| March 2011 : renewal of one of the Clos Triguedina vineyards
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During the week of March 7, a new planting was accomplished by the Clos Triguedina teams - carried out by hand and with great care. The land selected for this was an area on the
2nd terrace known as Labrande.
How the soil was prepared :
Rooting up of the previous vines in 2008 after devitalisation
Leaving it fallow for two years
Sowing of alfalfa in 2010 (to provide a natural nitrogenous fertiliser before planting)
Tilling at the beginning of March (burying the alfalfa)
Passing a vibroculteur over the soil to flatten it after the tilling
Loosening the soil with a rotary harrow prior to the planting
How the planting was effected :
Work starts on March 7 with measuring and marking out the offsets of the selected patch
Erection of acacia stakes, 25mm x 25mm (to have the vine plants as upright as possible)
On March 7 and 8, planting of the vines (Malbec clone 595 - a qualitative clone - on a Riparia rootstock, a type which adds little of its own vigour to the vines). At a density of 5,800 plants per hectare (1.9m x 0.9m), the number per hectare was deliberately high so that the yields per plant would be lower and the grapes smaller and thus more concentrated.
Subsequent watering to tamp down the plants and get rid of the pockets of air around the roots
In conclusion :
Slight hoeing, by hand, to preserve the soil's humidity. After the work of the tractors during the planting, passing a rotary harrow over the whole site to aerate and increase the porousness of the soil (favouring its absorption of rain water)
The weather conditions in this week of March 7 were worthy of an early spring.
Accordingly, every step in the work was fulfilled with excellent results, in line with all our usual conditions for handling our vines:
respect for the environment, getting the best out of the land, achieving full expression of the Malbec grape variety, renewal of our viticultural heritage.
"Those are the objectives which govern our work"
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The Bio on trial at the Clos Triguedina
This year, 2011, two of our vineyard areas, known as 'Coin du bois' and 'Galets et petites Cailles', are being handled in a biological manner. To combat the maladies to which vine plants are always susceptible, the products used will be those found in a natural state (such as sulphur or copper) and not those made by the chemical industry.
In addition, weeding the soil, hitherto also effected with chemical products, will now progressively be performed mechanically (a machine with a blade which lifts weeds out by the root and cuts them without touching the vine).
The object is to study the results of procedures which take greater account of the environment - a process we are planning to emphasise increasingly. |
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THIS YEAR'S WINES :
- Harvesting at the Clos Triguedina began on Tuesday, August 30, three weeks earlier than last year. This was hand-picking of the grapes for the Blanc Sec du Clos, the dry white produced from the Chardonnay and Viognier grape varieties. The quality is fine; David, our technical director, is satisfied! Another patch for white wines is still to be harvested next week.
- In the freshness of dawn on Monday, September 6, the Malbec grapes are picked for the vat of sparkling rosé called Bul's by Baldès. The idea is to harvest quickly and fully so as to preserve the aromas of the Malbec as much as possible for this very characteristic pink 'sparkler' with its notes and colour of raspberries.
Friday, September 9 : the white grapes have reached full maturity and we complete the
picking by hand of the patch of Chardonnay and Viognier on the 4th Terrace, alongside the road leading to Floressas.
Saturday morning, September 10 : Jean-Luc (the owner and winemaker), David (the technical director), and Simon (in charge of the winery) launch the harvesting for the rosé (this time the non-sparkling pink Malbec).
Sunday, September 11 : there is a warm autumn breeze, good for the grapes.
Monday, September 12 : after the rosé and white wines, now for the reds!
Today starts the hand-picking of the new vines planted on the 2nd Terrace, just below our car park. These very young vines are producing their first crop and are handled with special care by the harvesters.
At the moment, we are harvesting selected bits in turn (a matter of fine judgment), without being in too much of a hurry to take advantage of the beautiful sunny weather. But we are keeping a very careful watch, because the great majority of the property has still to be harvested; while we know what risks it's safe to take, we nevertheless seek to keep control of the situation by daily samplings to establish when maturity has reached its peak.
| Harvesting the Probus 20th September 2011 |
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Friday, September 30 : the teams breathe a sigh of relief, because the bulk of the 2011 harvest is safely in. Ahead of the big meal which traditionally marks the end of the harvest, a little drinks party sees them joking with each other and swapping memories of the high points of these recent weeks. Everyone has put in a great deal of effort.
The grape-picking was divided up, according to the different vineyard areas and the varying maturity achieved - but always on the basis of making successive choices, as appropriate. However, for the first time in his life as a wine-maker, Jean-Luc Baldès had to race against the sun in the final stages of harvesting. The very high temperatures in September (up to 34C - 93F - in mid-afternoon) changed the usual rhythm. In masterly fashion, David Marseille, the technical director, organised nocturnal harvests for several nights in a row so as to bring in grapes that were cool. The object was to seek the start of fermentation in perfect safety and to obtain the best fruity quality.
This 2011 vintage marks the "christening" of Simon Sharp, our new maître de chai (in charge of the winery). Originally from New Zealand, he has a wealth of professional experience, notably having worked with some of the best growths in Burgundy.
Simon has started at Clos Triguedina with an exceptional vintage, outstanding both for quality and quantity, to an extent the property has never known before.
All that remains now, over the new few days and weeks, is to harvest the vineyard areas devoted to the New Black Wine and then the sweet white Blanc Moelleux du Clos/Vin de Lune (Moon wine).
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