From vineyard to winery, the transformation of grapes to wine begins for vintage 2022, now that the grapes are harvested!
At Laurent Miquel, we are fervent believers that the main work of the harvest happens in the vineyard and we work all year to ensure a healthy, ripe crop. We are HVE Level 3 certified and we pursue a low-intervention philosophy in the vineyards and at the winery. We avoid artificial chemicals and we encourage wild herbs and cover crops in alternate rows, which brings many insects into the vineyards - a natural biodiversity that prevents disease and damage from pests.
So far we are very pleased with the harvest of 2022 - volumes are good compared to 2021, despite the heatwaves in June and late July, and quality so far is excellent with robust acidity and good levels of ripeness. Night-harvesting and earlier harvesting of red grapes definitely helps to retain this acidity, giving elegance and finesse to the final wine.
At the winery, we sort the grapes as they arrive, removing any under-ripe grapes, or any that are not perfectly healthy. The white grapes (Chardonnay, Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc) are de-stemmed and gently pressed, to separate the must from the skins, before going into tank for fermentation.
The red grapes go straight into tank or barrel for fermentation, depending on the cuvée. Occasional pumping over (taking the must from the bottom of the tank and pumping it over the skins that have floated to the top) allows us to gently extract colour and structure from the Syrah and Grenache grapes.
We'll issue our complete harvest report in November and update you on the progress of vintage 2022 as it comes to life!
À bientôt,
Neasa & Laurent