Melon de Bourgogne @Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin
Still a little green – will be picked later this week
or early next week
We arrived in the Pays Nantais this morning after a night in a cheap hotel close to Saumur. It is clear that many producers were badly hit this year by the frosts at end of April. Unfortunately April 2016 also saw bad frosts – again at the end of April. Ironically 2017 is very promising in terms of quality – such a pity that the frost was so damaging.
Today we visited Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin, Fred Niger (both in Le Landreau) and the Lieubeau family in Château-Thébaud. Fred is undoubtedly the worst hit as he has lost 98% of the crop – not funny as he lost 90% in 2016 and 85% in 2012. Fortunately he is part of 11 organic vignerons across France who help each other out by selling grapes/must when frost or hail strikes. Nevertheless it is very far from easy – very dispiriting when you get another vintage destroyed by frost over night.
For Pierre-Marie and Marie Luneau only their Butte de la Roche is yielding a normal harvest, while the Lieubeau family has a 40% loss from their 70 hectares.
Understandably there are now projects underway to install frost protection systems. Clearly producers cannot survive such losses for very long.
Marie Luneau, CRM and Eric Narioo (Les Caves de Pyrene)
as well as wine @ Vino di Anna
on Mount Etna (Sicily)
Pierre-Marie and Marie Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin)
Pierre Luneau with the new Stockinger wooden vats
Monique Luneau – le grand chef with
vegetables from the garden
In the cellar of Fred Niger van Amphore
Three of the Lieubeau family, who work on the domaine
Right to left – Chantal, Marie her daughter
and Vincent, her younger son
Local priest to give blessing?
With François Lieubeau, Vincent's elder brother
The local priests did bless the vignoble
but unfortunately it was in late May/earlyJune.
In 2018 it will need to be in late March
before the threat of April frosts
Lieubeau – Melon for their 2017 Cru Château-Thébaud
Arrival of the Lieubeau's 1st load of Gros Plant
Le Ban des Vendanges was issued today.
Playing around with the ISO speeds
@ 20000 ISO
@ H2 – 102,400 ISO
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