WEATHER

Grapes, like all other fruits depend on ideal weather conditions to produce a good, sweet, juicy crop. France, like England has erratic and unpredictable weather. A truly magnificent wine can only be produced in ideal weather conditions. From the time the vine starts to bud in late April to the harvest in September or October, every drop of rain, every hour of sunshine and every degree of heat has its eventual affect on the quality and character of the wine. Hence the special uniqueness of each Vintage……………….

APPLICATION CONTOLEE

If a wine bottle label carries this title it indicates the wine to which it is applied, has been produced under the strict supervision of the Institut D’Appellations d’Origine, and has been made from grapes grown in a specific area of France.
The first Appellation was set up in 1936 in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Since then the system has been extended throughout France and now covers some 30% of total wine production, including the wines made in the west…………………

AGE & QUALITY

The new wine held in the cask at the chateau is called En Primeur or Wine Futures: The vintage is the year of harvest, but is not released for sale until the following spring. We purchase this as an investment each spring, subject to a good vintage, and singling out the best producing chateaux each year. Most buyers have a major drawback when buying in a great vintage – that is if they can. Many wine merchants will only sell the best wines if the buyer purchases the equivalent value of lesser ‘drinking’ wine. We have been able to secure allocations of the wines from the Chateaux we choose without any obligation to buy the cheaper wines as well. We will not buy vintages that are not of a high enough quality, unlike wine merchants we are not beholden to buy every year regardless of how good the wines are…………………….