Ring the harvest bell!

The grape harvest, that time of year when nature and our expertise come together, makes us proud of the meticulous work carried out over the previous months.

In a few days' time, amid hot weather, the grape harvest will begin at Clos de Caille. With a spring marked by beneficial rains and a dry summer, these are all signs of a promising 2024 vintage !

THE ART OF GRAPE HARVESTING

For nearly three weeks, from dawn to dusk, our teams will work the vines, row by row, harvesting the ripe fruit that will be transformed into the 2024 vintage of Clos de Caille.

In a unique and peaceful atmosphere, we harvest the grapes by machine at night. This method preserves the freshness of the grapes while ensuring intense aromas and more refined flavours in our wines.
Then, at daybreak, our artisan winemakers will begin manual harvesting always with a view to taking advantage of the cool temperatures. This artisanal harvest is essential for producing exceptional wines.

Headlamps offer an unparalleled spectacle, sparkling stars in the midst of our vineyards. Like fireflies dancing and twirling to ensure the The eagerly awaited annual event: «The grape harvest at Le Clos». Since our first vintage in 2021, at the first light of day, the hand-picked grapes reveal their brilliance. Ripe fruit with generous aromas after a sun-drenched season.

The later the fruit is harvested and fermented, the more anthocyanins (red and pink) and flavanols (white), natural pigments, will bring brightness to the colour of the wine. On the contrary, we seek pale and soft shades by harvesting as early as possible. To maintain perfect control over this freshness, we place the grapes in a refrigerated space until they are vinified.

Fruits of our labour exceptional terroir, our passion and our «Chai d'œuvre», this winemaking prowess that the Mariotti family undertakes to fulfil each year, thanks to a team of experts, mainly from the region.

HARVEST PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY AT CLOS DE CAILLE

Excellence in vineyard work

Throughout the year, our artisan winemakers have worked tirelessly to prepare for this harvest season with the utmost care, like virtuosos, each knowing their role. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our actions to guarantee exceptional vintages:

• Careful selection of plots: We carry out a meticulous analysis of each plot, taking into account microclimatic variations and soil characteristics. This attention to detail allows us to cultivate vines that are perfectly suited to their terroir, producing grapes with incomparable aromas and flavours.
• Certified organic viticultural practices Respect for nature is at the heart of our philosophy. This year, we have stepped up our efforts in viticulture by leaving every other row grassed. The 2024 harvest will be the first to be certified organic.
• Size and Care: Careful pruning of the vines during the winter helped to regulate the vigour of each vine. In spring and summer, we carried out precise leaf removal to ensure good aeration of the bunches and optimal exposure to the sun, thus promoting even and healthy ripening of the grapes. At the same time, we applied the best treatments to protect the vines against mildew and powdery mildew, two diseases that are unfortunately well known to winegrowers and which decimate harvests. Our night-time treatment interventions helped to counteract the attacks and protect our vineyard.

The soil was also intensively worked to allow aeration, which facilitates the penetration of life-giving rain.

The first samples were taken on 13 August to determine the ripeness of the grapes. To assess the heterogeneity of each plot, our vineyard manager sampled 300 berries from each one. The samples were taken from the bottom left corner, the centre and the top right corner. As the tests were not satisfactory due to a definite lack of water, further samples were taken on 21 August. We will soon be ready!

HAUTE-COUTURE WINES FROM PROVENCE

Our rosé, red and white wines are skilfully cultivated from in a fragmented manner and blended from Mediterranean grape varieties which flourish on our Provençal terroir: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Rolle.

In the heart of Provence Verte, this is a terroir destined for great wines; we have produced detailed soil studies for mapping the terroir of Clos de Caille. This research confirmed that this unique location is ideal for the production of remarkable vintages. The proximity of the Mediterranean Sea provides the estate with a temperate climate at an altitude of 200 metres. This situation leads to significant temperature variations, often of twenty degrees between day and night.

In addition to the harmonious charm they lend to the landscape, these topographical features promote sun exposure in our vineyard and drainage of rainfall.

DISCOVER OUR WINES

To savour all the flavours of our terroir, discover our 2023 vintages.

Wines with character, generous on the palate: a delightful combination of power and finesse.

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THE CLOS JOURNAL

The opinion of our expert, Matthieu Cosse, on this 2024 vintage

«2024 is shaping up to be a promising year. Weather conditions have been extremely favourable so far, with adequate rainfall preventing water stress and drought. The hot temperatures at the beginning of August have not yet caused any stress or stunted ripening. Night-time temperatures also remain suitable. The vines are in excellent condition, with great potential for quality in the harvest, which we are already seeing in the early red grape varieties, particularly Syrah, but also in the white Rolle varieties.»

Regarding the grape varieties of the estate

«For the 2024 vintage, Rolle will be the only white grape variety: it is emblematic of Provence and thrives here. With its great aromatic freshness, it allows us to produce the great wines that are the hallmark of the House.

This year, the Rolle grape variety will be harvested by hand, in small crates, allowing for more rigorous sorting and gentle pressing of whole bunches in a small-capacity pneumatic press.»

Mathieu Mariotti, Estate Manager