Champagne Harvest 2015 – picking Pinot Noir for Vouette and Sorbée

 

 Yesterday afternoon Bertrand Gautherot’s team were picking Pinot Noir in the Vouette vineyard. I love Bertrand’s Vouette vineyard as you can really see the Kimmeridgean terroir, lots of limestone pebbles in the clay :-) 

Bertrand feels that this clay and limestone will better express the character of the 2025 vintage. “The summer has been very dry, and on limestone and clay the plants suffered more than the ones on more chalky soil, and organic and biodynamic vibes especially will show better concentration and more character”, says Bertrand. He adds that the wines of the Aube will have a more Burgundian character in 2015. 

He started picking on the 3rd of September, but with a small team of 8 pickers, which is half his usual team. They pressed only one Marc a day till yesterday, the first day where he will have pressed 2. He expects to do 3 Marc’s the next few days and to finish harvest at the beginning of next week. 

  

Bertrand uses a traditional 4000kg Coquard press which is on a pedestal about half a meter off the ground – this is very unusual. In fact it is the only one I have ever seen. He uses automated programs which test the speed of running of the juice at 200l, 500l and 900l to decided the most gentle pressure program to extract the 2550l.