Not a single day without harvesting in the week ahead

9 hectares of whites to bring in altogether. On Friday, we toured all the parcels, block by block, to see what was ripe and what could still wait. This year is surprising for the variations in ripeness we are seeing. Starting tomorrow morning, we will be all hands on deck to bring in the most advanced parcels, continuing right through until Friday. We should then have just one Sauvignon parcel left (1 ha), which is taking its time on later-ripening clay-limestone soils. Friday’s tour proved fascinating in many ways. Firstly, because it allows us to fine-tune our harvest plan and select the grapes that will go into the specific cuvées we are planning. But also, for the first year, we can harvest a normal-sized crop, allowing us to identify the parcels and blocks with the greatest potential for the future. It is sometimes striking to see just how much better the grapes from the southern end of a parcel taste compared to those from the other part. A difference of 100 metres can make a huge difference, and often you realise the soils are no longer the same, with gravel outcropping. The grapes then take on luscious, honeyed notes. To make the most of this, machine harvesting is out of the question. A team of pickers must be sent in to harvest and isolate these ‘southern’ grapes, which would be a real shame to blend into a generic cuvée. Next year, we will work to confirm our hunches. Perhaps these observations are merely the result of such a unique vintage (as every vintage is, for that matter). This terroir-mapping work is a major first for us. Excuse my phrasing in advance, but bloody hell, what a thrill!