Life's great mysteries...It seems
as if the furore over the 2005 was only yesterday and already we are
looking towards the next vintage, the 2006. You are no doubt aware
of the proverb "Aout fait le moût" i.e. August being the critical
month in terms of the eventual quality of the wine?
And what do the French do?
Bugger off down to sit on a sand-dune in Arcachon for the whole
critical month!
August 2006 was a distinctly cool, cloudy month in Bordeaux that
delayed grape ripening, consequently Gildas d'Orllone from Chateau
Pichon-Lalande was able to oversee last night's vertical of his
wines, rather than overseeing the picking of the Merlot. The
Bordelais have enjoyed a late-summer heat over the last week, so
they are more optimistic of a good vintage than just a couple of
weeks ago. But given the capricious nature of the growing season
which must have left a lot of confused grapes, they must be praying
for low depressions to stay away until mid- to late-October.
Burgundy? Well, I will be able to report first hand since I will be
spending a fortnight there from this weekend. As I mentioned before,
I am using the time to recharge the batteries rather than traipse
around dark, dank cellars with a 20-month baby in tow.
I did receive an update from the BIVB this morning and it reads as
follows:-
Each year the beginning of September is a time of renewed
activity: a new year for schools, for politicians, and, in a
wine-growing region like Burgundy, a new vintage. The berries of
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as the Gamay and Aligoté, take on
their purple or golden hues. From Chablis to Pouilly-Fuissé, via
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Beaune, Mercurey and Mâcon, Burgundy's 2006
vintage, though not yet an accomplished fact, is full of promise.
All year long the vines have had to cope with capricious weather
conditions. A long, hard winter resulted in a late bud-burst. Very
hot weather in June and July enabled the vines to catch up and
favoured rapid flowering and fruit-set. But less clement weather in
August restored a more normal time-table by slowing maturation.
Checks on ripeness from mid-August onwards showed all the principal
ingredients of the grapes (sugars, acidity, polyphenols) developing
nicely.
In southern Burgundy, the "bans de vendanges" (official dates for
the start of the harvest) were announced on 1 September, authorising
growers to choose their own harvest dates. Dates for the rest of
Burgundy should be announced around mid-September.
The first grape bunches reached the vat-houses on 6 September. These
were destined for the production of Crémant de Bourgogne, the
sparkling wine which is the "third force" in Burgundy's armoury.
These grapes are ready for picking earlier since the making of
Crémant requires fruit relatively high in acidity to ensure the
wine's vivacity and freshness.
Grapes for still wines remain on the vine, soaking up the warm sun
under the watchful eyes of the growers, who wait patiently for the
optimal moment of perfect maturity to begin harvesting the fruits of
their year's labour.
"It's still too soon," says Michel Baldassini, President of the BIVB,
"for a final judgement on the 2006 vintage." He went on, "We are
watching the weather and the ripeness of the grapes carefully. The
game isn't won or lost until the harvest is over, but at the moment
we are confident."
Yield is expected to be around 1.5 million hectolitres, equivalent
to last year's harvest.
Patience... pleasure in store... Burgundy's 2006 vintage is still a
story waiting to be told!
Let's just hope that me, coming to Burgundy, will not portend two
weeks of rain to washout my holiday.
All the best
Neal
© 2006 Neal Martin. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. Visit
wine-journal.com , an independent site dedicated to fine wine.
