Castillon / St Emilion

Today; a day of communicating via hand-signals and text. Going round with Jean-Marc, Mark and Henry visiting growers locally. I would suspect that with a cold my tasting ability would be pretty poor, but I nonetheless got the impression I was drinking glorious stuff. Not only the wonderful 2009's but also the 2010's which are just about finished and, well.... rather wonderful too. Who is going to believe us? ANOTHER miracle vintage!!!!

But can't be quite sure, there are quite a few unfinished malo-lactics around and people are cadging buckets of lees off each other as generally happens. The malo-lactic fermentation which follows the main alcoholic fermentation is prone to 'sticking'. Some years more than others. Cold winters especially. The cheapest solution is to get a bucket of lees from the malo-completed vat of a friendly neighbour. Put that in yours and with luck it will encourage your enzymes to get going.

Anyway even non-malo-ed vats - which have a high acidity - seemed quite friendly and approachable to me. And they certainly have deep colour. Headcolds don't impair eyesight do they?

We started the day up in the far northeast of the Castillon Cotes - on the Cotes de Francs border - and ended up in the southwest at the newly renovated Tertre Daugay which sits high above the main valley road on the very last bit of ridge.

Two years ago, on account of the place being a building site, we got the Comte de Malet to sell us a few prize barrels and made what we called l'Epiphanie de Tertre Daugay. (TD was a Premier Grand Cru Classé, got relegated to Grnd Cru Classé, but now with its splendid new chais is likely to go back up).

As far as I could tell the '08, '09 and '10 were all lovely. The others certainly seemed to think so.

Airport and home.

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