Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Saturday 5 September 2015

2015 Loire – getting ready for the off!

Picking in Sancerre September 2009

Not long before picking gets underway and may already have done so for Chardonnay for sparkling wines in the Saumur area.

 The Luneau family celebrating their 2014 Muscadet harvest 

Pierre-Marie listens to his wines ....

In the Pays Nantais Marie Chartier-Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin) says that picking will start in the middle of this coming week. Their close neighbour Fréd Niger Van Herck (Domaine de l'Ecu) will be starting on Wednesday. 

Fréd@MillesiméBio 2013

Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve) August 2005 

Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve) expects to start picking his Chenin around 21st September. As of yesterday the grapes are at 9.8% potential alcohol with 6.8 acidity.  

Jim's Loire welcomes news from Loire producers on the 2015 vintage – whether you have started or when you expect start. Merci beaucoup d'avance. 

   

1 comment:

Charles Sydney said...

Hi Jim - hope to see you sometime during the harvest!
Phil and I were out in the Touraine on Thursday - growers were picking some of the earlier ripening parcels in Noyers, Oisly and Cheverny, so I guess elsewhere too.
Philippe Trotignon's cahier shows 4 trailers coming in between 12 and 12.7° potential with acidity around 5 grams - definitely time to pick :)
Only problem is the lack of grapes in the vineyards, at least for sauvignons in the Touraine - Muscadet and Anjou look better fortunately. It's some time since we've seen such small grapes on such small bunches. That's down to those few chilly days pre Vienexpo, just at the end of harvest.
Some growers are starting in Muscadet this week but most are waiting - while others in Sancerre and Pouilly are starting! Le monde à l'envers!
Fingers crossed for a month or more of sunshine,
Charles