We picked golden bunches of Chenin Blanc like this leaving the green ones to ripen We drove across to Le Puy Notre Dame today to do part of a morning's picking with Frédéric Mabileau and family along with various friends out to help do the 1er tri (selection) of Chenin Blanc destined for their Saumur Blanc. The instructions from Frédéric seemed clear: pick only the golden bunches and those with a lot of noble rot developing. Unfortunately the practice is less easy: many bunches were golden on the sunny side but fairly green on the other more shaded side.
Frédéric Mabileau
We picked for between an hour and half – two hours and weren't sorry when we stopped as sustained grape picking is pretty back breaking. We did get a good bonus – a picnic lunch in the vineyard largely prepared by Odette Mabileau, Frédéric's mother. At least three trailer loads were picked today with the grapes coming in at 14%.
Emptying grapes into the trailer
The second and final tri will be done in about ten days time depending upon the weather.
More photos of the pickers
The grapes were generally very clean with noble rot starting to develop
Annie showing off a bunch with noble rot developing
Rémy Mabileau
Odette Mabileau
Jean-Paul Mabileau
Jean-Paul cutting a selected bunch – part raisins dorées and part with botrytis developing
CRM
Pickers emptying grapes into Thomas Meunier's hod. Until July Thomas used to look after the commercial side of the domaine. Love has drawn him to move to the USA and he is now living in North Carolina.
Frédéric emptying his hod
Picking finished it's time to get the picnic lunch, mainly prepared by Odette, laid out
Frédéric MabileauWe picked for between an hour and half – two hours and weren't sorry when we stopped as sustained grape picking is pretty back breaking. We did get a good bonus – a picnic lunch in the vineyard largely prepared by Odette Mabileau, Frédéric's mother. At least three trailer loads were picked today with the grapes coming in at 14%.
Emptying grapes into the trailerThe second and final tri will be done in about ten days time depending upon the weather.
More photos of the pickers
The grapes were generally very clean with noble rot starting to develop
Annie showing off a bunch with noble rot developing
Rémy Mabileau
Odette Mabileau
Jean-Paul Mabileau
Jean-Paul cutting a selected bunch – part raisins dorées and part with botrytis developing
CRM
Pickers emptying grapes into Thomas Meunier's hod. Until July Thomas used to look after the commercial side of the domaine. Love has drawn him to move to the USA and he is now living in North Carolina. 
Frédéric emptying his hod
Picking finished it's time to get the picnic lunch, mainly prepared by Odette, laid out
