VINE LINES - APRIL / MAY 2011

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Nothing says it quite like a vine says it. Here is one of our 45 year-old chenin blancs, photographed at exactly the same time this year and last year. There are no two ways about it: we're definitely at least two weeks ahead of schedule - which is okay: vines have a way of sorting themselves out ... but is not okay if the traditional Ice Saint Days (May 11, 12, 13) do their traditional Ice Saint thing, and happen to catch our fast-moving vines at exactly the wrong moment (flowering). In which case we will all be snookered. So it has been a warm, sunny April; its warmest, sunniest first fortnight in France since 1875

Happiness is when your chardonnay wrests a silver medal from Mâcon, the heartland of French chardonnay. Double happiness is when two of your chardonnays wrest two silver medals. The Concours des Grands Vins de France is reputed to be the biggest wine competition in the world; while we are not proud of having brought the jury's burden up to 11,048 wines to taste by wheeling in a couple of Limoux's, we are pleased that both Odyssée 2008 and Odyssée 2009 managed again to stand out against a crowd.

And that was the main news this month. Please join us again this time next month, unless of course you click ontakemeoff@rives-blanques.com to be released

April 31, 2011