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 19 September 2009

Sancerre to start 2009 harvest Monday

Harvesting near Bué: October 2008

The Coteaux du Giennois and Sancerre will start picking from Monday, Châteaumeillant and Menetou-Salon will follow on Wednesday. The signs look good for the vines that have remained intact after successive hailstorms, a difficult flowering and attacks of mildew. The harvest is expected to last around three weeks. The forecast is for mild weather for the start of autumn.

Press release from Benoît Roumet, director of the Bureau du Centre - 19th September 2009:

2009 en Centre-Loire: les vendanges démarrent sous de bons auspices
'Avec une semaine d’avance par rapport à 2008, les vignobles du Centre-Loire ont commencé la récolte des raisins 2009. Après une année viticole compliquée entre les grêles à répétition, une floraison compliquée et les attaques du mildiou, les semaines précédant la récolte ont été plus propices à la maturation des raisins qui sont dans un excellant état sanitaire.

Les observations du réseau des parcelles de SICAVAC (laboratoire interprofessionnel des Vignobles du Centre-Loire amènent à des équilibres sucres/acides très proches de 2002 ce qui laisse augurer une belle qualité aussi bien pour les blancs que pour les rouges et les rosés.

Reuilly a, comme à l’accoutumée, dégainé ses sécateurs en premier dès le 12 septembre pour les pinots gris. Le lundi 14 septembre Quincy a démarré, suivi par Pouilly sur Loire le mercredi 16.

Lundi 21 septembre c’est Sancerre et les Coteaux du Giennois qui devraient rentrer dans leurs vignes suivis par Menetou-Salon le 23 et Châteaumeillant qui clôturera les bans 2009.

Les vendanges devraient s’étaler sur près de trois semaines sous une météo annoncée clémente pour ce début d’aurtomne.'

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Vacheron cellars in Sancerre

Denis Vacheron, Domaine Vacheron (Sancerre): We will be starting on Wednesday with the Sauvignon Blanc. Our vines that weren't hit by hail look good but it will be a small harvest. This is partly because of the hail. Also there wasn't a grosse sortie and we had difficult conditions for the flowering in June, which provoked coulure. The Sauvignon is around 12.5% potential with the acidity still a little high but the figures aren't really important for us – it is the flavour that counts and the Sauvignon is not quite full ripe.

"We'll wait for the Pinot Noir as the skins are still tough – just needs a little more time. Probably all right for making Champagne but not for red Sancerre. We had a small amount of rain this week, hardly enough to wet the ground. An Englishman wouldn't even call it rain." Always the joker – Denis Vacheron!

Sancerre: August 2008

Denis confirmed that parts of Menetou-Salon have been so badly hit by the successive hailstorms that 95% of the crop and been destroyed and that there will be some producers who make nothing at all this year.

••

Jean-Marie Bourgeois (Domaine Henri Bourgeois) reports that they will be starting picking their Sancerre Pinot Noir, which is looking very promising, on Monday.

3 comments:

Weston said...

"An Englishman wouldn't even call it rain"

Love the Quote hah, Its like in Vancouver Canada sometimes people saying it raining out side umbrellas out and im like WTF that isn't rain!

Weston~

Anonymous said...

Weston, I laugh when the Brits complain about the snow. They should visit Edmonton when its minus 30 and it`s snowing all day!

Bob from Alberta.

Weston said...

Yeah Gotta love when you hear reports of Snow in September.

My mom lived in Edmonton for 3 years that was enough for her.