November was extremely wet with a recorded rainfall of 300 millimetres and only two dry days in the month.

Ploughing work was disrupted because the machines were unable to get in between the rows of vines.

The vine growers are continuing their work of taking out the small stakes that support the vine plants and lowering the small pieces of wire that attach the vine shoots and keep them in a vertical position.
To ensure the continuous life of the vineyard, 4 hectares of vines are re-planted every year. This also allows for adapting grape varieties and rootstocks to the soil type (“terroir”), thus ensuring the continuity of the vineyard over time.

On November 2nd, all the tanks of cabernet sauvignon had been run off. Those containing the most intensely coloured and well-structured cabernet sauvignon were run off into new barrels before the malo-lactic fermentation. To understand all the benefits of malo-lactic fermentation in barrels, please refer to the explanations given last month.

Malo-lactic fermentation is a process whereby bacteria transform malic acid (that sharp acid taste found when biting into a crisp green apple) into lactic acid (a weak acidity contained in most milk based products). This fermentation process therefore reduces the sensation of acidity or aggressiveness in a wine. On November 9th the malo-lactic fermentation in barrels for the merlot variety was completed. The fermentation lasted two weeks, which is quite a normal length of time and could even be considered short. The malic acid was broken down steadily, which leads us to assume there was a permanent concentration of bacteria in the wine due to the regular temperature of the wine storehouse and the wine itself. The malo-lactic fermentation for the cabernet sauvignon was completed on November 20th. Where malo-lactic fermentation was carried out in tanks, the wines concerned were racked after fermentation and then left to settle. These wines will soon be put into barrels. The deposit that settles at the bottom of the tanks (the lees) was separated from the wine in order to be sent to a distillery. After fermentation, the total acidity in the wine remains high, which is an indication of a great laying down wine. The richness of the tannins and this acidity gives a very powerful wine.

Once the malo-lactic fermentation is completed, maturing in the barrel takes place and will last between 12 and 16 months. During this maturing process, the active sulphur in the wine will be measured out every month. Sulphur is the only element capable of fully protecting wine from air and bacteria. Each barrel is disinfected with a precise amount of sulphur that will kill off the lactic bacteria and render the acetic bacteria inactive. The barrels are topped up twice a week and the tanks once a week at the beginning of the maturing process.