Harvest 2020: Clusters, crises and juggling margins
Spectacular final: The Chardonnay-clusters from the upper plot in Loisy-en-Brie arrive to the top on the last day with as amazingly good looks and great taste as the first day.
Let’s rejoice: Warm weather in 2020 provided a great selection of wines to work into lovely champagnes.
They will be ready for you in some years, when our experiences from 2020 will be condensed into memories of a difficult spring and a rare lack of momentum, that we all share.
To keep your calm, minding a garden is great and to pick grapes works as well.
The first day of the harvest: The grapes in the low plot of Pinot Meunier in Loisy-en-Brie of great maturity and enough of them to leave behind what may not be mature or dry as raisins due to the heatwave in early August.
Margin of climate: In Champagne, the buds burst in the vineyards in early April during the fantastic weather that began in late March whilst we were in containment in France.
The vineyards teach us year after year that we work in an obviously altered climate, now with rain during the cold season mainly.
However, the little rain of this summer was enough for the grapes to put on weight but not to catch disease. Perfect result: Healthy, pretty grapes, certified sustainable (you can get more information in the paragraph Our story).
Margin of clusters: Around 85 days between the flowering in late May and the start of our grape harvest on August 24th. Quite far from the span of 100 days that was the rule some years ago.
What used to be normal does no longer exist. Something we realized ourselves years ago.
This year, we were back from holidays before August 1st to measure the sugar of the grapes: The basis to decide when to cut the first grape. We taste the grapes as well though. The decision got even more complicated this year as the Pinots matured sprint style while the Chardonnays seemed to put off the last bit of maturing head over heels.
The course of the harvest got complicated since the black grapes matured whilst the maturation of the white grapes slowed down abruptly. Each year comes with its particular headaches. As we lodge our staff, we cannot delay the event for some days, once it gets going. We have to find the best compromise. The green harvest of grapes in summer was one determinant element, as it helped the remaining Chardonnays to eventually mature after all.
We had to postpone the start for 3 days which gave the white grapes a week to catch up and finish off with a great balance eventually between the sweet sugar and the necessary acidity.
Continuously through the summer, Alain had removed what we expected to become surplus grapes due to our expectations regarding the decision of the profession on how many kilos to collect per hectare.
What follows is, that less clusters mature faster than many. This came in very handy this year.
Just on time: Visitors from Denmark on the last day of the grape harvest 2020. Chardonnays in Loisy-en-Brie.
Harvest guests who never tasted champagne grapes before, appreciate to taste them in the vineyards, at the source.
After all, we believe that this remains the best place to begin your discovery of champagne in Champagne when possible.
For us, it was wonderful to see guests back in Soulières. With masques indoors, that is the way this strange year. We get by as we can.
8.000 kilos of grapes per hectare sounds like a lot, but it’s more than 20% less than the usual 10-11.000 kilos. We sort in front of the plants, choose the best and remove what is less mature or burnt in the summer heatwave. The rest is taken to the presses. What is surplus will be distilled. Nothing is spoiled the way we and our cooperative operate. In fact, we are quite proud about that.
Margin of crises: Let us face it: We never picked so little grapes (32 tons). We were never less to pick in the lines. We hope that we will never make so few bottles ever again.
Maybe you have heard about the summer “war in Champagne”? A difficult compromise had to be found between different parties with differing restrictions/limitations and considerations on the size of the potential number of champagne bottles to be produced.
Due to our size and these decisions, we had to give up the elaboration of a plot champagne this year. The investment was too big and the logistics just impossible.
On the positive side, we can then supply our entire classical line with grapes, must and new wine in expected top quality.
Chardonnay-clusters in boxes before they are driven to the presses in the village of Versus few kilometers further away.
Abundance of quality: By now, the first alcoholic fermentations are through and the malolactic fermentations are about to begin for those wines that are not destined for vintage champagne. The exceptionally healthy grapes have developed into wines that look promising and with a good level of acidity.
However, it is still early to make more than general comments about the potential of the year. The black grapes came in very mature, the Chardonnays a bit less and with aromas of classic citrus rather than the cooked fruits of the last years.
We expect to make good champagnes with the 2020 crop. How good will show with time.
Meanwhile no one needs to stand empty glasses: We suggest our single plot champagnes from 2013, 2014 and 2015, Blanc de Blancs, two types of rosé champagne and the Selection vintage.
We are looking forward to hear from you.
Harvest greetings from Alain Gérard & Solveig Tange,
Soulières, september 2020
Last break in the open air. Coffee and biscuits are just great after lifting baskets, boxes or cutting hundreds of kilos of grapes. This team is the smallest since 2003: a mix of locals and people from Reims, Sedan at the border with Belgium and Brittany and Normandy in Western France. All is well.