2017 harvest in Pays Nantais – first impressions

 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

2016 Loire: more photos from start of Muscadet harvest

 There are good bunches but in 

places they can be difficult to find

 The ravages of mildew are often all too evident 

 Picking @ Jo Landron 

 Scenes from Domaine Luneau-Papin 

(above and below)

 Monique Luneau's special contribution
 to the 2016 vintage

A well deserved break for lunch

Trial of new designer picking pots 
especially useful for small vintages 


Luneau Papin: juice straight from the press
 

Fred Niger van Herck: Domaine de l'Ecu
(futures Domaine des Amphores)
(above and below)
 

Fred's amphores continue to procreate.....
 

Fred must be considering getting into orange wine......

#2015Loire – Muscadet – picking La Butte + elsewhere

Picking La Butte (Domaine Luneau-Papin): Tuesday 22nd September 

Blue sky but frequent showers, so pickers wearing 

rain coats and capes

2015 Melon de Bourgogne 

Marie Luneau preparing the traditional rain 

dance to ward off the showers  

 La Butte overlooks the Marais de Goulaine 

with Nantes in the distance

Complicated vintage in Muscadet 

– careful grape selection needed 

 Pickers and hod-carriers @La Butte

(above and below)

Monique Luneau

Cutting edge footwear in the Pays Nantais

Pierre Luneau posing for Mick Rock

 

Mick Rock (Cephas) @work

 

 

Domaine de l'Ecu – Fred Niger Van Herck's amphores etc. breed faster than rabbits 

a couple of years ago there were around three – now 50 +!!