On the road again…
We have now completed the 2019 harvest. I want to describe and share my state of mind after this period of grape gathering which has been so particular.
This year, I have wanted the harvest to be shared by all of us. A team of young women and men who arrived to occupy the domaine with their energy to harvest our grapes. Intense work, spruce pricks, buckets of grapes to carry, pressing machines to fill and muscular emptying of tanks. All of that in an atmosphere of shared time and life space, morning coffees, travelling to vineyards at sunrise, evening parties organised together. In a world where time is counted, always faster and more and more anonymous, these special moments at the domaine allowed us to feel intensely alive with a particular intensity which is brought about by the harvest.
This consciousness is important. It brings me pleasure. I am alive. It gives meaning to my existence. I awake and enjoy the experience.
The harvest is finished, the team has left the domaine… and this sense of meaning persists. We are now concentrated on the vinifications and refining of the 2019 vintage. Our days follow the rhythm of work in the cellar with joys, surprises and, also, doubts. We have a fervent desire to produce fine wines which develop the specific aromas of each of our terroirs, of our work in the vines and the cellar, our choices, our personality… and, of course, our need of recognition.
That need of recognition ! It’s worth a thought. Recognition for ourselves of course … as long as we need that to exist and position our place in society.
But, here, I would evoke other ideas. In our profession as wine makers, I realise that this recognition takes an entirely different dimension. It is not personal. It does not concern oneself but the entire viticultural property and its wines which must be recognised for their quality and style. The future of the domaine depends on this recognition which we aim to gain. There is nothing surprising about that as it represents what is shared by all economic organisations which propose products or services.
Except for a detail. As wine producers, we are concerned by traditions, tasting customs and irrational sensations which lead us to produce wines which are appreciated, or not.
Our juices taste very good. The grape harvest is of excellent quality and complexity. The 2019 vintage looks like a very good year. A promising prospect as I get back to working on our commercial development.
On the road again…
Emmanuel Taillez
14 October 2019