End of harvest
Author: Jasper Morris MW
The harvest in the Côte d’Or is now pretty much over and the growers are happier than expected. Though the weather forecasts indicated that there would be rain at any moment during the fortnight of the harvest, in fact it stayed dry until some storms passed through on Sunday 11th, by which time virtually everything was picked.
Clearly it is not even across the board – this is definitely a year which required all due care and attention throughout the growing season – but the good guys are thoroughly pleased with the final results. The general consensus seems to be:
- A large crop of healthy whites. Serious growers have come in a little under the official maximum yield but doubtless there are cowboys who have gone well over. Overcroppers will have had trouble ripening their grapes.
- A small crop of reds which have needed sorting to deselect rot. Happily people know how to do this these days, and otherwise the grapes were healthy with small bunches due to millerandage after flowering. There was some uneven ripeness too.
- Relatively low sugar levels compared to recent years but thick skins with good colour extraction and a ripe feel to them
- Lowish acidity yet with good pH balance. The acidity is more tartaric than malic, which means that little will be lost in the malolactic fermentation
- A small but superb vintage in the Beaujolais!
I went down to the Maconnais on Monday to see the last grapes coming in chez Olivier Merlin. His vines were still in excellent condition with glowing golden grapes – a very happy man!
Totally agree with your five point consensus Jasper from my own 5th vendange experience chez Arlaud, MSD.
We started 3rd Sept. I was initially concerned at rot in our first parcels, Aux Combottes, and a first section of Charmes but after those it was pretty much plain sailing, or better than that, through all the Morey & Chambolle premiers, villages and the Grand Crus. My row of Clos de la Roche was, I think, better than any row I’ve picked in 5 vendange – glorious. Even a parcel of Gamay and some Aligote (below the RN 74 between Morey & Chambolle) on the last day, the 10th for us, were first class. I remember the Gamay being horrible in 2008 and nothing like this year’s in 2010. Lots of coccinelle (ladybirds) though !
On the 2nd I called at my 2009 employers, Dubreuil-Fontaine in Pernand. Christine & her father, Bernard, were delighted with their whites (confirming your comment) if less happy, with longer faces over their reds.
I didn’t see uneven ripeness but, yes, did see millerandage. Alexandrine Roy confirmed, on a 12th Sept visit, she would make ‘Cuvee Alexandrine’ with millerandage berries. She was also a mite concerned at sugar levels and waiting to see how things went – having been initially distracted by her lab sending her a set of totally wrong results !
Alec Seysses, on two evening visits to Arlaud, also mentioned potential low acidity as the only slight concern then. He advised they were delighted with Dujac’s domaine grapes but much less so with bought in fruit !
Just a few thoughts from a super vendange to back your own sage views. Its years since I once called to see Olivier M – can still remember some forthright views of his on the French tax authorities expressed over a glass of Macon – great guy.
Best.
MG