Saint-Emilion

Laithwaites Main Board on the Verniotte sorting table
... with 2011
... all hands to the sort!

Picking Presbytère

We make so little Presbytère (our top wine) that we do vintage in a day. Henry is in charge … luckily, this year. (After yesterday when he managed to gash himself on the machinery and I had to cart him off to hospital. With my mad family I know that Robert Boulin A&E very well! He got patched up well. But took quite a few hours. Being a Sunday we'd prepared a big late lunch/early dinner cooked in the village's old wood fired oven; what a meal to miss!) Anyway today. The pickers set off at 8. Barbara and I, sister Helen, friends John and Lindsay, Kaye's family, Scott and Shane were the International Sorters.

We started at nine when the first fruit arrived. I didn't get picked as a picker or sorter. Got the solo job of shover. Stand by the vat encouraging the grapes down the chute with something like a croupier's rake. But bigger. That's all I did all day. Just me and the grapes. All the others out in the sun, laughing and carrying on harvest-style . Me, alone in the dark, talking to grapes.

But not too bad. Very sunny. It got hot out there. I was cool inside.

Then there was lunch. Bernadette did lentil soup, grated carrot/cucumber, lasagne, cheese, tarte au pommes, and we opened a Presbytère 2007 - which is lovely, the nicest '07 I've tried and the vintage to be drinking now. Also a sample of the 2009, just bottled. Biggie. Need to wait for that one.

Then communal supper. Lovely sausage and veg dish by Kaye. These simple, stress-free meals with loads of folk around a big table and wine, water, then coffee in the same tumblers. They are the best meals all year. The nicest meals aren't about food so much as friends. And wine.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

Back To The Midi

It was an absolute scorcher down in the Midi and a very different world to the fresh, misty mornings of Bordeaux! Maitena and I set off early into the warm sunshine heading the back way from Narbonne through the Corbières and into Fitou. This old road brings back many fond memories. It was here, in the small village of Albas way back in 1998, I arrived fresh faced for my first French harvest and fell in love with the Midi. I remember sitting on the banks of the river Berre, fishing, waiting for the harvest to begin; a little different to today!

Fitou is where we find our old-vine Carignan. Rare, old vines give deep, rich colour and flavour with the silkiest of tannins not found on the young Carignan from the plains. We carried on up and over the Corbières and down into the stunning l’Agly valley and to my second home of Maury.

The valley was very busy in its usual harvest chaos and I was just in time to see the first XV du President grapes arrive at the winery. The fruit is quite stunning this year with perfect ripeness in the Grenache. The harvest was coming in thick and fast all morning and by midday we had 8 vats ready for Maitena to add yeast to tonight.

The afternoon was spent with Jean-Charles harvesting the Vent de Folie vineyards. The old vine Grenache vineyard is simply ridiculous; steep, hot and half a mile from the road! I hadn’t quite found my Maury feet and nearly came a cropper sliding down the slate soil but holding the precious crate of Grenache grapes safely with dropping any! When you finally get the grapes to the van its is so satisfying, each tiny 10kg box holding about 10 vines’ worth of grapes, carefully stacked ready for the winery!

Jean-Charles and his wife Celine do an amazing job and to see their grapes fermented in their garage they are overwhelmingly proud. Vivre JC: the best Grenache grower I know of! Is there a grower’s competition we can enter him into?

Greetings from blazing Bordeaux

It is hot here, it's six PM and the sun is blazing out of a clear blue sky; has done since dawn and all week. And the forecast is for days more of same. I say this not to make anyone in Britain jealous but because there's a lot of writing-off of this Bordeaux vintage going on.

Brothers and sisters of the wine-writing profession: do us a favour. You may well be p'ed off that the handful of Great Chateaux (the ones whose names people can remember) pushed their prices so high last year as to be a bit insulting. You may well wish to clobber some big egos around here. Fine.

But don't forget that most (overwhelmingly most) of us Bordeaux chateaux (those with names few remember) do not jack up our prices whenever we feel like it. We have wine to sell every year and if some of our lot don't sell they'll go bust.

Please don't make it hard for them.

This is not a 'write-off' vintage. The grapes are bloody ripe. They've been on the vine a week longer than usual. They are not swollen by rain. It doesn't work like that. Rain can advance ripening. They are not rotten. Because we have the 'atomiseur' kit these days to prevent that. True, we have to sort grapes carefully, but we have the kit for that, too. And we are prepared to stand for hours removing unripe berries. What goes in the tanks is all good. This is a vintage for the best farmer-winemakers to be able to show their skill.

We will slave and we will make lovely wines.

Love from sunny Bordeaux.

Harvesting

Things some people will do to get out of grape picking!

Like having a baby.*









"You work any slower, Dad, you'll be picking next year's" says Caring Son. Laughter in the vines.

Harvesting is no holiday. Up in the dark. Quick coffee, croissant. Start as sun comes over the hill. Damp and cold. The parcelle of vines behind Jean-Pierre's sister's place. She's out feeding her hens. As always. Our Alfie and her dog exchange insults.

Deep breath and in we go. I was thinking that maybe I am Britain's oldest grape-picker. Should I contact Guiness Book of Records? My first vintage was 1965 so am approaching my half century.

I have technique. Despite all my yoga the back hurts after five minutes. So I start the routine. Some I bend; some I kneel; some I squat; some I sit. Vary it and the pain is spread all over. Better. True, my sons go faster but they spew grapes all over. I catch every 'grain'.

I do not approve of Multitasking. In this Blackberry age there I am, snipping away and still getting "Tony, should we put in a comma here?" Switch it off.

All these years we've always stopped at noon. Used to be a siren went off down in Castillon. The entire valley stopped at noon. And ate. This year my son and wife have decided we do an extra 20 mins! I knew it was a mistake introducing them to my world.

Finally up to La Clariere and it’s my favourite soup: a 'Touran Blanchi' sort of garlic soup with noodles and egg. Bottles of damaged-stock 2003 and that liquid garlic. Wonderful reviver. Hors d'oeuvres sort of stuffed chickory. Roast pork. Wine in tumblers. Cheese plate. Gateau d'ananas. Coffee in same tumblers.

This, I think is living. For this, me, I'd turn down three Michelin stars. Without slightest hesitation. The people, place, time … and the aching body (so I deserve this … I have earned it.) And the memories! Oh the memories in this place. All my harvesting has been here. All my lunches have been either here in this barn or across the road in Madame Cassin's old Barn. And always – both places – Bernadette has been cooking. Cooking and scolding. No sign of flagging. That's what good food does for you.

*Retraction … T Laithwaite would like to say that he was quite wrong and that Kaye – his lovely daughter-in-law – did turn up and pick when she'd passed the baby to an Auntie.

Tour de Vin: Stage Two – Complete!

I pass you once again to Anne Linder with news of our cycling Grape Crusaders, pedalling from our British HQ to our French HQ, raising funds for The Prince’s Trust.









Bonjour one and all,

Just to say Anna and Phill arrived safely at Le Chai, having spent their last day cycling from Cognac to Blaye (short motor boat ride across the estuary to Margaux). Although they vowed not to stop for lunch given the time constraints – they cracked and had a bite to eat at Giscours. Hopped back in the boat to land at Bourg and onward once more - Chai bound. They picked up Frazer en route who had ridden out to meet them and to guide them ‘home’ to Le Chai.

They arrived to the customary welcome of a magnum of bubbly (Laithwaite Champagne, of course), local reporter, Barbara and Tom Laithwaite and Chai crew.

Huge thanks to all who were a part of this project and to all those who supported us in some way (cars, kit, back up gear, wine etc).

Anne

And a message from one of our intrepid cyclists, Anna Leach:

Morning All,

Check out www.facebook.com/TourdeVin for our quick report on the trip.

Much thanks for all your support and donations, there is still time to give.

Anna

Back to Bordeaux for the Vintage

Leave wet England. Fly to Bergerac to be bawled out by immigration for stepping over the zig-zag barriers. The uniforms do so love their STRICT CONTROL!

But he let me into France in the end and the sun was shining and ripe grapes hung all around. Looks set fair too. Except – odd thing – the usually reliable weather programme on my ipad keeps saying it’s freezing fog today … and every day it says the same. This is puzzling. A glitch, obviously. Or has someone with no love for Bordeaux mounted a digital campaign of misinformation on our vintage weather? Californians?

Yesterday had a great taste-off with manager Chris and a good crowd at the Surbiton shop. I say that because me and my Old World wines won the match this time.

Let's hear it for the Oldies.

And thanks to all staff at Brookfield School (recyclers of our wooden wine boxes into lovely trays) for the visit. I meet lots of amazing people. You beat them all.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

Another beautiful morning here at Le Chai with the sun rising behind the harvest-time river mist. A perfect start to another grape-picking day here on the right bank of Bordeaux!

The river mist stays low here in Castillon and St. Emilion, safely away from the vineyards. But today I am heading into Bordeaux sweet-wine country; across the Entre-Deux-Mers to the Garonne River. The viticulture and wines are very different here and vineyards are purposely planted so that they are engulfed by the mist everyday. It is here, in and around Sauternes, where some of the most famous Chateau names can be found making the incredible noble rot sweet white wines from the Sémillon grape.

I am heading a little further up-river to a village called Loupiac which is also making fantastic sweet wines. The reason the mist is important is because it creates a perfect humid environment for the botrytis fungus. This fungus can be disastrous to grapes in other vineyards but here, with the thick-skinned Sémillon, the botrytis lives happily on the berry.

It feeds from the water inside causing the grape to concentrate flavours and sugars while still maintaining the high level of acidity needed to balance the wine and keep it from tasting cloyingly sweet. Although the bunches don’t look that attractive, once pressed, the clear sweet juice is released in perfect condition. The harvest is all done by hand and the selection by the pickers is quite something … and a very sticky affair indeed!

The sweet juice was in the Chai by early evening and the plan is to make a dry botrytis wine: very exciting indeed!

Plenty going on at the Chai today. The Chai team, along with Barbara and Tom Laithwaite, were here to welcome personal wine advisors Anna Leach and Phillip Sidebotham, part of the famous “grape crusaders” who have been riding around all of Laithwaites Wine stores in the name of charity.

Having started in Gloucester on the 7th Sept, travelling 287 miles around the 12 Laithwaites Wine UK shops, the group passed the baton onto Anna & Phil who covered a further 300 miles through France; finishing at Laithwaites 13th wine store here at Le Chai au Quai!

The sponsored charity cycle ride is in support of The Prince’s Trust, a charity Laithwaites works closely with. Laithwaites has high aspirations in raising at least £10,000 for the charity and to continue this support in the future.

The Prince’s Trust helps change the lives of over 40,000 disadvantaged youths who have experienced difficulties in their life by offering life changing opportunities for employment, education and training. Well done! If you’d like to help the crusaders reach their target, you can donate here.

I am now off to the Midi to check on the red harvests in the Roussillon. I will be back on Friday in time to welcome a staff trip to Le Chai and to host our International Grenache Day tasting!

Laithwaites Wine in Denmark

They needed a hand pouring 250 wines for thousands of Danes over the weekend … could we help? Skovgaard import a lot of our wines; 60% of what they offer and 80% of what they sell – from Laithwaites Wine.



Young Nicolai and also young - well, almost my age - Jens have shops across Denmark including this huge one just outside Copenhagen.

I had to go to Denmark to see so many of my wines beautifully laid out in this vast hall. Valhalla! Very Viking. They were roasting large animals (outside) and quaffing big quantities inside.

They can drink can the Danes. I don't suppose we ever doubted it. Consumption per head about twice ours. Makes them the biggest wine consumers outside the big wine producing countries. The biggest consumers of appellation wines according to my new friend, the sprightly 80-year-old wine writer. Met him at a dinner they put on after where instead of a rest Jean-Marc and I had a dozen wines to present to 50 or so avid customers in the noisiest restaurant ever. The customers were so nice and kind. I mean, we were flagging but they laughed at all our jokes and some of J-MS French jokes aren't really jokes at all! We normally do 6 to 8 wines a dinner. The full dozen here and no effects whatsoever.

Didn't really see much Copenhagen. Just wine.

You have friend in Denmark? Or Sweden near the bridge? Tell them your favourite wines are at Skovgaard.

And if you ever invite a Dane to dinner, double your wine order.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

This morning really felt like the start of the Bordeaux harvest as I drove down early to Le Chai. It was still dark and misty; a chill was in the air and a bustle of harvest machines were making their way busily in and out of the vineyards. In town, groups of hand pickers were standing outside of the cafes drinking their coffee and eating croissants, getting ready for the days hard graft.

Henry up at Chateau La Clariere-Laithwaite also started this morning and we were invited to join the first harvest meal cooked brilliantly as always by Olivier’s mum Bernadette.

The winemakers at Le Chai are not the only tired things. ‘Red’ our pump was feeling the strain of the long hours and decided to go on strike … well it is a French pump after all! So I lifted ‘Red’ into the van and took him to ‘Leveque’ in town to get a look over by Dimitri the wine pump doctor. Dimitri was busy in what was like a wine pump hospital, full of old, new and different-sized pumps waiting to be fixed. The waiting area was full of worried owners waiting for the news on their wine pump!

Fortunately ‘Red’ came round after a bit of loving care and is now back at work in Le Chai.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

The Last of the Whites!

The La Voûte Chardonnay from Limoux was finally picked on Tuesday night and that ends the white harvest for the Chai! Now we can get busy in the Chai with barrel work and monitor the ferments.

The La Voûte this year is of exceptional quality and so I have decided to do ‘The Pyramid’ ferment! I have built a stack of different size oak barrels starting the foundation with 300 litre hogs heads and toping with the ‘cerise sur le gateau’ a tiny, 55-litre cask known as a ‘quart bordelaise’.

Filling the small barrels was very strange and I felt like a giant … here is JMS looking giant rolling one of the 110 litre ‘demi bordelaise’ barrels!

The ferment differences should be very interesting indeed and I will let you know how the wine progresses.

Stage Two of the Tour de Vin

In Copenhagen at the moment (details to follow) but I wanted to say that our intrepid Grape Crusaders set off for Bordeaux on Friday, raising money for The Prince's Trust. If you'd like to find out more, visit www.facebook.com/TourdeVin.

And if you'd like to help them meet their £5,000 fundraising target you can visit www.justgiving.com/Grape-Crusaders-. Alternatively, you can leave donations at any of our shops or send cheques - made payable to The Grape Crusaders - to:

The Grape Crusaders c/o Tony Laithwaite
New Aquitaine House
Exeter Way
Theale
Reading
RG7 4PL

Many thanks for your support.

Went to see where Henry is planting next

He's bought a piece of land next door. Plans to double his vineyard up to 8 hectares. And if the planners allow, build his winery. Brave move. Being as he hasn't made any wine yet. But … we are all convinced he has a wonderful site above Marlow town, looking due south. Not so high up the Chilterns as to be too cold. Not so low down as to be in a frost pocket. Good chalky (Champagne-y) soil.

Pic is jet-lagged Tom and Alfie Dog helping Henry measure up and put in marker stakes.

Food and Wine Show at Theale HQ

Busy times. We hadn't done a Wine Event at New Aquitaine House for some years - as not a few were quick to remind me at Saturdays show in our vineyard here. I say 'in our vineyard' but mean just next to it of course, in the lorry park of our warehouse. In a marquee.

Several hundred turned up to sample wines and meet producers from Portugal, New Zealand, Italy and Romania as well as lots of bottles from all over.

We had local farmers in with their produce, the local farm shop and other food fanatics including our local cider man.

For the first time ever there was a Line Up of Laithwaites. Yes, the next generation has arrived. Henry was showing his Chateau Verniotte 2009, Tom, just back from 3 years in Oz was showing a range from Red Heads where's he's spent some time. And Will was pouring his Abingdon Ale. With WAG's, Grandaughter and me that was quite a squash behind the stand. But it all seemed to work.

Long day. Sore feet. But lots of lovely customers from all over the UK.

Great fun. We must do it again soon.

Tour de Vin - how to donate

The riders in the Tour de Vin are raising money for The Prince's Trust. If you'd like to find out more, visit www.facebook.com/TourdeVin.

And to help them meet their £5,000 fundraising target you can visit www.justgiving.com/Grape-Crusaders-. Alternatively, you can leave donations at any of our shops or send cheques - made payable to The Grape Crusaders - to:

The Grape Crusaders c/o Tony Laithwaite
New Aquitaine House
Exeter Way
Theale
Reading
RG7 4PL

Many thanks for your support.

Tour de Vin – Stage One: Done!

I pass on this neat summary from Anne Linder who drove the Mother Van around after the riders and managed to get them there safely.

Well, what a week that was. Nine riders set off from Gloucester (core crew, support team from Gloucester and a couple of customers as well) and were met by the team in Solihull early evening on Wednesday (slightly later than planned due to a pizza stop part way).

Day 2 dawned dry and clear ... but was very hilly indeed. I wonder who else has sampled the delights of Stokenchurch on two wheels? Tony, Henry and Tom very kindly offered respite in the form of a local brew in Marlow before hard-earned fish and chips from the chaps in Beaconsfield.

Day 3 looked to be the hardest start ... over halfway but still two hard days to go. First stop Hersham (a little later than planned due to roundabout confusion) then Surbiton. Central London on a bike proved to be a near death trap and much slower going than the open road but on arrival at The Savoy for a photo call Andy, Jim and Marein took a few minutes respite in 'the lounge' (at the invitation of our hosts).

Backpack of corks loaded and cheque in hand they set off for Locksbottom before finishing at Croydon. They have my undying admiration for having completed day 3. A well-earned pint in The Purley Arms (with bike) was downed very rapidly.

And so to Day 4 (final UK leg) and stocking up on gels, energy bars, liquids. At least it was a downhill start to get on the road to Windsor. Steve, our Prince's Trust Young Ambassador, joined the trio in Windsor and they set off for Virginia Water. Binfield provided much needed sustenance and catch up on the news.

And then it was the home stretch to Theale. Shortly after 4 o'clock Marein called in to say they were crossing the M4. Tony made the announcement to the guests at the Theale Food and Wine Show and in cycled the bikes ...right into the tent to cheers and applause from the admiring onlookers.

Unsaddled and helmets off they each sank a rather large glass of Will's Abingdon brew before going home clutching their Radox Muscle Soak and StarBars.

A huge well done guys for a mammoth effort and great result. And a heartfelt thank you to all of you who helped bring this all together and who provided support along the way. We were supported by Rabbits Vehicle Hire, Berkshire Cycles, Blue Door Cycle company, Cavaliers printers and Farnese Vini.

We are most grateful to them all. And now, it's over to Anna and Phil for the second leg. Do come and wave them off on Friday this week in Theale if you can … 12.30 departure. Over and out for now.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

The last 3 days have been a little manic to say the least. The Chai winemakers have been putting in very long hours to get the fruit off the vine in the South of France, up to the Chai and into barrels and vats for selected fermentations. The Grenache Gris, Chardonnay from Carcassonne, the Viognier, the all new Carignan Blanc and the Sauvignon Gris from Le Coin are now all in and we now have 22 individual fermentations underway and WOW, is the Chai alive!

Bad news in the Midi, though; a freak amount of rain has fallen. The latest vineyard to suffer severely is the Roussanne and unfortunately there will be none this year. However, the high altitude La Voute vineyards survived the rain well but knocked back the maturity by 5 days. I will leave it on the vine longer and if the weather stays warm and dry we should harvest end of next week.

Midi reds including the 2011 XV du President will start end next week.

Portuguese success at the IWC

We won International Wine Challenge Direct Merchant of the Year on Tuesday but another award brought possibly more pleasure … certainly did in Portugal. Here are just a few of the goodwill messages Anne received from our friends in Portugal.


Dear Anne,

Always good waves you bring us… Great job you’re making. Thanks a lot in the name of all Portuguese!
Joaquimfielcarmo

Congratulations! You really deserve it. All your efforts are paying. Thanks for all you've been doing for Portuguese wines.
Beijinhos,
Ana Sofia Oliveira – ViniPortugal

Completely and absolutely well deserved. You have put in a great deal of effort for Portugal and we applaud you for that – and I particularly applaud you for your grasp of the language.
Judy ViniPortugal

On OUR side, you will always have all the support you need. I hope this award opens people’s minds to the world of Portuguese wines…
Mariana (Vinko)

A small recognition of the great work you do for the Portuguese wines. Portugal needs more people like you in the business, thank you.
Duarte – Casal Branco

Really awesome work you have done! And a picture with a Portuguese tan looks very adequate!
Carlos (Andresen)

We think it’s a great award because it means the recognition of the love and work you Anne have by the wine, history, tradition and the good things of Portugal. This is a great example of someone who really help Portugal to develop its work and the outside recognition.
LUÍS GOUVEIA (DFJ Vinhos)

Keep working with your great enthusiasm and keep represented so well the Portuguese wines.
Ana Silveira - Casa Ermelinda Freitas

Thank YOU for the enormous support you give to Portuguese Wine, this award is the proof of it. Parabéns!
Jose Lobo de Vasconcellos – Quinta do Casal Branco

It´s good to see that Laithwaites bet in Portugal is giving good results, recognized by everybody. When few importers were paying attention to our little country, Tony Laithwaite and his team, once again took a risk and made a bet in our wines and people, and I think the result has been showing throughout the years.
José Luís Casa Santos Lima

They love our girl Anne (Forrest) in Portugal!

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

Chardonnay and Viognier

After spending another few worrying nights in Carcassonne, visiting the vineyard who knows how many times, I finally decided to harvest the Chardonnay last night!

Unfortunately there is quite a lot of hidden bunch rot on the lower vineyards and I have made the decision not to make any Chai wine from these vineyards this year. Fortunately however, the fruit from the high, well-drained and wind-aired Cailloux vineyard (always the best performer in wet vintages) is very good indeed. So for the first time we will make a single-vineyard Carcassonne Chardonnay at Le Chai.

The Viognier was next and a very different scene here. The Viognier has loved the wet weather and resisted all threats of bunch rot, resulting in some excellent typical violet aromas!

Meanwhile, back in the Chai the cooling is running 24/7 and the vats are ice cold keeping all the ferments nice and slow to preserve aroma. All the vats are controlled individually by a flick of the switch on the computer board.

Cellar master Denis is also having fun and filling barrels left right and centre in a very acrobatic manner indeed!


It’s coming thick and fast now … Maury for the GG tomorrow!

Bon Voyage to The Grape Crusaders

All in a good cause: The Prince’s Trust. Laithwaites have cyclists who are riding all the way from Theale to Castillon and others are setting off from Gloucester to cycle round all our shops … starting today.

Mad young things, I hope they know how far Bordeaux is. Still, it’s all downhill.

I learned of all this in Croydon shop last week at one of my wine tasting fights … with Marein the big South African who runs the place. He beat me actually. But I don't hold a grudge for long. So I do hope he manages to stay on his bike all the way round.

And I'll happily sponsor. I hope lots of others do, too.

Over to Marein …

Hurricane Road, Gloucester

After the gales and rain of yesterday, the weather’s looking … well, better than yesterday. A good crowd’s gathering to see us off, including Glenn, our MD and Simon, our CEO.

Nine of us are setting off on Stage One of our Tour de Vin, cycling round all eleven of our UK shops. Over the next four days we’ll be joined by different members of the ‘Grape Crusaders’ fundraising team who aim to raise £5,000 for the Prince’s Trust.

Stage Two – Theale to Castillon – starts next week when a crowd of cyclists will join Anna and Phil as they cycle to the ferry in Portsmouth. One of the many things they’ll carry is a presentation cricket ball. It’s a gift to Château Giscours Cricket Team from Windsor Castle’s Royal Household Cricket Club – part of the build-up to a rematch to the game in July. (So it’s a cycle for the Prince’s Trust and Her Majesty’s household!)

You can follow our progress on Facebook where you’ll also find our itinerary. And if you’d like to help us along with a donation you’re welcome to do so here.

Best get on. We’ve a 51-mile hike to Solihull ahead of us. Keep an eye out for updates and if you’re in the area when we're passing through, we’d love to see you.

Marein

www.facebook.com/TourdeVin

www.justgiving.com/grape-crusaders-

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

A nerve-wracking weekend as rain and hot, humid weather darted about France, becoming increasingly impossible to forecast. However we stuck to our guns through several sleepless nights and the vineyard fortunately survived most of the localised downpours. We hung in there until the Vermentino ripeness felt right for this year.

We picked very quickly in the early hours on Monday morning and now the juice has settled, Maitena will rack off the heavy sediment into the tanker whilst I make my way up to Bordeaux to make the weeks picking and cellar plan with the Chai cellar team.


So the Vermentino is this year’s first Midi juice into the Chai taking the crown from the GG; winner for the three previous years! JMS and I are very pleased with the juice. It IS different to last year but then, so was this year’s weather. And so it is every year. I believe we have managed to capture some exceptional aromas and fruit characters unique to the vintage.

Vintages can be similar but NEVER identical and how amazing it is to taste a wine that represents the last 12 months’ weather and is therefore unique in history!

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

The Harvest Weather Game

This is a game for up to 1,000,000 players for ages 0-125yrs old

To play you need:

• 1 winemaker (or more to make even more interesting!)
• an almost-ripe vineyard
• very erratic weather
• pair of Blundstone boots
• patience
• a bit of luck

Then the fun begins!

We have been watching the forecast carefully and been up and down every row of each vineyard. But just when we decided to play the risk card and wait another couple of days the wind picked up and in swept the most brutal storm; very heavy rain, hot air and a Med wind!

The whole of the last 48-hours’ vineyard assessment was thrown back into the centre card pile. We were right there and literally watching the storm – quicker than any weather report.

Maitena and I made straight for the most fragile vineyard: the Vermentino, where the storm took its full force over Beziers. The bottom half was flooded so last night we picked all the lower part before the vines could drink up, creating berry-swelling and instant skin split and botrytis (fruit mould).

Play starts again tomorrow with the top half of the vineyard!

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

Limoux

Started to rain in Bordeaux when I left but four hours later I was through the gates of the Midi and into the beautiful sunshine. However, West-Midi sunshine also comes with the very strong Tramotane wind!

I met up with Madame F, Maitena and viticulturist Regis to do a tour of the Vin de France-trophy-winning La Voute vineyards to see what the maturity is like. Limoux is a fascinating wine-growing area and the La Voute vineyards are in what's called the Oceanique terroir.

The Oceanique terroir to the west of Limoux is completely protected from the Med sea and is one of the four terroirs each with their own micro climate. Here the grapes are fresher and hold higher acid … great for balance and longevity. The extreme corner of the Oceanique borders the highest of the four terroirs – the Haut Valee – and I couldn't resist having a look. WOW, one parcel was so stunning I just have to have it as it will be a perfect component to go with the existing vineyards in the final blend!

The Midi is still waiting to be discovered and even when you think you have seen everything the smallest of areas still excite and surprise and I am very excited. THIS is certainly something, so look out for the 2011 La Voute blend next year!

Windy it was in Limoux but another wind was blowing into Bordeaux in the form of the whirlwind of our chief winemaker JMS! Back on the road again to meet him in Bordeaux at lunch time to tell him the news of my discovery!