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




Saturday 4 October 2014

Clos Roche Blanche (Touraine) picking 120-year-old Côt assisted by Jules Dressner



 Gnarled trunks of the 120-year-old Côt – small yields of concentrated juice
(above and below)

Yesterday morning we dropped in on the Clos Roche Blanche to see Catherine Roussel pick her 120-year-old Côt vines (Malbec is a synonym) for the last time. Among the pickers was Jules Dressner (Louis Dressner), Roche Blanche's American importer. Jules had just flown in from New York the night before. Fortunately he wasn't suffering from jet-lag. He thought grape picking wasn't 'rocket-science', which is a fair comment in a rot-free vintage like 2014 but rather different in one like 2013 or when you are picking selectively when the practice can be considerably more challenging than the theory.    

 



 A pause before tackling the 120-year-old Côt 

 Julien Pineau who, along with Laurent Saillard, will be taking 
over the Roche Blanche vines.
Julien used to work for Bertrand and Lisse Jousset in Montlouis 
 
 Julien - final shot of coffee before the off

How did we manage to harvest before the advent of mobiles?



 Jules Dressner@work
(above and below)










 Photos approved by La Patronne
Small, loose bunches of Côt


Jules Dressner's reports on the harvest at Clos Roche Blanche can now be found here.

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