Bottled by hand

Now we're talking artisanal.   In 2007 our favorite vineyard called "Lauzettes" which is 100% grenache planted in the 70s, fermented very quickly, we put it in the tank and within 5 days it was dry, aside from a daily pumpover, we didn't have time to do anything to it.  It just happened, and it turned out to be delicious!  So delicious that we decided to keep 300 liters out of our 2007 blend and bottle it separately.  That made for 400 bottles.  So, right smack in the middle of harvest, there was, according to the biodynamic calendar,  a fruit day in a  descending moon, and we had people around to help, so we decided to bottle it.  By hand.  It was too small a quantity to do with a big machine, and we had to give the stainless steel tank back that we had borrowed from our friend Serge before he started picking.  So we decided to go for it! 

Our friend Even loaned us his manual corker, and we used food-safe tubing to syphen it into the bottles.  It would have been impossible to get the level just right by syphening it, so then my parents sat at a table with pitchers of the same wine and carefully topped them up to exactly the right level, then Matt corked the bottles.  Even Matt's mom Joan, who bless her heart, doesn't drink and doesn't even like the smell of alcohol helped by wiping down the bottles once they were filled and corked.  It seemed like a great a idea when we started, and I really didn't think it would take that long, but by the end we were all miserable and couldn't wait to be finished!! 

 

I hadn't tasted the wine since we bottled it, due to the fact that I had added a bit of sulfur, I wanted to give it a chance to rest.  Last week though, when our German importers were here, we decided it was time to see how it was tasting.  It's such an amazing wine, with a richness and elegance that we haven't acheived until now.  It is drinking well now, but I think it has excellent aging potential too.  With only 400 bottles we have decided to only sell it at the winery, that is if I can bring myself to part with it!!  So, if you want to taste it, you'll have to start planning that trip to southern France!  I can think of worse things to do, can't you?

Comments

[Steven Lanum]

Sounds terrific. Planning to subject it to the AOC rigamarole?

[lagramiere]

Not a chance, it's too good to waste on them!! Vin de Table all the way...

[Tim Stephens]

I can definitely relate to this! I did about 100 bottles a few weekends ago, perched on the edge of a chair like you are in the pic. (I could have used a few friends that day. :-) Bottling like this is the second-worst job (next to cleanup chores) in the winery in my opinion. I'd invariably under-fill, then over-fill and have to pipette some out to leave room for the cork and some headspace. But your wine sounds lovely! Make sure you put a case or two aside for the "library" and the vertical tastings you'll be doing some day!

[Iris]

I really can understand your feelings about the bottling procedure. I did it in the first years exactly the same way - in the beginning, I thought it would be fun, to gather the "too much" in some bottles in a glass to drink it - but I had to stop soon - it would really hav been too much for me, to go on:-).

Meanwhile, we have a small tireuse italienne, which can fill 4 bottles at a time stopping exactly at the right level - and still somebody (me) with the manual cork-machine behind - at each bottling, I remember our beginnings and praise the Italians for inventing our stainless-steel equipment!

I hope there will be a bottle left of your 2007 to taste it the day I will have time to come to La Gramière!

[David McDuff]

Fun post (and obviously hard work), Amy. I found myself wondering about sulfur about halfway through, only to have my question answered a few moments later. Sounds like wonderful wine. And I love the last photo -- just like my pups who always want to be in the middle of the action, even when they're napping.