Teatime's Over, Back On Yer Heads

the long rows

My 10 day working break was over Thursday night. I was totally unplugged, so to speak. From the evening of the 25th of April until the evening of the 5th of May, the only news I got was from my French co workers who gave me bits of info, like, "The Americans killed Ben Laden" or tidbits about the tornadoes in the south of the USA and the bombing in Marrekech. I tried to listen to BBC4 on my radio, but I always fell asleep before or even during a news cast at night and woud wake up at 4 am with the radio crackling away.

Vieux Chevrol

So, I spent 10 days in another century, in an alternate world getting up at 7 am and at work at 8 am. I was at my home away from home, The Chateau Vieux Chevrol in Neac, located in the Lalande de Pomerol  area. A wine making chateau of the Bordeaux Region is a working, self contained operation. Some of the chateaux are of course huge showy grand estates, but most are a collection of working buildings and with a grand house or two. Vieux Chevrol consists of 3 big houses of various ages and a new grander one under construction with a battery of buildings with the caves where the wine is made and aged in oak barrels.  The Chateau produces one variety of wine, an oaky deep red Lalande Pomerol made in the traditional fashion. The owner of the Chateau, Jean-Pierre Champseix tries to use traditional techniques and relies on his personal experience and observation.  The results at Vieux Chevrol is a consistently excellent flavorful dry red, at first the flavor has the tang of the tannin of the oak barrels it is aged in before it is bottled and reaches it full maturity in about 6 years. A very complex wine with the hints of raspberry which varies from year to yo year.  Except for a break of one year, I have been working with them since 2002. 

l'epamprette

at work

The operations we perform in the spring are called L'ebourgeonage and l'epamprage. A group of 6 people remove the excess buds (ebourgeonage) and growth from the base and wood (epamprage) from the grape vines with a medieval looking hand tool called l'epamprette. There are approximately 20 hectares of plants, so we were completing about 2 hectares a day. A well trimmed plant usually has about 7 new buds for the season and 2 others which are left for the next season. The operation which seems insane at first, usually takes about 20 seconds a plant once you enter into the "grape zen" zone. I have found that the best thing is to not think about what you are doing, it becomes automatic. Time passes relatively quickly and this year there was a very nice group, an English couple, a Moroccan woman, an older Frenchman and his niece and me the American. For me it is an opportunity to speak in French all the time and try to tell jokes and make small talk. The older man, Robert and his niece, Celine are extremely gourmand and about 3:30 each day, the conversation would turn to food. I am dying to make an omelet with salsify buttons finished with a little balsamic vinegar. 
Though the work is hard, potentially boring and physically demanding, the Champseix family treat us very well. I get a nice room, and very good meals and of course, the opportunity to taste wines and learn about varieties and technique. We take outings in the region occasionally. This time we visited the Tower of the Renaissance Philosopher,  Michel de Montaigne, near Castillon.
Later this summer, I will work for another 10 days when it tis time to perform the Vendenge Vert, which is the removal of the excess immature grapes and leaves to promote the quality and health of the grapes which will be harvested. That will be basically the same small group. Then in the late summer / early fall, it is time for the Vendenge, the harvest. That is usually a full two weeks and takes about 20 to 30 people to cut, carry and sort the grapes. Hopefully I will try to capture the spirit on film. For now, though, teatime is over, back on your heads!