We welcomed some of the 2017 vintage adopt-a-vine parents of the 2017 vintage last Saturday at Domaine la Cabotte in the Rhone Valley. There was a little wind and a few clouds, which we were all pleased to see following the heatwave that the region had endured in the preceding days with the temperature in the high 30s.
Eric Plumet, the winemaker, led us down through the vineyard to a plot that we were to work in. The vines have been growing lots recently and our task was to raise the training wires and clip them together ensuring that the vine branches were held between them.
On the way, Eric showed us the different grape varietals grown in the vineyard. We passed plots of syrah and clairette, and in a plot of Grenache, branch in hand, he showed us some shot berry which was the result of the late frost in spring. Some of the flowers had been harmed, and so the number of grapes produced will be less.
After a few technical explanations, we got down to work to place the vine branches between the training wires. Eric explained the important role of the very tip of the vine branches which forms a Y shape, and absorbs the nutritive elements from the air to feed the plant.
As the winery is worked biodynamically, Eric only starts to trim the tops of the vines when the apex dries. The vine then stops growing to concentrate on ripening the grapes.
Marie-Pierre arrived to quench our thirst. Water at first, but she had also brought a rosé wine produced at the winery, a fresh and very aromatic wine that gave us a glimpse of the tasting to come.
We returned to the winery at lunchtime and sat down at the wooden tables under the shade of the trees. With the light breeze, it was the perfect place to relax.
We compared a clairette aged in oak barrels with a clairette aged in an amphora. Same grape varietal but very different wines! We each had our own preference for one or the other.
Over lunch, we tasted the Côtes du Rhône, Massif d’Uchaux and Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines which paired perfectly with the tourte, pâtés, quail and fruit tart, all home-made by Marie-Pierre. Our palates revelled in the different tastes and we in the good company!
After coffee, we went on a hunt to find our adopted vines, to say hello to them, and take a few photos. With all that we had learnt during the day, we were more appreciative of all the effort that our bottles of wine will contain once our grapes have reached maturity!
The day finished in the chai to see the vats and take in the smells of the wines that are finishing ageing. We’ll be back again in September to participate in the Harvest Experience Days.
Comments
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Thanks for this exceptional and memorable day.
Envoyé le Jeudi 27 July 2017 by Jerome