At the vineyard

Long gone are the days of chemical weed and grass killer – it’s tillage time!  Properly carried out, mechanical weed and grass control improves soil aeration, the soil’s physical structure and aids water penetration. It also promotes biological activity and soil life and in turn provides nourishment to the vines.

We manage the process plot by plot. In some areas we just cut the grass and for others we simply tillage every other row to control the competition between the grass and the vine. Click here to see the action.

Winemaker masterclass

We were thrilled with all the positive feedback following our last on-line tasting, so for customers who missed it first time around, we are running two more tastings on the 27th May and 10th June.

It’ll have the same mix of amusement and information, covering topics like people, terroir, vintage and sustainability. This time we’ll be spreading the six wines over two evenings. Starting at 6pm, we expect each tasting of three wines to last around 60 minutes. Click here for more details.

 

Frost latest

A few weeks ago, we celebrated the first buds of the 2021 vintage in temperatures of 24 degrees. Then last week we watched in horror as temperatures dropped to minus 3 degrees, damaging the early buds and reminding us of the constant challenges that the weather brings.

Around 10% to 15% of the new buds of Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were affected, but we’re hoping that a second budding will reduce the full impact on this year’s production. Some neighbours lit fires (with limited success) whilst other vineyard owners tried very expensive methods of keeping the frost from the buds: giant fans, candles, helicopter down-draught.

Sadly, there are reports that Burgundy will lose a significant proportion of the 2021 crop thanks to the cold weather.  Being a winemaker has its challenges.