L'Equipe and the 2011 Cabernet Franc recolte

Shortly before 10am this morning an elite band of pickers started harvesting the 2011 Cabernet Franc at Clos Chossay, Epeigné's only individual producer. Fruit from all the other vines in Epeigné goes to the cave cooperative at Francueil.

Removing the nets 

The last to harvest in the neighbour the precious harvest had to be netted to protect the grapes against the birds:

 Suzie removing netting 

 Mark disentangling grapes from netting

Getting ready to start

The picking

Small well aerated bunches 

Annick 

Dominique

Fabrice (above and below)

Another precious bunch harvested

Turning leaf

Picking lasted about an hour: 

2011 Cabernet Franc harvest  

 Group photo@end of picking

Mark models new earings..

Sorting and destemming

The team@work

The tradition at Clos Chossay is to destem by hand – fortunately the harvest is not huge: Clos Chossay remains a 'bijou-garage' estate. 2011 was rot free but with some variable ripening, so unripe grapes had to be separated while destemming. The three bins of Cabernet Franc took about two hours 45 minutes to separate the fruit from the stalks. 

A job for skilled hands and fingers...

Job done - the stems

2011 Cabernet Franc destemmed

Foulage (foot treading)

Preparing two bins for treading

Treading underway: women working – men watch

A growing group of watchers 

2011 Cabernet to the chai – ready to begin fermenting

Crushed grapes

On the way to the chai

Filling the vat (above and below)

La cuverie

Vertical press and drum kit

In all we picked enough Cabernet Franc to give around 70 litres of juice before pressing, which Mark expects to produce about 50 litres of wine with a potential alcohol of 12.8% potential alcohol. This will be blended with the estate's 35 litres of 2011 Côt, which was picked on Tuesday. The 2011 'grand vin' will be bottled in 2011 after a two year élèvage. Over lunch we tried the 2010, which looks promising with attractive red fruits. This is due to be bottled in 2012.     

Winding down

Time to relax after a long day and lunch

  

Picking Cabernet Franc@Château de Villeneuve

Update from Cathy Shore (Le Tasting Room) on Villeneuve's vintage plans: start the Chenin this Tuesday and the Cabernet Franc on 19th. Further details see here.

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Also from Saumur the use of micro-barriques (also called wood chips) is to be allowed during the alcoholic fermentation for AC Saumur Rouge. See here. The idea is that the use of micro-barriques masks the astringency of Cabernet Franc. There is, of course, another way of avoiding astringency – pick the fruit when it is ripe. Apparently their use is also permitted in AC Bourgueil.

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2009 vintage – treading the grapes

News from Epeigné-les-Bois 'Grand Cru' – Clos Chossay (Mark Robertson reports):

'Squeaky bum time in the vignoble, Sauvignon harvested Sunday (3rd September) at 13%, after torrential rain on Saturday night (Bourgueil had widespread flooding).

Côt is close, but Cabernet has 3 weeks to go. Hope the grass soaks up the rain....'

Vines flowering in mid-May – jamais vue ça! (photo: Mark Robertson)

There are now reports of vines flowering in many parts of the Loire with signs of flowers appearing by last weekend and possibly even earlier. This is best part of a month in advance of last year's flowering and days ahead of very early years like 1989 and 2003, when flowering was towards the end of May. You have to go way back to 1893 to find a year when the vines have been so far in advance.

Normally you count 100 days from flowering to picking, so some Loire producers will be picking in August unless there is a very cold spell or the vines shut down due to drought stress. Many producers, who often take a short holiday before the harvest begins, will be having to change their vacation plans!