From vineyard to cellar January 2014

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to prune vines. Anyone can learn this relatively quickly. Nevertheless, it does require sensitivity and instinct since it is possible to make many mistakes, be it clipping too quickly or proceeding without thought. Once again, as in 2013, we're only pruning certain vineyards on certain days - all based on Maria Thun's "Sowing and Planting Calendar."

 

It's quiet in the cellar. A few wines are still in the process of fermentation, but for the moment, things have come to a halt. Once it's a bit warmer, fermentation in these casks usually resumes. Vintage 2013 is unusual in many respects. The taste of the young wines is reassuring. Everything is relatively straightforward and fruity, and some of the wines in cask just might have great potential. It's too soon to make serious predictions about the quality of the vintage, even though I might already have an idea. For the time being I'm keeping my thoughts to myself. It's easy to be on the wrong track, since the taste of the young wines fluctuates from week to week. Apart from the quantity, I'm quite satisfied with the new vintage. In the near future, we'll be dealing with the first Pinots of 2012 in earnest. After sampling all of our wines in barriques, we'll decide how to proceed. I'm particularly anxious to sample our "caviar de Pinot." Extremely low yields, very selectively picked, stemmed by hand, and crushed by foot. Thus far, I've been nosing the cask and only if necessary, I've taken a small sip...I think this will be a very, very special wine.