Well, the waiting is finally nearly over. Having spent the last four weeks inspecting the vineyards, taking grape samples to assess the maturity and preparing the winery (which is so clean you can almost eat off the floor!), we can finally plan the first day of picking – October 1st 2008 is now V-DAY.

Well, the waiting is finally nearly over. Having spent the last four weeks inspecting the vineyards, taking grape samples to assess the maturity and preparing the winery (which is so clean you can almost eat off the floor!), we can finally plan the first day of picking – October 1st 2008 is now V-DAY.

Playing the waiting game is nothing new for farmers but I still cannot get used to it. I know that Rome was not built in one day but this year we have had to wait and be patient longer than in the previous couple of years. The grapes are looking good thus far but small which means that yields generally will probably be lower than the norm.

Neighbouring producers have already reported a 30% reduction in yields and our friends in St Jean de Minervois lost 40% of their crop due to the horrific hailstorms here a couple of weeks ago. Luckily they literally just passed through Combebelle leaving only a tiny trace of small hailstones but nothing to damage our precious grapes.

I have spent the last month cleaning tanks, checking for leaks, and more importantly soaking our lovely wooden vats so that we can use them for the vinification. The first year we used these vats was in 2006 when we vinified the Syrah from Les Cerisiers & La Cave - the resultant wine was outstanding and after further ageing in barrel has produced some lovely elegant fruit flavours along with firm but rounded tannins. This year we shall vinify Syrah from L’Homme Mort and Les Cerisiers. Each plot has a different soil – one is calcaire rouge or red clay, whilst the other is more schist/sandy loam. The fruit shows a different structure and flavour from the outset already, but it is interesting to see how the Syrah from the richer soil will cope with the vinification in wood.

I have learnt a lot over the last couple of years regarding the vinification processes, although I still maintain the bare minimum when it comes to actually making the wine – nothing fancy or technical here thank you very much! I am sure New World winemakers will be and are horrified by my vinification methods which are loosely based around baking Victoria Sponges (yes, I can certainly give the WI a run for their money!). I have never seen the point of adding this and doing that to the juice as it converts into wine, why should I? I believe that if great wines were made 100-150 years ago without the use of technology and additives, then surely we can do the same here at Combebelle. Being biodynamic ensures we have a head-start in terms of the quality of the fruit and in my opinion it would be sacrilege to spoil this by then adding things to what is already an excellent base product.

However, this year I shall use something called a “cliquer” to help oxygenate the juice softly during the pump-overs. Syrah is prone to turning reductive (stinky / rotten egg smell) if it lacks oxygen or in some cases nitrogen. Pumping over using a large bucket as the “middle-man” allows the juice to come into contact with the air so that it “breathes” and therefore creates a more lively/healthy environment for the yeasts to work. If we were to pump over without any contact with the air, little is achieved other than to soak the “chapeau” or grape skins that slowly rise to the top as the juice ferments. Yeasts (like us) require oxygen to live and convert the sugars into alcohol. The “cliquer” increases the level of oxygen that enters/penetrates into the juice and means that the pump overs last 6-7 mins rather than 15-20 mins – a time saving device that allows me to create time to manage the business and to put my tootsies up at a reasonable time. The last couple of years have been manic working in the winery, overseeing the harvest, preparing shipments and selling more wine and the rest, so I felt it was time to invest in this piece of kit so that I can enjoy a glass of wine at the end of a long day rather than falling into bed exhausted!

Bruno is, as ever, on hand to offer support and advice. And, Jean-Paul, our oenologue is also around to make sure I do not do anything silly. They are completely on board with my not using yeasts for the reds and that I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the juice converts into an excellent wine! We managed to find someone locally to help me on the days when it is too manic in the winery and it would be impossible to do everything on my own, but he turned us down in favour of another job! However, Frédéric is around and will be picking the rosé for us by machine at 4am! He is generally a great help and often comes to help me do some of the heavy work in the winery. The best news of all is that Patrick will be here for the start of the vendange – he has never really seen us in action here so it will be a great experience for him. Naturally, we shall find plenty for him to do and he certainly needs to have the “grape shower” which is a vendange novice’s initiation!

Now, we just need to pray and hope the weather will hold and that the France météo can be relied upon for once. I mentioned to someone the other day that I shall be crossing everything that I possibly can without being a contortionist (my bones are just too old for all that bending!) praying that we have a good harvest.