Fortunately the wild boar are not so keen on the Grenache Gris grapes! We started picking the Grenache Gris on the 30th August - the quality is perfect and compared to last year we are in for a bumper crop. When I say bumper this is all relative as even with double the 2010 volume the yields are still very, very low (25hl/ha) but we may manage to get 1.5 bottles per vine! Picking is a unique time of year - up in the vineyard at the break of day, picking till about 11.30 or until our 80 cases are full and then taking it back to the Vatican to be pressed, chilled and put into vat. The day finishes around 10 pm depending on the number of presses.
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| Early morning start |
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| Looking good - Grenache Gris |
This year we tried evening picking - something that you just don't do here. But a bit of picking between 6 and 9 pm was much cooler for us and the grapes. Thanks to Danielle and Jeremie for joining in the first ever Domaine Jones evening harvest.
We now have a couple of weeks before we pick the reds! I can't wait - it looks like a fantastic crop!
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