Tuesday, August 19th Yesterday, many of our employees returned to work after a well deserved vacation. Trainees are now making a control of maturity for the white grapes. The first results are in and confirm our impression about the vines and the grapes. We won't be harvesting in August and probably will not begin before at least three weeks. Result of the maturity control of the parcel "Pinson Sapinette" - Sauvignon Gris - Chateau Haut-Brion: 11.6 ° C potential - pH 2.98 Monday, August 25th After the disparate weather of the last two weeks, it seems that now the good weather has returned with a supposedly sunny week to come. On the vines, the grapes do not seem to evolve as to taste and are remaining markedly acidic. This acidity has been increased by the rainy days of the past week. A new control gives us cause to approve of our impressions regarding this crop. Between late June and early August, we thinned out and lightened all the parcels of our properties. We now will go through each one to remove bunches that are still partially - or completely - green in order to render more uniform a less regular harvest than is usual. Result of the maturity control of the parcel "Pinson Sapinette" - Sauvignon Gris - Chateau Haut-Brion: 11.5 ° C potential - pH 2.86 Monday, September 1st Our morale is good after a beautiful and sunny week. Forecasts for the coming days are encouraging despite a rainy passage that is expected midweek. As for taste, the grapes seem to have benefited fully from the good weather. They are sweetened and very aromatic with, as a finish, a touch of acidity that does not seem to lessen. Usually, the normal evolution of maturity is an increase in sugar (therefore the potential degree) and a decrease in acidity (showed by an increase in pH). However, this year it seems that acidity has chosen to be resistant. Result of the maturity control of the parcel "Pinson Sapinette" - Sauvignon Blanc - Chateau Haut-Brion: 13.2 ° C potential - pH 2.98 Friday, September 5th The ambiance of the harvest is setting in. As one awaits the onslaught of the pickers, a certain tension is palpable. Indeed, despite the apparent good weather, the forecast for the coming week is announced as quite humid. The grapes, reaching optimum ripeness, are fragile. The weather and the grapes now are a major concern. Have we reached the optimum maturity that we seek? Monitoring the results and considering our impression of the state of the vines, we see that we are very close. The only way to be sure is to still wait a bit longer. Taking into account the weather forecast, this means taking the maximum risk but in our quest for perfection, it is necessary. We finally have proof that the unusual evolution of this atypical year is confirmed. Our white wines will have a delectable freshness. Result of the maturity control of the parcel "Pinson Sapinette" - Sauvignon Blanc - Chateau Haut-Brion: 13.1 ° C potential - pH 3.00 Monday, September 8th 
We passed our last calm weekend, with a beautiful sunny Sunday. On Monday morning, the weather forecast announced 82 ° F in the afternoon. Naturally, a new maturity control is carried out. The grapes on the vine have a very fruity taste but we find little change in them compared to Friday. At noon, the technical team meets to decide what to do. They have on the one hand results of maturity tests and on the other hand the weather forecast. All our meteorologists predict bad weather for the coming week with rain beginning the next morning. The decision is taken to start the harvesting in just one hour, which means at 1:00 pm. As we must take this risk, action and reaction become a necessity. We have waited long enough and now we are sure of what to do… we must harvest the grey sauvignons in the Pinson Sapinette parcel. We are Monday the 8th of September 2008, and at 1:00 pm under a bright sun, the first bunches of grey sauvignons are cut and laid gently in our harvesters' baskets. Result of the maturity control of the parcel "Pinson Sapinette - Sauvignon Gris - Chateau Haut-Brion: 13.4 ° C potential - pH 3.03 Tuesday, September 9th Starting fermentation analysis of the parcel "Pinson Sapinette - Sauvignon Gris - Chateau Haut-Brion: 13.5 ° C potential - pH 3.03 |
