Harvest

a very early start in the rain
a very early start in the rain

We were picking the grapes for our Rosé when the driver of an industrial harvesting machine passed by.   He looked at us and looked at our baskets and clucked:  “Hand harvest. That’s work.”

Indeed it was.  But our family-and-friends hand harvest is one of my favorite rituals of the year.  We spend days preparing the rows, while John tears up reams of calculations trying to estimate how much surface area will translate into tonnage which will translate into liquid capacity of the Rosé tank.  Far from exact science since you don’t really know yield until the juice is in the tank, and by that point it’s too hot – i.e. risky for the grapes – to send the troops out for more.

Rosé parcel to pick, 70 year old vines
Rosé parcel to pick, 70 year old vines

Here is the chronicle of the day.

Dawn, Harvest 2016
Dawn, Harvest 2016
Mary snipping, Danté wants to help
Mary snipping, Danté always underfoot
Carol & Julien full of vim and vigor
Carol & Julien as the sun comes out
dry ice to keep the grapes cold
dry ice to keep the grapes cold
John loading the press
John loading the press
Henri shoveling
Shoveling the skins our of the press

 

first perfume
first perfume

 

Esprit de Jeanne 2016  will be an assemblage of Merlot for richness, Cabernet Franc for finesse and Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and fraicheur.   Ready for drinking by February 2017.

 

 

 

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