Happy new year

The beginning of the new year is a bit hard. Storm has spred over Bordeaux's vineyard.

Vinestock haven't suffer any damage, but some big trees fall down and destroyed some cars and roofs.

Vineyard is resting. We've gegan to prune. Next week we'll start earthing. We're a bit in a hurry, but the soil has been too wet to enable us to go through the row with tractors.

We've got to adapt ourselfs, that's nature.

In every cases I wish you a happy new year.

The harvest 2008

Here we are, harvest will start next week.

We've reached the same maturity as in 2007, with 209g/l of sugar (12.4° of alcohol), a ph of 3.2 and acidity of 4.4gH2SO4/l.

It means we can expect a good millesima, with at least the same quotation in Wine Revues.

It will be a frutty millesima, with less tanins than in 2005, may be with more acidity, but we've got to wait the vinification to confirm.

Hope there won't be rain before and during harvest.

So long

De-earthing 2008

We've just ended de-earthing.

It consists in de-earthing and taking away weeds at the bottom of the vinestock.

This work is very difficult. We need 6 hours per hectare to do the job.

After this mechanical work, we'll have to hand de-earth the 5 cm long earth on both sides of the vinestock. Nature and weed have understood that the less reacheable place for the machine is the bottom of the vinestock.

This job lasts 30 hours per hectare.

We spend 36 hours per hectare just to kill weed, whereas this job can be done with chemical weed-killers in 4 hours.

This job is done twice a year. It represents 2€ per bottle.

But look at the "mesange" bird. How happy it is, flying behind our tractor, looking at earth worms.

My english is not fluent and may be I don't use the right words. Please ask me if you need more explanations.

Join us at www.chateauderoquebrune.com/wine-presentation.htm

Spring Works

Nature woke up, plants and weeds grow up under the rows. A small flowers carpet cover the ground.

We'll have to avoid plants to mix with bottom leaves, to pump food contained into the soil and to contaminate leaves .

Plants transpire and are convered by dew enabling a wet area at the bottom leaves of the vine which may help to develop mildiou desease.

That's the reason why Chateau de Roquebrune is well equiped with special machines to work the soil. We can de-earth(1) 7 ha in two days. To respect nature we need huge resources to be able to interfere during the very small delay the nature gives us.

Chateau de Roquebrune use mechanical way to kill the weeds. It's the most expensive way, but the best to preserve nature.

See you soon for other news.

Florent Guinjard

www.chateauderoquebrune.com/wine-presentation.htm

(1) De-earthing (déchaussage) consist in taking the earth at the bottom of the vinestock to keep it back to the middle of the row covering the weeds.