THE HARVEST: CHANGING TIMES

One could be forgiven for thinking that the transformation of a bunch of grapes into wine is immutable, removed from revolutionary thinking. Yet the past ten years have

seen countless changes in the way we approach the harvest. Field observation, common sense and intuition have radically altered the way we cope or triumph at harvest time.

What follows are first-hand accounts of these changes from wine growers and wine makers in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Provence.

Our sincere thanks go to Denis Dubourdieu for his opening insights into the essential changes that have marked the last decade and to Stéphane Derenoncourt for his

snapshot of the technical developments that have taken place in these first ten years of the 21st century.

DENIS DUBOURDIEUAgronomist, Professor of Oenology at Bordeaux University

and member of the INAO

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YieldsHarder pruning, de-budding and green harvesting have reduced yields by 20% in all crus and appellations with the aim of making naturally (over?) concentrated wines.

Chaptalisation and must concentrationLower yields and exceptional climatic conditions have seen these practices disappear, even in Sauternes.

Plot identificationCartography has enabled us to identify each plot in detail, in turn allowing us to know and understand the vineyard intimately. The best gravel, clay or limestone terroirs are mapped out to near perfection. Ambitious estates now systematically earmark their sand, silt and / or humid soils, with lesser potential, for their second wines that are not surprisingly growing in proportion.

Picking datesFrom 45 days after the véraison 10 years ago to 60 days, today, the harvesting of red wines is getting later and later. The aim? To obtain complete and ideal maturity on each plot. On the Right Bank, bringing in the perfect Merlot has become something of a local competition; it is possible that some may have gone too far.

SortingEvery berry that goes into vat should be perfect, which now means every sorting technique possible is being used to achieve this, whether it be manual, mechanical or optical.

The return of the Petit VerdotThe proportion of Cabernet and Petit Verdot continues to increase in the Grands Vins of Crus on the Left Bank.

Organic to the foreThe environment is a now a serious issue for a growing number of estates. Many are conducting organic trials. Some (though rare, it has to be said) have completely skipped this stage and gone for conversion to organic viticulture across their entire estates. The rest are looking on with watchful eyes.

Sauternes Remarkable changes are taking place in areas producing sweet white wines. Not only are the harvests getting earlier, but the Pourriture Noble, which constitutes the very heart and soul of Sauternes, is developing much earlier than before and is much more widespread.

STEPHANE DERENONCOURTConsultant viticulturist and winemaker

CHÂTEAU CANTEMERLE, CRU CLASSE DE HAUT-MEDOCPhilippe Dambrine, Director

In the 1980s, when the Société Mutuelle Agricole du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publiques acquired Cantermerle, the vineyard was virtually replanted in its entirety. Today, this means we have a very deep root system and that the vines are reaching their prime – something that is reflected in the recent tasting notes of Cantermerle followers, which all note the wine’s increased intensity.

Our approach to viticulture has become more precise and far more respectful of the environment. At the same time, thanks to sophisticated

techniques of lab analysis, our ability to determine the maturity of the harvest has become far more precise and comprehensive. Any form of analysis, of course, has to be combined with tasting the grapes at regular intervals as, in the end, only an experienced palate can truly assess the texture of the skins and the taste of the pips.

Harvesting then has become a far more refined practice and, if followed by meticulous sorting, we are now capable of keeping the quality and character of the grapes intact right up to crushing.

CHÂTEAU TALBOT, CRU CLASSE DE SAINT-JULIENChristian Hostein, Production Director

We have torn up the rule book as far as fixing harvesting dates is concerned. Ensuring we have optimum maturity now means acting quickly and decisively – and taking greater risks.

As a result, we have increased our harvesting capability at Talbot. We have not only taken on more pickers, but we are aiming (by offering better working conditions and a ‘contract’) to make them feel part of the Talbot team and encourage them to come back to us season after season. On the technical front, we are modifying the way we treat the grapes once they arrive at the winery, year on year. Why? To preserve the quality and flavour of the grapes that we have worked so hard to produce. Using small, shallow crates to avoid crushing the bunches, and optimising berry selection before vatting (we use a flotation system then finally sort the grapes manually) are just two examples of this. 2

The last ten years have been marked by changes in attitude towards how we grow our grapes and how we treat them once harvested. The key words for me are respect and selection. The shallow, plastic, perforated crates we call cagettes have replaced the traditional metal harvesting trailers, dump trucks with screw pumps and other forms of transport. De-stemmers have been re-designed so that

they too treat grapes more gently and, yes, one can say, with more respect.

Sorting tables are now equipped to vibrate. Piston and helical pumps are being replaced by peristaltic versions to avoid the need for mechanical pumping. The most quality conscious are opting for the conveyor belt.

Plot selection has become increasingly important for producing our Grand Vin. The result of blending later is greater finesse and minerality in the blend – all of which contributes to greater complexity.

CHÂTEAU CARBONNIEUX, CRU CLASSE DE GRAVESEric et Philibert Perrin, Co-owners

The one obvious, plain and distinct rule for making good wine is to produce good grapes, which is why the majority of developments in wine production over the past few years have all taken place the vineyard. At Carbonnieux, our efforts to follow the rule and the developments are unceasing.

Deeper, more precise knowledge of the vineyard now means we can manage each plot more accurately and every modification we make to our growing methods is adapted not only to each plot but to different sections of the same plot. For example, the wire trellises used to train the vines have been raised in height for some of our vines to improve the size of the leaf area. This kind of expertise and technique has enabled us to better control our yields to the point where green harvesting has practically disappeared, except for young, very vigorous plants.

The red and white vines at Carbonnieux are reaching a good age now which means that every year we renew approximately 2% of the entire area under vine. It is a practice that helps correct past planting mistakes, notably that of planting early ripening varieties on warmer terroirs to avoid any risk of frost.

Carbonnieux has long been known for the quality of its white wines and today we are pleased to say it has an equally good reputation for its reds. The reds now have more depth and precision and the whites are a little less oaked but, in fact, the intrinsic style of our wines has altered little. We have just one guiding rule: respect the quality of the fruit we have worked so hard to produce.

CHÂTEAU SOUTARD, GRAND CRU CLASSE DE SAINT-EMILIONClaire Thomas-Chenard, Estate Director

Thinking about the changes that have taken place in harvesting over the past 10 years, three things strike me:- First, the rise in alcohol levels- Second, the arrival of the optical sorting table, which enables us to determine picking dates with more accuracy, as well as improving berry selection- Third, the use of cold storage rooms, which evens out the temperature of all the grapes arriving at the winery and facilitates the process of pre-fermentation maceration.

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CHÂTEAU GUIRAUD, CRU CLASSE DE SAUTERNESXavier Planty, Co-owner and Director

How have we made progress? I think most properties now work with more accuracy. There is a general consensus that concentration does not necessarily mean quality. People seem to be more committed, more passionate about wine growing and wine making.

MAISON LOUIS JADOT, BURGUNDYManuela Mouroux, Head of communication

The acquisition of plots of vines and the setting up of new contracts with producers has led to a slight increase in the volume of grapes we vinify at Louis Jadot.

However, we still pick by hand, we still use small crates to transport the harvest and we still sort our grapes meticulously, although here, three developments have helped us make progress:- Sorting now takes place in all appellations, from generic Burgundy through to Beaujolais-Villages and up to Grands Crus – an initiative unique to Burgundy- We sort our grapes non-stop at Jadot, whatever the condition of the grapes. Each and every berry goes on the sorting table- We have increased the number of trips our transporters make between the vineyard and the winery. Not only does this avoid the risk of premature oxydisation, it gets the grapes into the vat house and into the ‘system’ much more quickly.

CHAMPAGNES PHILIPPONNATCharles Philipponnat, President and Managing Director

Three key factors have changed the way sparkling wine producers approach the harvest:

- A shorter and more variable maturation cycle has meant we have to react and harvest more quickly than before. In 2011, for example, we took on extra pickers to bring in the Pinot Noir as fast as possible and we picked the Chardonnay after the Pinots – something which flies in the face of all received wine growing wisdom in Champagne.

-We have become more sophisticated in the way we treat the grapes: the objective is now to bring in the harvest at the absolute peak of its maturity, not before, not after. This naturally means we have to sort the bunches more thoroughly in the vineyard and put in place a stricter picking protocol.

Faster harvesting of grapes that are riper and therefore more fragile make these new practices all the more essential.

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DOMAINE DE LA BEGUDE, BANDOLGuillaume et Soledad Tari, Owners

It is now 15 years since we took over our Mediterranean vineyard and made the decision to cultivate it organically.

The first result of this has been much lower yields; we now bring in around 25 hectolitres per hectare, a tiny volume that we freely admit causes us more than one sleepless night.

On a more positive note, the vines are undoubtedly more resistant to disease and the period of drought that invariably precedes the harvest. Overall, we have noted that the wines have much more freshness and we see more vintage variation – each year the wines have a distinct personality.

We have also begun to take the lunar cycle into account when choosing our dates for picking. Bandol, of course, is based on the Mourvèdre, a temperamental variety which proves to be particularly sensitive to lunar movement…

We have certainly noticed that harvests are getting earlier even on this estate, which is situated on the highest point in the appellation and has something of a reputation for very picking late.

Lettres de ChâteauxMarie-Stéphane Malbec

Tel.: +33 (0)5 56 44 63 50 - Fax: +33 (0)5 56 44 69 45Email: marie-stephane.malbec@wanadoo.fr

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Nic

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