Sur Le Zinc
Five Days in Burgundy: Day Two
Our second full day in Burgundy was another stunner, as we enjoyed the company (and wines) of our friends at Bernard-Bonin, Denis Mortet and Bruno Clavelier. It’s pretty tough to beat a day that takes you from Meursault to Gevrey-Chambertin and on to Vosne-Romanee. Please enjoy the highlights of the day in our second… READ MORE
New York Summer Portfolio Tasting with Schatzi Wines
Last week, we had our New York City Summer Portfolio Tasting at a new venue on the edge of the Flower District called Wine Disciples. Martine’s Wines only has a couple annual tasting events for the New York and New Jersey trade, and this one was extra special — because it was my first! Tuesday morning… READ MORE
2010 Harvest Report
When I arrived in Burgundy at the end of August, no one was very cheerful. After a very cold winter, some of the vines had died, a frost had formed during flowering which greatly reduced the future crop, and a lot of millerandage occurred. Then, after a scorching heat-wave from the end of June to… READ MORE
2008: Another Miraculous Harvest
Every one talks about the year of the 13 moons greatly affecting the climate: too hot, too wet, too stormy, too cold. In fact, this is a year of uncontrollable weather affecting every region of France. I arrived in Burgundy on September 1st, having calculated the dates of my trip according to the date of… READ MORE
Harvest 2007
There is a saying in Burgundy “Septembre fait le vin,” September makes the wine. It applied in 1978 when the entire summer was overcast with cool temperatures, and by the end of August, the grapes looked like little green English peas. This year, as the growers came back from their short vacation in anticipation of… READ MORE
Harvest 2005 – The Perfect Balance
In mid-June, I started to inquire about when to anticipate the next harvest. June is the month of blooming grapes. If temperatures are correct and there is no rain, flowering can last two weeks. However, if the temperature drops, or if it rains, then blooming will be interrupted, which will delay the maturity of the… READ MORE
2004, The Unpredictable Harvest
At the end of August, the outlook was grim. Following the flowering, the cool nights of June led to oidium (powdery mildew). July was wet. August was overcast and cool, which meant no luminosity—so necessary for the ripening of the grapes. Then, two major hail storms unfurled over Pommard and Volnay, all the way to… READ MORE
Memorable 2003 Burgundy Harvest
I arrived in Mâcon on August 25th, anticipating that the harvest would start on September 1st –already at least two to three weeks earlier than customary. The hot weather began in mid-June and was still in the mid-nineties when I arrived. There were no green meadows on the Beaujolais and Mâconnais hillsides, just burnt trees… READ MORE
Harvest 2001 in Burgundy
Following six months of constant rain, cool weather and a wet Spring, the vines started to grow rapidly in May and blossomed in mid-June. July was wet and August stormy with, at times, very warm temperatures reaching 100°F. A terrible hail storm mostly localized in Volnay but also affecting adjacent Monthélie and Meursault, devastated most… READ MORE
