After a wet March and April, then an unseasonably cool May and June, we’re pleased to announce that summer has finally arrived in the Languedoc! It has been a strange year and assumptions were already being made about it being a late harvest, however with temperatures in the mid 30’s Celsius for the past 2 weeks, the vines are making up for lost time! At the beginning of June our vineyards were about 3 weeks behind their usual growth development. Budding was late, flowering was late, though with all the water in early Spring, the canopy was growing enormously! Now as the grape bunches form, we are not so very far off where we would normally be in mid-July and we await veraison, (normally begins with the whites in late July and for the reds in early August), which will as usual be the indicator of how late, or not, harvest will be.

In the winery the renovations that we told you about earlier this year have also been progressing. The division and relining of the concrete tanks is now complete and our stainless steel specialist is now due to start on the press platform, the fixed stainless steel décuvage lines and various other improvements in the winery infrastructure so that we are all set for the harvest.

Along with all this, we are replacing the roof on part of the courtyard in front of the Domaine – hot work at this time of year! Internally this section will become an additional air–conditioned pallet storage area.

So as usual at Sainte Rose, there is never a dull moment. Have an excellent summer!