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Chateau Gazin - Nicolas and Christophe de Bailliencourt dit Courcol
Harvest
Chronicles at Château Gazin -
Pomerol
The 2003 harvest started on Thursday September 4th, at Gazin.
At Chateau Gazin, this date is very close to the dates of 1989, 1990 and, surprisingly, 1997. The big difference with 1997 is that, in 2003, the grapes are perfectly and uniformly
ripe. Indeed, the bunches offer a natural 13 degrees level of
alcohol. But, further more, the tannins are in the right condition. That is what we call the phenolic maturity (not to be confused with the “mediatic maturity”, which is reached when the vintner pretends to be harvesting under the tv cameras to be able to proclaim: “I started the first …” or : “this
harvest, at Chateau Gazin, is the most precocious one since 1893”).
The perfect tannins maturity, which normally does not match the mediatic maturity is, in fact, essential to produce a top quality wine.
At Chateau Gazin, the alcoholic level is not that important. Therefore, this augurs well of the
vintage quality. Nevertheless, the vinifications, at
Chateau Gazin, remain a difficult exercise as it is not so easy to convert into alcohol such a big quantity of
sugar without any
fermentation accident and any volatile
acidity increase.
At Chateau Gazin, the summer drought damaged a (small) part of the crop, weakened the skins of the grains, dramatically reduced the
acidity level. For once, the administration gave the vintners the possibility to acidify the wine with tartaric acid, the natural and specific acid of the grapes. The
acidity level is essential to make wines able to age and improve when ageing.
The
yield is, once more, very small at Chateau Gazin. Even smaller than in 2002: about 10
hectolitres per acre versus 15
hectolitres last year. But this figure will be finalized once the
rackings are over, all the more as the
Cabernet
Francs and
Sauvignon have not been picked up yet. Just now they benefit from the very sunny and warmy present days. As long as rot does not appear we wait, on stand by. So far the
fermentations, at Chateau Gazin, are developing well: colour,
fatness, fruit, everything is there.
Nicolas and Christophe de Bailliencourt dit Courcol, Chateau
Gazin
http://www.chateau-gazin.com/
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