A brief update from a warm and sunny east Touraine. The weather has improved considerably from last week. No rain since Friday and the daytime temperatures have crept up to the low to mid 20's. Nights are cool with a minimum around 10˚C. La chaine Meteo is forecasting an uninterrupted dry spell through to 3rd October so all bodes well (for the moment).
Caged Côt@Clos Chossay (photos MR)
Caged Côt@Clos Chossay (photos MR) Did the vendange at Domaine de la Grande Foucardière (Lionel Truet) on Saturday. As Lionel has given up his rented vines he now has just 3.5ha, which are all picked manually over two weekends. On Saturday and Sunday a group of friends and family picked the Gamay and Grolleau, whilst the parent's association (APE) picked the Sauvignon. (This latter is becoming a very common arrangement. Locally the Francueil, Epeigné and Luzille APE's do the vendanges in exchange for a donation of money and/or wine). Chez Lionel the Gamay and Grolleau were plentiful and generally in a healthy state, although I did notice some very isolated rot in the Gamay. The Grolleau will go into a Rosé and the Gamay into Touraine Primeur. Lionel does not put Gamay in his Francois Premier blend. A copious lunch and dinner are the pickers' rewards. Couldn't help noticing that there are considerably more people at the lunch and dinner than in the vines!
Well spaced bunches of Cabernet Franc@Clos Chossay
Took a little trip into the vines of Montlouis and Vouvray on Sunday afternoon. Attached picture taken from the vines on the slopes behind Vigneau-Chevreau in Chancay. Picking doesn't seem to have fully started in either appellation although we did notice a small amount of activity on the Sunday afternoon.
Vines@Vigneau-Chevreau, AC Vouvray
At Chossay the Cot grapes are particularly prized by the local bird population. As I'm determined to make a pure Cot this year the grapes are now protected with netting. Meantime both the Cabernet Franc and Cot are ripening nicely. Cot is at around 11%, Cabernet 10.5%. Ist week of October for the Cot, 2nd week for the Cabernet if all stays the same weather-wise.
Well spaced bunches of Cabernet Franc@Clos Chossay Took a little trip into the vines of Montlouis and Vouvray on Sunday afternoon. Attached picture taken from the vines on the slopes behind Vigneau-Chevreau in Chancay. Picking doesn't seem to have fully started in either appellation although we did notice a small amount of activity on the Sunday afternoon.
Vines@Vigneau-Chevreau, AC Vouvray At Chossay the Cot grapes are particularly prized by the local bird population. As I'm determined to make a pure Cot this year the grapes are now protected with netting. Meantime both the Cabernet Franc and Cot are ripening nicely. Cot is at around 11%, Cabernet 10.5%. Ist week of October for the Cot, 2nd week for the Cabernet if all stays the same weather-wise.
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Jérôme Choblet, Domaine de Herbauges (Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu):
Super bien mais vraiment busy, mon maître de chai est à la maternité avec sa femme, j'ai vraiment trop de boulot en ce moment.
(Given the strides that have been made with birth control over the last few decades it does seem strange that a maître de chai's wife is permitted to give birth in the middle of the vintage!)
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