Rosé was the first wine to be bottled at the Château for the Cook family. It was made using the organic wine making process so as to learn how. Bottled under cork with a shot of nitrogen it is ready to drink….and it is not all that bad. It was reviewed by...
Second harvest for the Cook Family and it was a big one. The vines flowered in early June and followed with a very good fruit set. It was to be a strong crop but it also meant bunch thinning (green harvest). This brings tears to your eyes seeing bunches cut away...
As is the case all over the world grape vines need preventative maintenance against disease and pests. This primarily involves spraying of chemicals. The two types of mildew (fungi) require spray treatments soon after bud burst to just before the grapes change colour...
Early August 2018, the pressure was on; there was definitely going to be a harvest. The volumes were estimated to be modest and the vines not fully grown so it was to be a hand picking harvest. The requirement was to recruit about 20 people, borrow crates from a...
Vines need a great deal of care in the first few years. The chamber of Agriculture have some very fine staff to help with all aspects of viticulture. Soil testing, vine cultivar/root stock selection and fertilisation options have all been sourced from the department....
It was known Maine Gazin had very special terroir; the soil limestone clay mix, sloping south to north and the moderating influence of the Gironde. However, the vineyard had developed in an ad-hoc way over the generations. The advice was to replant vines to modern...
