Chapter I
2024, an eventful year.
Patience was a virtue, as we awaited the next chapter with trepidation. We had to accept the uncertainty in order to see things more clearly. Bold decisions and firm actions, without rushing anything. And of course, believe in our ability to work wonders.
This was a vintage which maintained the suspense until the very end, before finally revealing a very fine wine – a stunning epilogue which has exceeded all expectations.
The beginning.
It started out as an impression, like a subterranean pulse. A formless feeling: the sap was hesitating. Too early. The winter, meanwhile, was sending mixed messages: plenty of water, but temperatures verging on mild. As spring unfurled its first caresses, the vines answered the call: bud break came early. The first rustling of greenery, buds submitting to the light.
Chapter II
Uncertainty.
Never-ending grey. Relentless rain. Cold winds blowing and frost in April – harmless, as luck would have it. Everything slowed down. The vines decided to grow despite the charmless conditions – there were to be no gifts from the heavens in this, our first year of certified organic winegrowing.
The fruit, resilient as ever, dreamed of a juicy future.
Chapter III
Respite.
The sun finally eclipsed our impatience. Endless blue skies, warm but never too hot. The grapes soaked up the summer, ray after ray.
July flew by: fruit set was taking its time. It took almost a month for the colours to turn across the whole vineyard – splashes of purple gradually swelling to form an ocean. As August disappeared, so too did any doubts: the grapes had harmonised their hues.
Chapter IV
Pressure.
The nights were getting longer. The harvest was dragging on. The sugar arrived in waves, with each parcel appearing to ripen at a different rate. Strict scheduling was required to fine-tune the picking.
Strategy and urgency. Every minute counted, however late the hour. The pickers could feel it in their arms. Their courage paid off: the yield was promising.
Chapter V
Waiting.
The shock of the first juices: finally, the grapes revealed what had been taking them so long. Next came the murmur of the vats: with fermentation comes substance.
Slow maceration, slow like the season — the musts were left to reveal their hidden depths, beneath the lees, before retiring to their barrels and amphorae for the winter. The vintage had not just been saved: the vintage had triumphed.
Chapter VI
Resolution.
A wine in the making, finally blended: 60% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec.
A wonderful twist to end the season on a high.