This time, we have to go for it

The harvest date is one of the key moments of the vintage. Harvesting neither too early nor too late, depending on the grape variety, depending on the style of wine one wishes to make with these grapes. Here, the Malbec is ready. For the other grape varieties, the incoming weather forecast is forcing us to make decisions. For the Cabernet Sauvignon, we will wait: it is not ready and it is healthy. For the Merlot, there is no debate, we must get going; it will not hold up, even if on certain plots we would have liked to wait a few more days. For the Cabernet Franc, we are going to bring them in as well, even if here too a few extra days could have done some good. There are years when you can harvest at optimal ripeness, and there are others, like this year for the reds, where sanitary conditions dictate our decisions.