Preparation of the harvest at Château de Lascaux

“August ripens, September harvests, in these two months, everything goes well”.

Since mid-August, we have been preparing the harvest. The first harvests mark the big start of several intense weeks, rich in emotion. Both in the cellar and in the vineyard, each anticipated action counts. These actions must combine precision and discipline : they will allow us to welcome the new vintage in the best conditions.

Since the end of July, in the cellar, it is time to clean and set up the equipment that will be used for the harvest. Each tank must be cleaned in an optimal way to welcome the new harvest. The remaining wine is restocked in the ageing cellar. We have to check the good functioning of each equipment and proceed to the purchase of new ones if necessary. The harvest requires a constant presence at the domain and we have to be avalailable at any moment, both day and night. These intense moments require the recruitment of new people, who will reinforce the team, bringing indispensable help to the winemaker. Training is given as soon as they arrive at the estate so that they can quickly adapt to the work spaces of Château de Lascaux.

In the vineyard, it is time for berry tasting and maturity analysis on selected plots. Throughout this phase, we must analyze the evolution of the physiological and phenolic ripening of our berries. An optimal maturity of a grape variety will give the beginning of the grape harvests of the parcel to which this one belongs. For the white and the rosé, we look for the balance between sugar, acidity and the aromatic of the variety. For the red wine, we also add the analysis of the maturity of the skin and the pips. The ripeness of these last two will give the structure and the tannins to our red wines. On the other hand, we work on the biodynamic preparations, especially silica, which will allow a good maturity of our berries and an additional aromatic quality. Silica 501 is an essential preparation in biodynamic farming. It does not address to the soil but to the aerial part of the vines.  It is a kind of “light spray” that reinforces the structure and the internal development of our vines, but also reinforces the effects of the sunlight.