Château La Grâce Dieu - Les Menuts
 
 

- Summer 2006-

May and the beginning of June were quite cool and humid in the region. The warm, sunny spell following, however, meant good flowering and allowed us to estimate the harvest date for 25th September.

The grapes started to appear around 10th June and veraison (when the grapes change colour) commenced on the 18th July.

We have been busy in the vineyard since May green pruning the vines. May is the time to do this as the vines have developed.

After removing excess bunches in May (to prevent over production and thereby concentrate the remaining bunches), and removing any non-productive branches, we also stripped excess leaves from the non-productive parts of the vine to allow the grapes full exposure to the sun and the wind. Sun exposure ensures the grapes can ripen better, while the wind prevents parasites from attacking the grapes and vines. It is very much hands-on labour, although we also used machines this year as a trial.

  
 

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July sees us green harvesting, which is similar to the harvest in September, but has the aim of improving the quality of our vintages by leaving only the best bunches of grapes on the vines.

The very warm weather and low humidity index have been essential to producing a healthy crop. Despite this, we still had to keep a careful look out for powdery mildew (oidium), a white powder like fungus which covers the berries and destroys them, as it is so common and destructive.

The end of spring and the summer have allowed us to prepare for what we believe will be an exceptional 2006 harvest. That said, in accordance with the winemaker’s proverb « c’est le mois d’août qui fait le moût » (the month of August causes the mould), it really is August that will determine the harvest’s quality.

 
 

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Vignobles Pilotte - Audier - Château La Grâce Dieu Les Menuts - 33330 Saint-Émilion
Tel : +33 5 57 24 73 10 - Fax : +33 5 57 74 40 44 - Mail : chateau@lagracedieulesmenuts.com