Vintage 09

Harvest came early this year, with the first grapes being picked mid 14th August. This is around 2 weeks earlier than the average, and means we are already well advanced. All the whites have now been picked at Coume del Mas, and also at our sister property Mas Cristine. Below is one of our trusted pickers in our old Consolation vineyard above Collioure. He helped us identify some of the more obscure varieties planted here - such as Aramon, Clairette and San Sebastien. This small parcel is planted with over 10 different varieties and we hope this adds complexity and texture to the wine, even if we're not sure exactly what each variety is!


We have pressed off some rosé, and started bringing in the reds. The quality of the grapes so far has been outstanding...no rotten or diseased bunches at all and we've planned well to pick everything at perfect maturity. The wines have started fermentation with no problems (we rely on the wild yeasts to do the work) and the musts are looking really outstanding.
The only downside is volume - between 30-50% down on last year, which is a huge loss for a small winery like ourselves. Of course, we naturally try to find more grapes through trusted friends, but everyone is in the same boat and there are just no extras to be had. So if you're a fan of our wines, snap up the 09s as soon as they get into bottle - there won't be much of them!!
Why so few grapes? Well, bunches are formed in the previous season between the shoots of the vines, and after last year's bumper crop the vine was probably balancing its efforts. Does it have anything to do with this year's wet spring or searingly hot summer? Probably not, as the crop size was already low at flowering. In fact, the lower yields have meant that the vines can cope with the summer heat with few problems as they have less carbohydrate requirements than last year.
More on vntage to follow shortly....