The cutting of the stocks started on October 25th
after the fall of the leaves, ended on April 14th.
Where the tractor had been able to go through, we topped as much as we can
by way of pre-cutting.
How can we respect this advice
of biodynamy : " cut in rising sap, after January 15 " when
the cutting lasts six month??
Beginning of April , the nights
were still cold, with some hoar frosts, the vegetation is a little late.
Good!
After we crushed the vine shoots,
we
began to work the
ground: first with the melon coasts,
to break the compact crust
of winter, then we went through again using the
mechanical interceps to
release the foot of stock. One passage only was not enough; we willl return
there, mainly in the vines where one had been able
to ridge the stocks. But grass is already quite sparse, what will
reduce moisture, because we're getting closer to what we call
the Riders of the cold,
"lous Cavaliès of the frech ":
Jourget (St George on April 23rd),
Marquet
(St Marc on April 25th), Troupet
"que
fa tre pet quand se ne met", (St Eutrope
on April 30th), then Crouzet (Ste
Croix on May 3rd) and "amai quaucas
fès Janet"(and also some
times St Jean Porte Latine on May 6th):
Be careful of the frost!!!
In practice, we wait until the last "Cavalier " to begin the treatments.
It is useless to treat if it freezes...
As for the Saints of ice: Mamert, Pancrace
and Servais (11th,
May 12th and 13th), they do not interfere, theorically, in our area.
Despite the publicity done in winter, it
was not possible for us to insure the harvest against freezing: the Caisse
d'Assurances Groupama du Midi has closed the inscriptions during
February, without prior notice! Even if we are, however, board members of
the local branch ! ...
On the vine-mothers, after the 1st treatment with Karate on 17/06,
the 2nd treatment against the cicadelle of gilded flavescence is
carried out on 02/07 with Talstar. The 3rd obligatory treatment is
made on 07/08 with Klartan.
One still finds acarina...!
The only difference in culture with the other patches is the treatment
with Roténone. Thus on 09/08, treatment with Rotenobiol;
the following day, 10/08, no more trace of acarina. Phew!!!
Next year, we will treat also the vine-mothers
with Rotenobiol, at
the same time as all the patches of the domain !...
is: 172 mm from January in mid-August
The heat wave is always there and for the time being, the weather forecast
announces no improvement!
September 4th, we collect
MERLOT, in special,
conventional vintage (vine-mother):
approximately 75 hl/ha titrating 13°93.
The grains are very small and fall with difficulty into the machine: we are
obliged to leave some a little on the stock by modulating beating
not to too much ransack ("escagasser") the vines.
This same day, we collect also GRENACHE, to treat out of
red wine, in organic farming conversion : approximately
80 hl/ha with 13°5 minimum.
The following day, another
piece of GRENACHE, this one treated out of rosy
wine of press-wine, in organic farming conversion: approximately
85 hl/ha with 12°05. It is weak. This piece, like many of others, suffered
from the dryness, which involved a blocking of maturation.
We think that a good rain could start again the vegetative process and would
improve these results. The medical state is perfect for the moment, one can
only gain there by stopping the vintage to await a good repairing heavy shower.
Did the sky hear us? The rain
falls on September 7th : 26 mm . Will
this be enough?
We will carefully supervise the evolution of sugars during the next days.
Such as an attack of mosaic mildew, who knows?
We restarted harvesting on September 11th on another piece of GRENACHE,
rosy wine of press-wine, in organic farming conversion , with 12°9.
Then we finished the GRENACHE ROSY WINE, in organic farming conversion,
with an output averaging 65 hl/ha and an average 12°5 .
September 12th, we gathered the grapes of the first piece of CARIGNAN,
treated out of red wine, in organic farming conversion,
approximately 65 hl/ha with12°8.
But the other pieces of carignan are not ready yet, the degree is only 11°
and the Mistral, which blows again, drains the
grounds, and destroys the benefits of September the 7th rain.
Fortunately, the heat wave has disappeared, nights are definitely fresher,
thus allowing the development of the flavours.
In the same way, a little morning dew helps the appearance of a pretty bloom.
We decided to stop harvesting again in order to increase in the sugar content
(or potential alcoholic strength). The weather forecast announces a potential
rain on september the 14th. Let's wait. But once more, the rain has not come.
The co-operative cellar announced its general closure for September the 24th,
we restart harvesting quickly on September 18th.
We carry on collecting the CARIGNAN, rosy
wine of bleeding the morning, then red wine in the afternoon, in organic farming
conversion . Same thing on September 19th and 20th. Meaning around
500 hl with 12°5 and 75 hl/ha.
We also collect the SYRAH,
red type of vine wine, inorganic farming conversion. This piece
suffered a lot from dryness, to such an extend hat we had to water the stocks
twice by pulverizing water using the processor, after having removed the reducting
pastilles of the tubes. However, this vine (see pictures above) surprised
us by giving however an average 65 hl/ha to 12°7.
We also collect the vine mother of CABERNET SAUVIGNON,
in conventional special vintage,
but only at the end of the day in order not to "dirty" the machine
by gathering this grapes with bio grapes. Approximately 70 hl/ha, with 13°7.
Sunday September 21st, cellar day off . But we still have to harvest 2 pieces
of CABERNET. Once more, the weather forecast predicts a rain for Monday ...
Let's hope not, because now it's too late!
And well, at that very moment when no one wanted anymore rain,
when the only thing we were expecting was to end the grape harvest quietly,
well, on that very day, monday september 22nd, the sky started to vomit all
what it kept for several months:
380 mm of rain between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. ... What a flood!
Almost twice more rains within 10 hours that within the last nine months,
since January.
However, on that morning, the weather forecast was only expecting 5 to 10
mm rain, and gave no warning.
The danger warning was only published three or four hours after the beginning
of the phenomenon...
Who knows when we will be able to restart harvesting?
Eventually, on September 26th we managed to collect CABERNET: that
was a bit hazardous, as we had left the machine at the end of a malicious
rut. But at last, all ended up well!
Therefore, CABERNET, treated out of wine of
type of red vine, in organic farming conversion, gave 36.5 T to
13°.
We would have wished to treat a part of it into rosy in order to make a mix
with the rosy grenache, to strengthen that one. But tanks managements problems
and a beginning of fermentation in the open tank on September 22nd did not
let us concretize this wish. Too bad!
Harvest 2003 have given # 203 T to 13°.
For the yield, we have to wait to rack off wine from the various tanks to
know on which level one is...
However, this was a poor harvest, with
a loss averaging 17 % compared to the last ten years. Crowned heat wave!!!
Moreover, it was a shame to leave little grapes on the stocks whereas the
harvest is weak; this year the grape that had suffered from the
dryness was not collected well by the machine, but we could not increase the
beating without risking to damage the stocks more.
This harvest was done with a total traceability,
portions out after piece and all the tanks were formally identified.
PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION,
PATIENCE
...
On June 16th and 17th, end of the treatment
against cicadelle with Rotenobiol (at the end of the evening) for the patches
in conversion
and Karate for the vine-mothers.
In the night of 16th to June 17th,
violent thundery shower, 20
mm of rain.
On June 18th, third treatment with
Kocide 35, 10 kg for 7 ha (be 500 g of Cu/ha) + Escapade
like dampener.
Comparison test is done again:
- the first 8 lines: vegetable preparation, (to be noted that these 8 lines
had in very that 500 g Cu/ha to date
- the 8 following ones: vegetable preparation + half proportions of Kocide
35, be 250 g of Cu/ha, + Escapade,
- 8 last: vegetable preparation + Kocide 35 to 500 g of Cu/ha, + Escapade.
These days, we pulled up the elevating wire
of the cabernet, we slightly topped the grenache and the carignan because
the tractor passes with difficulty and the wind, violent after the storms
on the far mountains, broke much of vine shoots. Then, we passed the melon
coasts (griffon) to soften the ground and thus to reduce, as much as possible,
the hydrous stress.
The wheat harvest was carried out on July 10th. It was not that great,
cosnidering the very late sowing and of the lack water afterwhile.
In the vines, to remove
the greedy shoots which grow again, maily on the Merlot, we tried to develop
a epampror by fixing a rotary
disc equipped with flexible devices on the frame of the andainor. The growths
are already old and hard; the result is not perfect, we
will improve the tool by adding other flexible devices. Gone up in front of
the tractor which pulls a griffon, we hope thus to manage
to clean the stocks while making it more supple on the inter-row to reduce
the hydrous stress.
We control training, in particular in the 2 vine-mothers, since collected
into conventional, because training is unfortunately
for the time being the only quality standard recognized by the
co-operative cellar to obtain a price more interesting for the special ameliorative
type of vine vintages. As if S.F.E.p (potential
enlightened leaf aera) supplanted: medical state, absence of weed-killer and
chemical residues of
plant health products, the reduction of the hydrous stress by two-prong clawing,
the maintenance a certain moisture with the
foot by sufficient foliage, an effective training to air the bunches, absence
of frequent trimmings which cause the ceaseless
growth until the vintage; here are other easily identifiable criteria to ensure
a good and healthy harvest... Much as SFEp is an index only to obtain a high
degree (thanks to the"hard-working leaves"), index which is no more
a valid criterion when the mode of culture, as practised previously, gives
already a degree generally close to 13°.
Friday July 25th, 2003 is the last
day before our employee goes on holidays. The bunches are closed, foliation
slows down or even stops,
ripening starts, heat and dryness are always strong. To feel reassured,
we make a new general treatment - the
fourth - with Kocide 35, (500g/ha) and Microthiol
(7.14 kg/ha) + Escapade dampener.
The day before, we made a base treatment nettles, against the dryness; some people advised us to try liquid manure, others preached for infusion, some wiith prêle and some others: "with everything but prêle ". Which advice shall we trust?! Following Pierre MASSON's wise advicel, we tried infusion. Without great success, alas, to fight such a huge heat wave!!!
Later (19/08), we tested an infusion of
matricaire... without success either.
It was probably to late!
We are on May 14th. We hope there's no more risk of freezing. The vines grows
quickly, we have to make the first
treatment, which had been delayed because of a windy period.
The first "sulfatage " is made on May 15th and 16th, with Kocide 35 (Cu hydroxide): 10 kg for 7 ha, be 500 g of Cu métal/ha, and Microthiol Disperss ( sulphur which can be moistened): 75 kg for 7 ha. We forgot to add a dampener (Escapade), then the pulverization was not very homogeneous...
We selected a series of 24
lines of grenache (5736 stocks out of 1 ha 56), prolonged by a series of 24
lines of carignan
(3000 stocks out of approximately 0 ha 90) for a comparison test with vegetable
preparations.
First rainy episode: 5 mm on May 19th.
Second rainy episode: 20 mm on May 25th.
We supervise the comparison test carefully.
As we were travelling to Canada,
(we will tell more about it later), we thought about a 2nd treatment, general
for all the vineyard, with
Kocide 35 + Microthiol disperss + Escapade (dampener) to avoid any useless
risk during our absence.
This 2nd treatment was carried out on May 27th and 28th.
Back from Quebec, we rushed to control the comparison test: no deep difference
between the stocks treated with vegetable
preparation and the others,but, in the case of the stocks treated without
copper, where there was an outbeak of mildew
(rare cases observed), the task is not isolated but surrounded of several
other tasks, and- sometimes - some tasks on the 4 or 5
nearest stocks.
Since the end of May to June 13th, very hot weather and absence of rain seemed
to have disturbed the flowering of the mildew, we found very small tasks,
dry or waiting for better conditions.
These tasks seem to be killed by the 2nd treatment of May 27th/28th. We removed
all these tasks to supervise the evolution
Moreover, the lines treated with vegetable preparations seemed to be more sensitive than the others to oïdium.
This very June the 13th, we made, in the evening, the 1st part of the obligatory
treatment against the cicadelle of the gilded flavescence
with
Rotenobiol (3 l/ha) + Escapade (dampener), after having slightly
acidified the water with white vinegar. The continuation of the
treatment will take place later on the other pieces.
In spite of a
general sulphuring with triturated sulphur micronized at the time
of flowering (June 3rd), there is a strong run-out on the
grenaches, especially on 2nd and 3rd episode of flowering... sulphur which
will cause severe burnings because of the heat which
is already there...
Fom this test, we will noten: # it is possible to still reduce the Cu amount while supplementing with prêle and nettle, # that prêle and nettle do not seem to solve the problem of oïdium, # that, finally, the years without important parasitic pressure, it is useless to get a headache to supervise such a test!
However, can wee consider that
there is an immunization "plant-ground-piece ", as the mildew is
developed only around the stocks already reached before the beginning of the
treatment by nettle (elicitor? ), leaving the other insensitive stocks of
the row?
If there is blossoming, there is proliferation, in which case, all the stocks
should be concerned!!!
We would have wished to
be able to compare our results with other people...
Que de questions en suspens
!
Nous aimerions pouvoir en discuter avec vous ...
Nous
voudrions d'abord faire un recueil de tous ces "trucs", "ces recettes",
puis les analyser, les expérimenter et les codifier...
Si
vous êtes partant pour une telle aventure, faites-vous connaître,
nous voulons bien coopérer dans la mesure de nos moyens.
Écrivez-nous par e-mail : domaine-de-bannieres@wanadoo.fr
nous allons écimer légèrement grenaches et carignan qui
ont trop poussé
De toute façon, même seuls, nous sommes bien décidés à essayer !
