Harvest Reports
2004
From Vincent Visseq
The first time, I arrived in CAPION, I was amazed by something: It was the first time I had seen a beautiful estate with all the vines growing together on a landscape of white limestone. How vines can grow on a soil that seemed to be only one big, dry and white rock? For my first vintage as a winemaker, after four vintages in private cellars and cooperatives, I obtained my French diploma in June. I am responsible to make wines for 45 ha of vines, between 150 000 and 200 000 liters. What a challenge!!!
Mr Tardieu and I wanted to simplify the range of wines made from Capion. Make 1C, 2C, 3C, more you will find C, more the quality will increase. You can find C in all places, the C of CAPION.
The growing season was good, with very good temperature and rain. The summer was still hot, but good rains gave the vines the will to live. In July, it was time for summer pruning, the green harvest. The Terroir gave us too many grapes, and the vines could not support these grapes ripen properly. So we needed to eliminate some grapes to decrease yields and increase the quality.
With Michel TARDIEU, the consultant, we improved the cellar with new technology, which included, a double sorting table, to sort, before and after desteming, plus Congreate tanks to regulate red fermentation temperatures. This way, we sort berry by berry.
Let’s start picking!!! Slowly, slowly the harvesting date is the most important thing. You must be careful said me M.TARDIEU…
Twice a week, we walked through the vineyard to taste the berries, to estimate the correct time to pick these grapes at their optimum ripeness? We wanted to pick each grape at the right time.
The first plot of Chardonnays was ready. We started the 8th of September, followed by all plots of Chardonnay and the little plot of Viognier gives us fantastic wines.
We then looked at the plot of Roussanne and picked one part and we decide to leave the rest to a little more…
We started picking reds with the Cinsault. We wanted to make a rosé. I made a “saignée”, only four hours after picking. The Colours and Aromas were already there after this short maceration.
The youngest plot of Capion, “le Juge des Juges” was the first high quality plot to be harvested. We obtained a low yield! Green harvest was necessary, but wild pigs ate too many grapes!!! Anyway, qualities of grapes were optimum. It’s impossible to obtain a quality like that. The First Syrahs were picked the 24th of September, a late date to start picking reds!
We picked all plots of Syrah the day after. These grapes were full ripe with high sugar level.
When we looked at the part of Roussanne we had left, we knew that we could not make a dry wine at all; It was time to make a sweet wine. A wine you can drink both with a “foie gras”, and a dessert. We did it. A special wine that perhaps we will not be able to make again.
The weather stayed fantastic during the vintage. The Sun shined and North Wind gave us perfect dry weather and colds nights. The best conditions to obtain ripeness.
It was time for other red grapes. After Syrah, we decided to pick Grenache, then, it was time to pick the first production of the youngest vines of Capion, a plot of Mourvèdre. The quantity was very little. I was blending directly with Grenache, to give us complexity and “velouté”. I do think it will be the base of 2C and 3C.
We were still interested by the meteo. Until the end of the vintage, the weather stayed dry.
Something special, we picked our best plot of Merlot, quite at the end, just before the Cabernet.
We finished picking with the Cabernet situated in front of the cellar. It was late, October, the 5th. The day after, it was raining…
Whites wines were fantastic, Viognier barrels fermented gave us the best, followed by a few barrels of Roussanne and Chardonnay. Chardonnay fermented in tanks gave us goods wines to blend with barrels. 1C will be a blend between tanks and barrels fermented. The 2C will be 100% barrels fermented.
In reds wines, I cannot say which grape gave us the best. Syrahs were incredible, followed by the only tank blended of Grenache Mourvèdre. Cabernet stayed very good. All wines, especially Syrah and Grenache Mourvèdre are full bodied, have smooth tannins and a beautiful deep colour. All wines are at least 14% of alcohol.
We bought a lot of new oak barrels, made by the best French tonnelier, made from the best French oak, from the Tronçais Forest.
At the end of the vintage, Mr BUHRER asked me if I wanted to come again the next vintage in Capion. I could not answer him because was going to Australia, to see their wine making process.
