatory cheese and bread followed by a frefreshing crene fraiche dessert. To keep things running we had 02 Mercurey 1er blanc, 06 Chassagne 1er Vergers and 06 Charmes-Chambertin.

2009 harvest – mark’s next installment

By on September 13, 2009 #vintage 2009

Am actually starting to type this Friday a.m after breakfast as the crew gather . Interestingly the Poles havr arrived which means we must be going local as on our away trips they have met us en route e.g Pommard centre.

Cloudy today and cooler – no bad thing maybe but hope it doesn’t rain as I’ve left my wet weather gear a la maison. Quick question :- why do my trousers seem to get dirtier than everyone else’s ??

If there’s a consistency in all 3 of my vendanges it’s breakfast and the initial gathering which have been the same exactement other than the place and the personalities. The French are nothing if not creatures of early morning habit – and nowt wrong with that. As last year I’m fascinated by their love affair with the cigarette – smoking (which I don’t have a problem with) seems much more prevalent than in the UK.

Am starting to get hazy already (need to write things down) having got behind. BUT !!! Wednesday a.m I think I went to heaven (pardon the sacreligous ref) and it was called Beaune Montrevonots !!! What an absolutely beautiful site cum terroir up a little rocky combe. I’ll admit I have always neglected the Beaune vineyard sites – which has been a mistake !!! This was stunning – the topography, the early morning light, warm morning – all why I love Burgundy for more than just it’s wine !

From here we went south to what was more Beaune on flatter land or possibly. Pommard. After this parcelle we moved more towards what I think was the North East corner of the clos of Chateau du Pommard . Soil here quite sandyish and like most of the Dubreuil sites so far all very ‘clean and tidy’ underfoot. No weeds or grass of consequence – maybe reflects the neat and tidy personas of Christine Dubreuil and huband Nicolas – everything about them and the domaine shrieks orgainised neat and tidy – no bad thing.

Une incident tres amuse here as we finished the plot hard up against the wall of someone’s clos. – just realised I haven’t said this plot or the one before was Pommard 1er cru Les Epenots. Back to the amusement – what other use can one put a vineyard tractor to – in this case a serious Bobard model, a 570 XD 4 x 4 other than the usual ? +n this case enabling the driver to reach up into a fig tree and / or get on to the top of the clos wall to get into tree to harvest figs. All very amusing with several vendangeurs joining in. I declined the offer of a fig (didn’t fancy it !!).

After lunch we went to Pernand Ile des Vergelesses 1er cru – just at the end of the plot before it becomes Savigny and were a very minor road goes off to the right coming from Pernand. More super grape quality here – large pendulous, mainly uniform, bunches of Pinot. Sorry if constant references to great grapes is boring but that’s the way it is. Moving on we finished for the day with what was to become the first of many sessions in Aloxe Corton villages – long rows and tiring, hard work.

Next instalment Volnay, wines tasted, and helping in the cuverie.

harvest 2009 – saturday 12th sept

By billn on September 12, 2009 #vintage 2009

meursault 2009
Latent Meursault 2009

Impeccable timing marked my arrival – just 20minutes triage of Volnay villages before clean-up then lunch! Our team is once again a united nations of wine; Californian, Antipodean (Aus + NZ on the same team!) and South African – a small contingent that would best be described as French too!

Big changes at the home domaine this year – we have a sound-system!!! Oh and also new destemmer, and a bladder press for the whites (minor detail after the stereo…!)

Back to the Volnay which had almost perfectly clean bunches – our triage table ran at full speed with a minimum of intervention – perhaps one bunch in 10-15 needed a little rot cutting from its core exactly as the 2005s were. The grapes have decent thick skins and a little more juice than the 2005s – you do not stick so readily to the table – apparently the analysis of the early Côte de Beaune grapes shows 12.5° or more, so the annual ‘sale’ (it’s only for 2 months of the year) of 20kg bags of sugar at the local Leclerc supermarket is not so successful 🙂 The phenolics/tannins are on a lower order than 2002 and 2005, typical pHs being 3.3-3.5. In other words, very clean and balanced.

Lunch – ah we have ‘catering’ – and a high standard too; very nice salad with home-made mayonaise, boeuf-bourguignon and home made apple-tart, all suitably washed down with 06 Monts Luisants blanc, 07 Corton-Charlemagne and 06 Corton Clos du Roi. Mmmmm…

Après-midi, the delivery was of Meursault villages (blanc). So clean we didn’t need our triage table, the fruit went straight onto the conveyor up to the new bladder press – we were only looking to remove the occasional leave. The juice from the press was fat and sweet, pH 3.3 with 12.5° potential.

The 2009 fauna watch from a relatively low number of tonnes, was 2 spiders only! The team mentioned that they spotted a few ladybugs in the first cases of Volnay fruit, but there was nothing in the last part that I saw.

Enough for today, I’m already becoming hungry thinking of dinner 😉

harvest 2009 – friday 11th sept

By billn on September 11, 2009 #vintage 2009

pdfI don’t have much info for you today, though tomorrow I will be ‘on-location’ in sunny Beaune. However, to slake your thirst for new stuff, here’s a little (slightly old) news from Domaine de la Vougeraie who have now started their harvest updates…

harvest 2009 – day 2 wednesday 10th – ‘mark de pernand’

By on September 10, 2009 #picture gallery#vintage 2009

Bonjour,

I started this Tues a.m. and still trying to finish it Thurs lunch…

Second warm morning in a row. Even though not properly daylight feels like might be another scorcher like yesterday. More of that anon.

Arrived in Pernand Monday afternoon after leisurely run from Calais off the. 5 a.m Seafrance Berlioz from Dover. Never seen a ferry so quiet – approx 16 cars. Blue sky and sun all the way. Arrived early afternoon so detoured through Nuits to Morey to say hello to my friends from last year at Arlauds.

Warm greetings from employee Didier dans la cave and then from the usual utterly laid back Cyprien. I was delighted and amused by Cyprien telling me about the impact tout le monde on Burgundy Report last year. Apparently lots of friends and acquaintances have contacted the Arlauds from places such as Australia to say they had seen my rambling prose and photos.

Arlaud commence le vendange this coming Saturday. Little evidence of folk starting in the vines I passed en route. Was amazed though to hear Rousseau had started and Cyprien mentioned another domaine having finished!!!! Romain Arlaud and the superbe Herve arrived whilst we were chatting – Romain without last year’s plaster cast on his wrist but with an impressive scar were he cut his thumb tendon pre vendange. He too was full of my Burgundy Report 08 piece – tres bon !!

On to Pernand via a sleepy Vosne. Very much a sense of something about to ‘explode’ to disturb the rural peace. Someone had the builders tower crane en propriete. Had the obligatory stop by Romanée Conti – grapes looked good if bit mixed. Some photos to follow.

Never replaced my irreparably damaged Sony after last year always having other calls on my cash without enough for the desired Canon G10. Am using my 15 year old daughter’s very fetching shocking pink Fuji Finepix – slightly hampered by not having time to read the instructions!!!

Arrive en Pernand – plus beau village. Took photos on the way in by Ile des Vergelesses. Arrived at the domaine to meet Jean-Claude, a Belgian regular of 27 vintages and Patrice, a young guy from the Vosges who’s now my room mate in the rambling house the vendangeurs share up the village just past Bonneau du Martray. House belongs to Christine Dubreuil and husband Nicolas Gruere. Very comfortable if basic and a big step up in the comfort stakes indeed compared to Arlaud – particularly bathroom + shower – almost bliss!!! Various other vendangeurs arrived – will be quite a few of us in the house.

La famille Dubreuil are very nice. Christine’s English is word perfect, father Bernard is a lovely guy but no doubt who’s in charge – Maman !!! Christine’s husband, Nicolas, is a very quiet, pleasant, studious chap. There are 2 daughters which begs a succession question idc.

Tuesday a.m 7 o,clock start pour dejeuner in the refectory , immediately left as one comes thro the gates. Nice vaulted room but incongruously spoilt for me by a bizarre modern suspended ceiling unit. Walls have concours certificates (recent) and black + white St Vincent Aloxe + Pernand photos of vignerons tasting in a cellar. The 1959 photo is charming in terms of attire – all berets or flat caps, heavy coats and what look like clogs.

The property is une grande maison ou petite chateau with graveled courtyard, office, cave and tasting room.

Out into the vineyards we go – seems a lovely day and it is !!! Gets hotter and hotter. By end of the day I thought 25 C but my new friend, Benoit, thought it nearer 30C.

Quelle surprise – we start in Corton Bressandes Grand Cru. Just along from a plot of the Hospice and beyond that of Jacques Prieur. As I bend to my first vine with what are annoyingly blunt secateurs it’s like I haven’t been away for a year. Same routine of leaf strip, find the stalk + snip. Wear one glove on my left hand which is soon dripping wet with juice. Grapes look superb. Big, tight, compact heavy bunches. Ground is dry underfoot for my Merrell’s which soon though are sandy clay coloured. Dubreuil must have a big plot of Bressandes as we make 2 or 3 passes through it with what I counted later as 37 vendangeurs. Panty of locals, all sorts of ages, lots of regulars and a large contingent of cheery Poles. In the winery is Kirsten from Australia, went to the other Aussie wine university other than Roseworthy.

After Bressandes we move to a small parcelle of Corton Clos du Roi and whip thro it before lunch. Grapes are quite a bit different here, in my row anyway, being thin, straggly, small bunches – younger vines maybe?

Cold chicken pieces and salade for lunch. Dubreuil are employing outside caterers – not something I have come across before but a measure of the seriousness of the meal. Very passable vins blanc et rouge accompany lunch. Tried to find out what they are but much indifference.

Afternoon is taken up with a section of Pernand Ile des Vergelesses, big thick, easy to pick bunches. Bucket soon fills up for the shout of pannier. Dubreuil do the vineyard system different to what I’m used to with cases scattered around the rows before we arrive. Then various guys collect buckets to the cases before the tractor arrives to collect to a trailer at the end of the vineyard. The tractor driver is crazy – the Bobard hurtles dangerously around but has a great feature I haven’t seen before whereby when it’s dropping or collecting cases the driver can lean or drop one side of the tractor (with a shrieking noise).

Great first day finishes in Savigny Ile des Vergelesses which bizarrely is above the Pernand site nearer the tree line. Noticed this year several young guys have music players – heard one guy, with others joining in, singing Otis Redding’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” – little bizarre but quirky..

Will sign off here with 1st installment…

Beaune, Pommard and Aloxe Corton next and robbing a fig tree!!

2009 harvest – wednesday 9th sept

By billn on September 09, 2009 #vintage 2009

Today’s update:

To be honest, the sun is causing some problems – I may have to resort to sunscreen! At Maison Giroud we brought in some 1er cru Beaune yesterday – a little ahead of most of our other vines because there is some disease – oïdium on one side of the parcel – but the main reason was the ripeness, 13% potential alcohol and, more important, pH at 3.5 + skins and seeds are ripe. From what I’ve seen so far, that may be the only serious triage of the vintage. Today we brought in the first grapes for Domaine des Croix – Beaune 1er Cent Vignes – they look fantastic, we’ve definitely not seen this quality since 2005. I’m watching the whites very carefully and will probably bring in my first parcel tomorrow – the acidities are currently fine, but the sun is causing it to drop quite quickly, it will take care to balance the ripeness and acidity. For the majority of parcels the only negative about harvesting today would be that the pinot currently has quite a lot of juice – possibly due to last week’s rain, but just as much a characteristic of the vintage. So it will be the weekend before we have the big push and hopefully a little of that liquid will have evaporated – certainly it will mainly be next week for the Côte de Nuits vines.
David Croix, Maison Camille Giroud, Domaine des Croix

moving along – with grapes!

By Ray Walker on September 09, 2009 #ray's posts#vintage 2009

Well, here we are with just under two weeks before my first harvest and things are moving along rather quickly. Besides the administrative tasks which keep me leapfrogging the Cote, I am sorting out bits in the cellar as well as the vineyard. It’s difficult being your own secretary, chauffeur, cellar master, and it certainly adds up to making plans and preparing for the bad surprise as they call it locally.

Just last week, I sorted the grapes situation. In short, I came away with some tidy material from Morey Saint Denis, Charmes-Chambertin all from Aux Charmes, and two barrels worth of grapes from Le Chambertin! Those who had read my thoughts prior to coming to Burgundy are aware if the change in sources as I was both prepared and honored to possibly only have an option to make village Aloxe-Corton. What a difference 180 days can make when partnered with persistence.

Since I have been in Burgundy, there have been figurative and actual blue skies and grey. Many days have seemed dark only to shift toward brilliant light. Missing trains, misreading train timetables, failing at hitchhiking whilst walking past Gevrey-Chambertin ‘a pied’ to Nuits St George with men the senior of my own father passing me at high speeds on bicycles has been how some days have gone. You can’t help but laugh and then feel tired, almost defeated with the now raging sun nearly cooking you alongside Route National 74. But showing up to the appointment (sweaty, 15 minutes late and 3 hours past fresh) someone pours me a glass of something red in a proper glass and the cool breeze in the cave makes me forget all about my tough walk just moments before.

2003 fourrier gevrey 1er combe aux moines

By billn on September 08, 2009 #degustation

fourrier_moines
This is a very, very good 2003, but it’s not really for me – at least not today. Only a few regionals that I’ve tried have so-far had the level of balancing acidity that I personally need. I’d planned to follow this bottle up with a Griotte or a Clos St.Jacques, but frankly why waste a bottle that may be more interesting in 10 (+++) years? On the whole I remain happy that only about 4% of my cellar come from this vintage.

2003 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Combe aux Moines
I double decanted the bottle then left it in the refrigerator for 1 hour as my room temp was about 28°. Medium, medium-plus colour though still cherry-red. The nose still manages to open up with a dark, reductive, slightly toasty oak impression – but it stays in the glass for less than 5 minutes. Slowly it builds a width of creamy, macerating morello cherry aromas, ever-so slowly adding depth with time – very faint herbs overlay the fruit and eventually a little toffee. In the mouth the first word that comes to my mind is unctuous as the sweet fruit wraps around your tongue, though the fruit’s smiling face turns to a frown as the tannin begins to assert itself – it’s like fine sand in texture but far from astringent. The acidity is on a relatively low level so it both dulls the mid-palate (no extra dimension) and adds little to the slightly earthy, salty finish. Unctuous, but I can’t say succulent – there’s just not the freshness for that – I honestly found the second glass a chore. For all that, it’s rather a concentrated and serene wine and about the best 03 I’ve tried recently from the 1er/grand cru levels, I’m also convinced that the pretty fruit will further improve, but I’m not convinced it will ever (for my taste) overcome the shortcoming of the acidity…
Rebuy – Maybe

2009 harvest – tuesday 8th

By billn on September 08, 2009 #vintage 2009

My home team will kick-off today (without me) bringing in the Beaune 1er Les Cras. It looks like we will have a very orderly harvest – no urgent dashes to the vines – also, despite daytime temperatures approaching 30°, the overnight temperatures are nice and cool (though not close to the 3° we had last year) so no worry about the grapes being too hot.

For your wider reading, Alex Gambal is running his blog during the harvest, and short message from Morey St.Denis:

The grapes are looking great. We picked our first little bit this morning (Monday): some Puligny village that we buy for Dujac Fils & Pere. Waiting on the analysis to confirm numbers. It should be around 12°5 and just looked and tasted ripe. I don’t think it will be a year to really wait on the whites, with the possible exception of Monts Luisants (it really holds acidity). Our latest sampling shows very uniform sugars at all appellation levels. All are between 12°3 and 12°5. We’ll begin on Thursday with the ones ripest, using other indicators such as stems, pips, etc.
Jeremy Seysses, Domaine Dujac

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