Crès Ricards, the blog

«Harvest Diary 2006» - Thursday 14 and Friday 15 September

You wouldn’t put a grape-picker out in this weather!! Nevertheless, there is good news on the weather forecast. The wind direction should be changing to north-westerly from Friday evening and staying that way all night.

«Harvest Diary 2006» - Sunday 10 September

No grape-pickers today. Indeed, it is time to start on the Merlot and this variety is traditionally harvested by machine. We are innovating this year however. The grapes are in excellent condition, which means that sorting would be superfluous. We have therefore decided to use a grape harvesting machine that separates the grapes from the stalks at the vine. This cuts out the destemming step as the grapes arrive at the cellar and means they can be transferred directly into the tanks.

By the end of the day we are delighted with our experiment. The quality of the grapes going into fermentation is identical to that of previous years and a substantial amount of time has been saved. We will definitely try it again, on condition that the grapes are healthy enough.

«Harvest Diary 2006» - Wednesday 06 September

A tour of the vines early in the week and analysis of our samples confirmed that it would be sensible to wait a little longer before picking any of the remaining grape varieties, with the exception of the Alicante, which is showing just the right amount of withering and has nearly reached the desired maturity. Wednesday 06 September will therefore be « Cousin-Cousine » day.

«Harvest Diary 2006» - Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 September

The full team is here and ready to launch into the Syrah, which is now at optimum maturity. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is not good and we can expect humid air coming in from the sea from Wednesday, with a risk of thundery showers.
Tuesday is a very busy day. However, our progress is interrupted the next day by a big storm at the end of the morning and we have to retreat quickly to the cellar.

“Harvest diary 2006” - Tuesday, 29th August

It is 7am, the temperature is 14°C, the morning looks sunny and will be perfect for the chardonnay harvest. Some of the grape-pickers have worked together before and are catching up, while for others it is their first time and they are getting to know the team, but while we are chatting the small golden bunches, ripened to perfection, are waiting and it is time to wield those secateurs.
Let the harvest begin!

No rotten bunches, the grapes are very healthy. The first buckets arrive at the harvest wagon, people are calling out to each other excitedly from one row of vines to another: that special harvest-time atmosphere is setting in.

10:45 and the last bunches of grapes have been cut. No one has backache: it’s a good start. The harvest seems a little smaller than in 2005, the grapes are smaller. A few extra millimetres of rain would have been welcome. The aromas are there however and just waiting to be expressed. It is time to start the maceration…

The “Village des Vignerons”

The “Village des Vignerons“ is taking to the road again, between now and the end of August, visiting you in the major tourist destinations of the region.

You can find out where and when Domaine des Crès Ricards is appearing by consulting the section “Wine Tastings / Summer events in the Languedoc” on our website.

We would love to meet you, and Colette will be pleased to share our passion for winemaking with you and to serve you wine at just the right temperature in spite of the heat!

On the other hand, if a trip out to the countryside appeals or if, on a less sunny day you fancy leaving beach and discovering a vineyard, call us to arrange an appointment (+33 (0)6 14 21 15 61) and it will be our pleasure to welcome you to the Domaine des Crès Ricards. See you very soon.

The “Circulade Vigneronne en Terrasses du Larzac” wine walk

In the prestigious setting of the Lac du Salagou, the charming village of Octon and its Mayor Guilhem Dardé welcomed the 4th “Circulade Vigneronne en Terrasses du Larzac” on the 1st July, starting late afternoon, and the Domaine des Crès Ricards was one of the participants.

It is a 5 km walk, attended this year by 850 participants, who get a chance to discover one of the characteristic “terroirs” of the appellation Coteaux du Languedoc, Terrasses du Larzac. At a series of stops along the way, they could savour a succulent dinner of regional dishes prepared by 6 local restaurateurs and taste, with moderation, some of the 38 wines (6 whites, 7 rosés and 25 reds) presented by 38 producers from the terroir Terrasses du Larzac (32 privately-owned vineyards and 6 coops).

As in previous years, the event was a great success. It lacked for nothing, not even the France vs. Brazil match, which was shown on a giant screen!

Reclassification of some of our wines

Up to 2004, Alexaume and Cousin-Cousine had the appellation Vin de Pays des Côtes du Céressou.
From 2005 they will become Vin de Pays du Mont Baudile.

This change was made on the request of the professional association to which we belong because the village of Ceyras does not come under the Côtes du Céressou geographical area of wine production, whereas it can claim the appellation Vin de Pays du Mont Baudile.

In any case, Alexaume will continue to be made with the same care, for your enjoyment, from grapes from the same plots of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carignan and Cousin-Cousine from the same Alicante vines.

Bottling

Bottling is now complete and a total of 100,045 bottles have been prepared and boxed as follows :

• Oenothera Rouge 2004 :   3.459 (available)
• Les Hauts de Milési 2004 : 12.891 (available)
• Stécia 2004 : 13.213 (available early 2007)
• Alexaume 2005 : 32.590 (available July 2006)
• Cousin-Cousine 2005 :   7.353 (available)
• Merlot 2005 : 12.370 (available)
• Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 : 11.628 (available)
• Oenothera Rosé 2005 :   3.238 (available)
• Rosé VDP 2005 :      635 (available)
• Onothera Blanc 2005 :   2.668 (available from the end of 2006)

Just as in previous years, all the wines were bottled in one go. This means, other things being equal, that we can guarantee the consumer the same high level of quality from the first to the last bottle.

Planting of AOC white grape varieties in 2006

As you can see on the site, on the map of our wine plots , we planted 1 hectare of white AOC varieties on 18th April.

The vineyard now grows Vermentino, Grenache, Roussane and Viognier in proportions that will enable us to make a Southern French white wine that will be fresh, aromatic and highly expressive.

In the spring of 2007, we will also plant 1 hectare of Grenache noir, in the AOC zone.