Reds: Hanging in There
October 3rd 2008, by GQ
It has been clear from the start that this was going to be a late harvest. So the vineyard work that we carried out earlier in the season has been crucial and as a result, thankfully, our vines and red grapes look really healthy as they creep closer towards ripeness. The photo, taken yesterday, shows the leaves all green and the grapes free of rot. For the time being, at least.
October 1: First Red Grapes – for Rosé
October 2nd 2008, by GQ
Not a single red grape harvested in September at Bauduc. Not one – that must be the first time ever. Then again, there are merlot grapes on the vine up the road at Pétrus in Pomerol, so it’s not that unusual in the circumstances. Our merlot usually ripens a week or so after the plateau of Pomerol. This gives me a quick insight – pop up to Pomerol and whatever the top guys are doing, mark next week’s diary accordingly.
This year, we’ve decided to make a cracking rosé. Not that we have deliberately set out to make un vin rosé ordinaire in the past, it’s just that we haven’t focused enough on the style and that’s been reflected in the results.
Saint-Emilion on the Left Bank. In Paris.
September 5th 2008, by GQ
One perk of being an accidental wine critic (for Wine & Spirit magazine) is that I get invited to taste some very good wines in lovely surroundings. This time it was a line-up of mature (or maturing) vintages of Premiers Grands Crus Classés from Saint Emilion in a private dining room at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris. With the TGV taking just 3 hours from Bordeaux – and costing around €60 each way for a first class ‘IDTGV’ ticket booked over the web – it’s an easy and affordable day trip. The lunch was arranged by the Groupement de PGCCs de St-Emilion for a handful of wine writers from around the world to meet the owners of the 14 chåteaux involved. For me, there was the added advantage of catching up with people like Neal Martin (above right, chatting to Philippe Castéja of Château Trottevielle, with Nicolas Thienpont of Pavie Macquin looking on). Neal has had a meteoric rise to wine-writing stardom since his Wine-Journal website was merged into erobertparker.com a couple of years ago.
Ground Control
August 29th 2008, by GQ
We’re taking advantage of some hot, dry weather before the harvest to rectify a problem underfoot in a parcel of young merlot vines, planted on gravel and clay soils. When we planted them a few years ago, I didn’t realise that a slight incline from right to left would result in deep troughs being carved out by rain water running down the slope, cutting away at the same channel each time it rained. These channels have made it dangerous to drive down the rows with a tractor. So we asked a friend with a ‘minipelle’ to help us sort it out. With Daniel beavering away in the vineyard, I wasn’t going to hire a digger and make a complete hash of it. And it’s very hot.