Harvest

Meeting last Tuesday at 9am at the boutique-wine bar L’Essentiel to review the sales activities for the last 4 months. They were disappointing (this the least we can say). Is the concept too hip, too new? Should we accept to be economically underperforming and just be satisfied by the positive image this shop brings to the product sold and the human quality of the service? Answer in 3 months.

Yesterday, harvest lunch with 20 people at Croix de Labrie. The conversation was focused on harvest techniques, evolution of the wine world and especially the developments of “brand” types of product in Bordeaux.

At 2:30 pm I had a conversation with Joan, one of my employees in the vineyards and the representative of the staff. Seeing the difficulties of being the representative of the staff in a small company, it was a good idea for him to reach out to me. Our ambitious plan to get the ISO certification forces us to be rigorous, including in human relations.

Following, Dominique and Florence Decoster and I visited several properties in the middle of the harvest to check out the techniques used - in our property in Pomerol, in La Dominique, in Laroze where they use an original system of selection (grape selection?), in Angelus where they use Mistral. Everywhere the objective is to only harvest the ripest and purest fruit, without any stems, nor any sorts of debris. In any case, this vintage looks promising here.

The harvest is beginning in our properties, with the Merlots from Prieuré Lescours in Saint Sulpice de Faleyrens. End of the Merlots in La Dominique, end at Clos du Beau Père and Domaine des Sabines. Beginning in Pomerol for Domaine Fayat-Thunevin (ex Vieux Chateau Bourgneuf), Clément Pichon goes on, Commanderie de Mazeyres finished, Haut Mazeris starts Friday, etc…