Domaine Tortochot–2011
We just received these awesome photographs, accompanied by a harvest report, from Domaine Tortochot in Burgundy:
The spring in Burgundy, and in much of France, this year was unusually hot. By the time of flowering around the 20th of May the vines were already 3 weeks ahead of schedule. The beautiful and warm weather continued through June. Then the rains and storms came in July and August. The heart of summer was abnormally cool and wet. Gevrey was even hit by hail on the 24th of July that significantly reduced the expected yields from many vineyards. Fortunately, the overall quality of the remaining grapes was good. At Tortochot a rigorous de-leafing of the northern exposed side of the vines was performed. This practice allows for both a better aeration of the vines to prevent mildew and rot as well as opening the bunches to better penetration of the copper and sulfur sprays. These are the only treatments used at Tortochot as they are certified organic.
Having given back a little of the advance caused by the heat of spring, harvest, nonetheless, did begin earlier than usual. Domaine Tortochot started picking on September 3rd. Hand harvesting was particularly beneficial this year because of the varying state of the vineyards. The Laveau St Jacques was spectacular. The village Gevrey vineyards below the D974 suffered most from the hail so a lot of triage in the vineyard was necessary to get only the perfect bunches. Some areas saw some burn from the excessive heat in the early part of the season. Harvest ended on September 9th in the Grand Cru Chambertin vineyard under sunny skies and warm temperatures. The initial signs are that 2011 is very reminiscent of 2007.
Once the grapes made it to the winery a team of 8 people worked diligently over the sorting tables to toss the undesirables. Ripeness level seemed optimal and the Pinot Noir had thick skins as well as a level of color and phenolics that were going to be easy to extract. The grapes were 100% de-stemmed and the must was chilled to 10° C to prevent fermentation until the grapes had a few days to soak. Only natural yeasts are used at Tortochot. The village level wines will age in 25% new oak, 1er Crus in 50% new oak and Grand Crus in 100% new oak.
