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End of the harvest

With this optimistic statement from http://www.perrin-et-fils.com/beaucastel/ (Today 2 October) There will be no further weather forecasts to see on this site.
All we wine lovers will look forward to taste 2007 next year.

5 September: Cinsault at Pierrefeu and Syrah at the Parc
6 September: Syrah at Cabrières
10-16 September:  Grenache at Terres Blanches and Grand Pierre
17 September: Palestor
19 September: Mourvedre at Mascarronnes
20 September: All were joined together around the family table to celebrate an end of harvest placed under the sign of quality!

We will finish harvesting the Grenache in Chateauneuf du Pape by the end of this week. Next week we will start harvesting the Mourvedre and Counoise.
In Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Cotes du Rhône, we just finished.
In Vinsobres, we started harvesting the Syrah yesterday.
People start saying that 2007 will be in line with 89 or 90. Great colour, great concentration... we will see but for sure it will be at least a very good vintage.

"Under the sun, and a beautiful heat, the grape harvest continues in "the mountain", this beautiful piece in undulating slope, higher in the altitude, therefore latest of our pieces."  http://beaurenard.over-blog.com (21.9.)

A very healthy grape harvest following an exceptionally dry summer...

With just 35 mm of rain between the 16th of June and the 15th of September, we can
confirm that the summer of 2007 at Châteauneuf-du-Pape was an exceptionally dry one.
According to the agricultural weather forecast based at Carpentras, it is probably the
driest in the last twenty years. The average rainfall registered at 161 mm (The weather
station at Orange).

The rainfall of these last few days (about 20 mm between the 16th and the 18th of
September) were welcomed. The short spell of rain did not bear any negative
consequences on the course of the grape harvest which starts to draw to an end.

The summer of 2007 had more wind than normally predicted (20 days of strong Mistral
between the 1st of July and the 15th of September) and slight surplus on the level of
seasonal sunshine (1.157 h against 1.145 h on average).

In spite of strong variability in temperatures, marked by 30 days when the minimal
temperatures laid between 10 et 15°C, and only 7 days when the maximum
temperatures were higher than 35°C, the seasonal averages remain in conformity with
the normal (slightly higher in June and September and slightly lower in July and August).

The climate results over the last few months confirm what was visible in the vines : the
summer of 2007 was particularly favorable to obtaining a vintage of quality, endowed
with good aromatic balances and beautiful colours.

In the vines the sorting needed was minimum, the grape pickers advanced with ease,
thus giving the possibility to winemakers to stop their harvesting a day or two in the
week to leave the grapes reach their perfect maturity. Optimizing the potential of the
2007 vintage.

The quantity of this year’s harvest is slightly higher than the decennial average with
yields which should range between 32 and 34 hl/ha, for an authorized maximum of 35
hl/ha.

2007 vintage is situated along the same lines as the four previous ones. 2003, 2004,
2005 and 2006 vintages were tasted on September 15th at a seminar organized during
the ‘Rhône Valley wines festival’ in Copenhagen, and will also be presented on October
22nd in London during a demonstration with wines from Tavel and Châteauneuf-du-Pape."

"....for a majority of vine growers grape harvest 2007 is finishing ..."
Michel Blanc at www.chateauneuf.com (20.9.)

"The temperature since yesterday are quite cold: around 68°F which is good for grape-picking...
Today Grenaches and Syrahs have been picked; the harvest, which is picked by hand, is carefully sorted out on arrival at the cellar and only the best grapes are vinified. After being destemmed completely the grapes are going into the fermentation vats where they undergo a traditional vinification."
http://www.perrin-et-fils.com/beaucastel/ (19.9.)

Jean Pierre Bouvachon (Domaine Bouvachon Nomine) has finished harvesting both Chateauneuf du Pape and Cotes du Rhone. He says that the 2 weeks with strong mistral has reduced the amount of juce with 10-20%. This will result in concentrated wines with a high level of alcohol and with lots of tannins. He is satified and look forward to a good vintage.

Some rain can be suspected in Vaucluse from Monday evening:

Alcoholic fermentations are very fast. The good extraction of polyphenols is confirmed. Musts are easily coloured.
http://beaurenard.over-blog.com (14.9.)

"We started very early this morning to pick our first Syrah from Gigondas for our Perrin et Fils "La Gille".
At the same time an other part of the grape pickers did the end of the Syrah at Coudoulet to finish the day by some Grenache at the same place.
http://www.perrin-et-fils.com/beaucastel/ (13.9.)

Mourvedre at Beaurenard. "The weather is maintained exceptional, with nights relatively fraiches with 14°C in the morning, and the abundant sun of the day raises the temperatures to 28-30°C after midday, with a light wind. The tanks fill with superb grapes... Let us hope that the experiment resulting from 7 generations of vine growers of Châteauneuf du Pape will enable us to draw the best party from it... http://beaurenard.over-blog.com (13.9.)

Harvest: Boisrenard
This morning, we gather the grapes from the oldest vines of the domaine (planted 1902). This parcel in lieu-dit Pradel has been in possession of the family since 1695. The parcel is planted with mixed varieties as it was done formerly, mostly Grenache with some Mourvedre and a little of all the other types of vines.
Free translation from: http://beaurenard.over-blog.com (12.9.):

"Well, we are really getting into the heart of the harvest now.
First the weather is still amazing, very sunny, great blue sky and always this incredible mistral. I am not sure if we have seen such a string a strong mistral days over the last ten years!
Second the team, we now have about 100 people harvesting so that when we think that a parcel is ready we can pick it quickly.
And things are starting to get ready... we finished picking almost all the whites grapes last friday. We started picking some of the syrah in coudoulet de beaucastel and perrin reserve yesterday. We finished the syrah in vacqueyras and are also starting some of the grenache in perrin reserve..."
http://www.perrin-et-fils.com/beaucastel/ (11.9.)

"Today, we collect Grenaches and Cinsaults on the piece of la Crau. The degrees reach 14.8°. The vintage is collected by hand and is done in cases. The grapes are picked off and fall directly by gravity in our cement tanks."
http://vignoblesmayard.unblog.fr (11.9.):

"Very beautiful pieces of old vines are collected this day. It is one of the components of the "Boisrenard", our vintage of very old vines."
http://beaurenard.over-blog.com (11.9.):

In Denmark some people say that the mistral can make you crasy if it blows for many days. We hope you all keep cool.
It seems that the harvest of red grapes will really starts next week.
Soren Gudiksen

"The grape harvest began today in the Mayard vineyards. We started by cutting some syrah. With a team of 30 cutters, the grape harvest should last approximately 3 weeks. We will make you follow the topicality of this intense period thanks to this blog. You will discover with the passing days, the evolution of our team by the means of our photographs, vidéos and comments."
Translated into English by the publisher from http://vignoblesmayard.unblog.fr (3.9.)

"Today we picked some Viognier and the Mistral blow very strongly."
http://www.perrin-et-fils.com/beaucastel/ (31.8.)