Our 2017 harvest started more than 15 days ahead of schedule/ Our Viognier de La Martelle, a lovely 60-acre plot, reached maturity in mid-August and was picked on August 23. The two previous years we harvested it on September 02.
The quality is there, with beautiful aromatic expression and generous alcohol. However, as with our Languedoc counterparts, the yield of our smaller cuvées is very, very small. For the second year running, there will be very few. The heat and dryness of July and August, without a drop of rain, blocked development, despite a fine springtime emergence of the bunches, which augured a fine harvest.
At this stage, we have already harvested 30% of our surface area: all our whites, our rosé, and our first parcels of early-ripening reds. But of course we still have the bulk of our red plots: our Syrah and Grenache are waiting to be picked, especially on our high-altitude terroirs.
