Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Thursday 24 October 2013

Sauternes: Raymond Lafon, d'Yquem, Clos Haut-Peyraguey, Maison Rouge and others



Bee heaven: a bee enjoying a grape left on the vine@Château d'Yquem

Some photos from a relaxed day in Sauternes yesterday with decidedly variable weather – lovely sunshine succeeded by a sudden storm with heavy rain. Unlike other parts of Bordeaux, Sauternes has enjoyed a good harvest this year with botytris arriving early but after the grapes had ripened to around 12˚ and very even within bunches. Quite a lot of the harvest is complete. It looked like d'Yquem were doing a last sweep through their vineyards picking the best of the remaining grapes. 


Maison rouge: fin des vendanges for Jean-Claude Belanger


Grapes@Clos Haut-Peyraguey (above and below)
Almost there just needing a little more time?
Have already some at least a couple of tris here


 New concrete egg vat@Clos Haut-Peyraguey.
The property was bought by Bernard Magrez at the end of 2012


André Praderie, chargé des visites@Clos Haut-Peyraguey with the egg


Château Raymond Lafon: waiting for the final tri
Just one more day's harvesting left. Rot very even

Jean-Pierre Meslier, Château Raymond-Lafon
We had a very interesting and enjoyable visit with Jean-Pierre

Raymond Lafon has a fine garden with many oriental plants and includes a duck pond 

The barrel chai@Raymond-Lafon

We tasted 2009, 2007 and 2005 vintages
All excellent but I had a slight preference for the 
balance and freshness of the 2007

Château d'Yquem – neighbour to Raymond-Lafon

Picking some of the last bunches of 2013@d'Yquem

Storm approaching d'Yquem – sudden change in the weather 
from fine and sunny to heavy rain with a little hail


Lashing rain on the windscreen

Maison Rouge after the storm
Good thing Jean-Claude harvested that morning!


Drenched grapes in a neighbouring vineyard
 – have to wait for them to dry and concentrate 

1 comment:

Quitou said...

Amazing! Beautiful work... Congratulations :-)