Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges Approches

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Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges Approches - 9/26/2013 5:04:02 AM

gharbour

Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
Status: offline

This series of posts is the continuing saga of a father helping his son (Nicholas) and daughter-in-law (Colleen) realize their dream of starting a winery (www.MaisonHarbour.com) in Burgundy, France. If you didn’t catch my earlier posts please find links to the old posts at the end of this post.

The weather was nice this last week. Generally sunny and warm. We are now entering a period of more unsettled weather and people are eager to get their grapes in. One of Nicholas’ friends will start the vendange on September 28th. Nicholas and Colleen are in Gevrey-Chambertin this morning visiting their vineyard with the grower and will come home with a better estimate of when we’ll begin. This week has been filled with pressure. If you have an idyllic picture of being a wine maker, that’s not it. At least not your first year. We are in a constant state of rush and exhaustion to get the cuverie ready in time and at the same time the search for grapes is a real test of your resolve. First it’s hard to find grapes, then it’s hard to say no when they are borderline with what you want. On Tuesday Nicholas and Colleen had an offer for a Côte de Beaune Premier Cru white. The vineyard is known to produce what they call the Chablis of Beaune because of it’s geology. They had to respond by the end of the day. After a long hard day they decided to pass, it was interesting but not what they wanted, instead they’ll wait and hope that grapes more in line with their vision will become available. I really admire their resolve to stick with their ideals. I’m not sure I could do it, when the cuverie is sitting there just waiting to jump into action.

On another note, Colleen started her new job this last week. She joined Vinconnect as the Director for France and she is also covering Spain and Germany. We’re really proud of her and she’s enjoying the work. It’s a great fit with her experience and skills. As you can imagine it’s important to have outside income in a micro-négociant, especially when you are starting up and won’t ship anything anytime soon. All you have is cash flowing out and nothing coming in.

This week the de-stemmer was delivered. It the most expensive piece of equipment for Nicholas and Colleen. It’s nice to have it in place but without electricity they couldn’t get their demo run.

We also got the cuve en bois (oak fermenter) from Marc Grenier which we’ve been waiting on. Here Pierre-Yves Pavelot (Jean-Marc’s youngest son) helps unload the cuve. The Pavelot's are one of our favorite wine makers in Savingy. (Colleen and Nicholas were happy to see it in place. I must say it’s an impressive piece of wood working.

Nicholas worked on painting the small press. I call it the chariot of fire now.

While I finished up the basket.

After the paint has dried a few days we’ll put it all together.

I am happy to report that the wall is now finished. All that’s left is to crépis it (Nicholas’ job) and hang the gate. Hanging the gate is the part I’ve been dreading all along. I’ll report back next week on how it goes.....

Finally, I have to report the first visitors to Maison Harbour. Nicholas and Colleen had John Eaton and his wife from Wisconsin and their friends from Arizona who are doing a barge trip through the Burgundy canals stop by to see the progress at Maison Harbour. Nicholas and Colleen had a great time doing what they love, entertaining. See photo below. Actually, there was one previous visit in July, even before Maison Harbour looked like a winery from Josh Pitcl and friends from Phoenix Arizona. They just wrote a super nice travel blog on Wine Berserkers with loads of cool photos, check it out at
http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=89065.

A Bientôt
Gary

Week 1 - The Story Begins
Week 2 - Departure
Week 3 - Work Begins
Week 4 - Shopping for Equipment
Week 5 - The Douane
Week 6 - Beautiful Premier Cru Grapes
Week 6.1 Savigny En Tous Sens
Week 7 - Disaster Strikes
Week 8 - Starting Again
Week 9 - Vacation Time in France
Week 10 - Vacation Ends and Work Resumes
Week 11 - New Floor Concrete Pour
Week 12 - Summer Adventure in Burgundy 12 - Cave Repairs and Soutirage
Week 13 - Power Outage
Week 14 - Gevrey Chambertin
Week 15 - Another Brick in the Wall

< Message edited by gharbour -- 9/27/2013 12:17:09 AM >

_____________________________

Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune

Post #: 1

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 6:18:55 AM

ChrisinCowiche

Posts: 7845
Joined: 12/16/2009
From: Cowiche, WA
Status: offline

Great stuff as always Gary. Congrats to Coleen on the Vinconnect gig. Many of us were introduced to Vinconnect a year or so ago, and I'm sure many of us are customers. I personally am on a few of the mailing lists but have yet to make any purchases.

Also, more questions from me about the mechanical/logistical side of putting together a winery,

My apologies if a couple of these may have been answered already.

For your basket press, what type of wood is used for the basket slats? Did you treat that wood, or is it going to see direct fruit contact? FWIW, I've got a much smaller basket press and I've treated it with beeswax (due another cleaning and coating now before another harvest), mainly because it was wood of unknown origin and old and dirty when I acquired it from an anitique type dealer.

For your fermentors, what is/are the method(s) for punchdown? The steel ones look like they might be automated, but I'm not seeing anything for the oak one and head space looks tight.

You mention your destemmer without mentioning crushing. Is that machine without crushing rollers and what is the rationale for just destemming?

Again sorry for the techincal detail, and maybe more info than you want to divulge, but you do continue to post pictures that provoke inquiring questions.

Thanks!

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RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 7:04:52 AM

gharbour

Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChrisinSunnyside

Great stuff as always Gary. Congrats to Coleen on the Vinconnect gig. Many of us were introduced to Vinconnect a year or so ago, and I'm sure many of us are customers. I personally am on a few of the mailing lists but have yet to make any purchases.

Also, more questions from me about the mechanical/logistical side of putting together a winery, My apologies if a couple of these may have been answered already.

For your basket press, what type of wood is used for the basket slats? Did you treat that wood, or is it going to see direct fruit contact? FWIW, I've got a much smaller basket press and I've treated it with beeswax (due another cleaning and coating now before another harvest), mainly because it was wood of unknown origin and old and dirty when I acquired it from an anitique type dealer.

For your fermentors, what is/are the method(s) for punchdown? The steel ones look like they might be automated, but I'm not seeing anything for the oak one and head space looks tight.

You mention your destemmer without mentioning crushing. Is that machine without crushing rollers and what is the rationale for just destemming?

Again sorry for the techincal detail, and maybe more info than you want to divulge, but you do continue to post pictures that provoke inquiring questions.

Thanks!

Hi Chris,

Good to hear from you and good questions as always. Many of the questions you ask are over me and belong more with Nicholas and Colleen as the trained wine makers. But, I'll take a stab.

We made the basket of the press of oak. It comes from a barrel maker here in Burgundy, so it's the same wood used in the barrels wine is aged in. We had to replace the old stuff because it was well, really old. We won't treat it with anything. Just clean it well between uses and at the end of the season. There is a product here for presses that is such a strong oxidizer that takes the red color out (per-acetic acid). Interesting this old style of press is really coming back now as gentler way to press (vs a ballon).

Nicholas used one of the automated punch down systems during his Stage at Domain Genot-Boulanger, but that is super expensive, requires a large cuverie, and is not so gentle. For Nicholas and Colleen as a micro-négociant they will use manual punchdowns. Head space is tight, but what you don't see in any photos I've posted yet, is that Masion Harbour has an upper story, from which the tanks can be accessed from overhead. What you see on the stainless steel tanks are floating tops. These are used when you don't want to expose the wine to air such as during assemblage.

Crushing is in general not done in burgundy. The grapes are de-stemmed and fermented whole. This is one of the debates of machine harvest (almost a crush) vs hand (being gentler on the grapes). Although wine makers will sometimes add a percentage of whole clusters (not de-stemmed) to add tannins from the stems. See this Maison Harbour post for last years de-stemming and fermentation. The grapes fermenting as whole berries give a more complex wine than crushing. There is usually a cool soak period for the whole grapes before fermentation starts to help with extraction. After the fermentation you drain off the free run juice and shovel out the berries (if you look through Maison Harbour's blog from last year you'll see photos of this fun part of the process) and press them to get the press wine. Of course every wine maker has their little secrets of how they actually do all this!

I love the technical stuff but I'm certainly not a wine maker!

Cheers,
Gary

< Message edited by gharbour -- 9/28/2013 1:08:10 PM >

_____________________________

Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune

(in reply to ChrisinCowiche)

Post #: 3

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 8:45:51 AM

ChrisinCowiche

Posts: 7845
Joined: 12/16/2009
From: Cowiche, WA
Status: offline

Thanks Gary. Very generous answers! Per-acetic acid sounds like something good to have around. It may explain why some wineries I've seen absolutely ZERO wine stains around barrel bungs or dripped down the sides. Which is common some other places, including my family room. Any mildly stong oxidizer would work I guess and that one I know is used lots in food processing.

Can't wait to see some punchdowns from the second floor through the ceiling! Thanks for the info on the floaters. I am familiar with large floating roof tanks, just pray you never overpressurize a tank or suck it such that it loses round. Round floaters don't float very well in an oval of smaller radius.

Yeah, destemming, whole clusters, cold soak (how warm/cold and how long), etc... are the secrets that don't get get covered in the Winemaking 101 books.

Finally, I do notice that Nick is also a Wolverine!!!???!!! If not it's pretty shameful to the Illini faithful.

< Message edited by ChrisinSunnyside -- 9/26/2013 9:10:17 AM >

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RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 9:25:14 AM

leothegecko

Posts: 157
Joined: 3/30/2012
From: MA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChrisinSunnyside
Finally, I do notice that Nick is also a Wolverine!!!???!!! If not it's pretty shameful to the Illini faithful.

I noted that too, and was thinking how great it was to have the Maize and Blue represented in the winemaking process!

It's been very interesting following the adventure this summer. It seems like it's been a lot of hard work, but also seems to be very fulfilling and rewarding!

(in reply to ChrisinCowiche)

Post #: 5

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 9:53:51 AM

SkeBum

Posts: 639
Joined: 3/11/2012
From: Tahoe City, CA
Status: offline

Gary,

Electricity coming anytime soon?

(in reply to leothegecko)

Post #: 6

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 11:24:03 AM

gharbour

Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChrisinSunnyside

Thanks Gary. Very generous answers!   Per-acetic acid sounds like something good to have around. It may explain why some wineries I've seen absolutely ZERO wine stains around barrel bungs or dripped down the sides. Which is common some other places, including my family room.  Any mildly stong oxidizer would work I guess and that one I know is used lots in food processing.

Can't wait to see some punchdowns from the second floor through the ceiling!   Thanks for the info on the floaters. I am familiar with large floating roof tanks, just pray you never overpressurize a tank or suck it such that it loses round. Round floaters don't float very well in an oval of smaller radius.

Yeah, destemming, whole clusters, cold soak (how warm/cold and how long), etc... are the secrets that don't get get covered in the Winemaking 101 books.

Finally, I do notice that Nick is also a Wolverine!!!???!!! If not it's pretty shameful to the Illini faithful.

Hi Chris,

I understand the stain thing. I'm afraid I messed up the new table cloth Colleen just put out. I always marvel at hearing about tanks giving way. I remember as a child seeing the science teach boil water in a paint can and then close it, only to be amazed as it crumpled in on itself. A great education on air pressure.

As I mentioned I'm not a wine maker, so heres my understanding. For the cold soak when the grapes come in from the vineyard Nicholas will be cooling them with dry ice. They use about 0.6 kg for every degree C for every hectoliter of grapes. By the way (carboglas is very expensive here). They'll typically cool them about 5-10C depending on temp they come in. Typically they try to hold them there for 2-4 days. The CO2 keeps the yeast from taking off in the aerobic growth phase.

As for the shirt, I better not comment. Nicholas was born and lived in Michigan and of course is an Illini graduate. So he'll have to answer for himself on that one!

Cheers,
Gary

_____________________________

Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune

(in reply to ChrisinCowiche)

Post #: 7

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 11:30:54 AM

gharbour

Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: SkeBum

Gary,

Electricity coming anytime soon?

quote:

SkeBum

Hey Darren,

Funny you should ask. The electricity infrastructure company came today. They brought the 3 phase power to the building. But they didn't run it though the wall, only to the panel they installed in the outside wall. So Nicholas and the electrician worked from 6pm to just now 8.30pm to do that before the electricity provider comes tomorrow to turn it on. I'm afraid that put Nicholas (temporarily I hope) on the S list with the neighbors. JIT execution.

. Now it's pizza with Nicholas and Colleen and Happy Thursday Burgundy, which you'll have to check out over on the Happy Thursday Burgundy thread.

HTB,
Gary

_____________________________

Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune

(in reply to SkeBum)

Post #: 8

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/26/2013 11:59:53 AM

gharbour

Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: leothegecko

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChrisinSunnyside
Finally, I do notice that Nick is also a Wolverine!!!???!!! If not it's pretty shameful to the Illini faithful.

I noted that too, and was thinking how great it was to have the Maize and Blue represented in the winemaking process!

It's been very interesting following the adventure this summer. It seems like it's been a lot of hard work, but also seems to be very fulfilling and rewarding!

quote:

leothegecko

Hi Benjamin,

Glad you've been following. Thanks for the reply. Like I said, Nicholas will have to speak for himself about his alliances. I'm just happy to see the Big 10 so well represented in Burgundy these days! I hope you'll follow along as the wine making is about to kick off!

Best,
Gary

_____________________________

Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune

(in reply to leothegecko)

Post #: 9

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/27/2013 11:52:57 AM

recotte

Posts: 6870
Joined: 1/19/2011
Status: offline

Yet another great post, Gary, and glad to hear that the electricity is about to be resolved.

Cheers,

Eric

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Post #: 10

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/27/2013 9:26:08 PM

Old Doug

Posts: 8279
Joined: 5/12/2011
From: Atlanta, Georgia, US
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: gharbour

The electricity infrastructure company came today. They brought the 3 phase power to the building. But they didn't run it though the wall, only to the panel they installed in the outside wall. So Nicholas and the electrician worked from 6pm to just now 8.30pm to do that before the electricity provider comes tomorrow to turn it on.

Gary, seems like this has been a comparative ordeal. Why is that?

If 3 phase power is desired, and there are not the three wires running through the neighborhood, then no doubt it would be a huge deal to get that done. Since the deal is done now, I'm guessing that they were there, and either a transformer had to be installed decently close to the property, or else one was already present, and indeed then it's just a matter of running the wires to the building.

(in reply to gharbour)

Post #: 11

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/27/2013 11:43:56 PM

gharbour

Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Old Doug

quote:

ORIGINAL: gharbour

The electricity infrastructure company came today. They brought the 3 phase power to the building. But they didn't run it though the wall, only to the panel they installed in the outside wall. So Nicholas and the electrician worked from 6pm to just now 8.30pm to do that before the electricity provider comes tomorrow to turn it on.

Gary, seems like this has been a comparative ordeal. Why is that?

If 3 phase power is desired, and there are not the three wires running through the neighborhood, then no doubt it would be a huge deal to get that done. Since the deal is done now, I'm guessing that they were there, and either a transformer had to be installed decently close to the property, or else one was already present, and indeed then it's just a matter of running the wires to the building.

Oh Doug, There in lies a tale. But you'll have to wait till Thursday to hear it......

Best Gary

_____________________________

Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune

(in reply to Old Doug)

Post #: 12

RE: Summer Adventure in Burgundy 16 - Les Vendanges App... - 9/28/2013 1:04:42 PM

gharbour

Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: recotte

Yet another great post, Gary, and glad to hear that the electricity is about to be resolved.

Cheers,

Eric

Hey Eric,

Thanks. Nick mixed 25 loads of concrete today and the generator ran em all. Stay tune for the Thursday update to get the whole story!

Best,
Gary

_____________________________

Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune

(in reply to recotte)

Post #: 13