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Thursday, September 22, 2011

LeManS

2011 Loire vintage: Chinon and Bourgueil (20th September)

Generous bunch of Cabernet Franc in a Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil vineyard on the gravel

Despite some rain in September the Cabernet Franc looks for the moment to be resisting rot in Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Picking is at different stages in the three appellations. The vineyards on the gravel and sandy flats of Saint-Nicolas have now been largely picked often by machine. Despite reports of rot in these vineyards the grapes that remained looked healthy and there appeared by be very little rot about. Bourgueil is now underway – some started at the end of last week while others waited until Monday. In Chinon some have started on the reds, while others like Baudry-Dutour and Couly-Dutheil are picking for rosé this week and will start on the reds at the beginning of next week. Others, like Nicolas Grosbois and Bertrand Couly, are picking the reds now.

For the white Chinon, Baudry-Dutour have picked their domaine white but waiting to pick for their barrel fermented Chinon Blanc. Couly-Dutheil are picking their most fragile parcels of Chenin.

Chenin Blanc@Couly-Dutheil (above and below)

Reasonably nobly rotten

Less noble

Trailer of Chenin

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

2011 Loire vintage: start of the vendange in Chinon – Nicolas Grosbois

Vendanges 2011: c'est parti pour Nicolas Grosbois (Panzoult, AC Chinon) – above and below

The first visit we made in Chinon was to Nicolas Grosbois on the western edge of Panzoult. Nicolas has started early – last Saturday. Grapes were coming in at 12.5-12.8% potential with an acidity of 4.2 and a ph of 3.3.

Nicolas: "We started last Saturday. 2011 is not an easy year as the flowering was extended over a long time, so there is variable ripeness – some mauve berries amongst the black grapes. Because of the rain we have 15% more juice than last year. I think the resulting wines will be relatively light – easy drinking, vin des copains", although there may be a few more structured cuvées from the terres blanches vineyards."

Tasting the 2011 juice suggested that the resulting wines are likely to be light.

Bunch of 2011 Cabernet Franc@Domaine Grosbois: well aerated bunch

Group of the Grosbois' pickers

PLAIN

Red bicyclette – fake Pinot Noir appeal judgment delayed

Real Pinot Noir in Sancerre late August 2011

For those of you waiting impatiently for the appeal court judgment, which was due today, on those convicted in the fake Pinot Noir scandal the announcement of the judgment has been delayed due to a lack of staff. The judgment will now be announced on 12th October.

See details here.

There are a number of posts on Jim's Loire about the Fake Pinot case – here, here and here.

Shortage of staff

This seems to be a frequent complaint in France at the moment. La Nouvelle République recently ran a story on the difficulty of recruiting locals to pick grapes. As a result producers are increasingly hiring workers from Eastern Europe and in this particular instance from Bulgaria.

It is the same in the restaurant trade, perhaps particularly in rural areas. Marc Hammani (chef/proprietor at Auberge de Montpoupon) and Xavier Fortin (sommelier at La Promenade, Le Petit Pressigny) have both complained about the difficulty of recruiting waiting and kitchen staff holding back their businesses.