2005 HARVEST
We started the 2005 harvest on 12 September.
The Mistral was blowing gently and it was very
sunny... The ideal combination for a good harvest.
After a very dry spring and summer, we were happy to see how well the vines were
doing.
The grapes were magnificent and in perfect health.
We sampled bunches daily to analyse the phenolic maturity of the grapes
(anthocyans, polyphenols, etc.). Alcoholic maturity is important,
certainly, but goes hand in hand with the grapes' phenolic
elements.
We're already in a position to say that the grapes have reached perfect
maturity, with very appealing colours and very fine tannins.
In addition, it's a wonderful year for the Grenache grapes
(our main variety), which are truly fabulous. Grenache can express itself fully in the climatic conditions we've had this year – not a drop of rain from April to
September, among other factors.
In Châteauneuf, AOC regulations require the crop to be picked and sorted by hand.
We sort our grapes instantly, in the vines, using two buckets. The pickers put the good grapes in one, and discard the damaged or unripe bunches in the other
(different coloured) bucket.
Hand-picking is key to quality, and sorting is one prerequisite for making good
wine: you can't make good wine without ripe, healthy grapes.
That's why we are also introducing this method at Rasteau, although the local AOC regulations don't require us to.
The harvest ended as it began: in beautiful
sunshine, with the Mistral blowing.
The last day was devoted to the Vin Doux Naturel
Rasteau. This slightly fortified red wine makes a great companion for desserts, especially
chocolaty ones. It's a vin muté, i.e. alcohol is added during vinification to stop the fermentation and retain the
grapes' natural sugar. This is why the grapes must be very ripe and sugar-rich when
picked, and so we harvest them on the final day.
 2004 HARVEST
We start harvesting on 13 September.
We're not in a great hurry. The grapes are fine, and so is the weather. We always prefer to wait for the grapes in each parcel to reach full maturity. This year, that seems to be happening over quite a long period. On the 23rd, we go to Rasteau (left), an attractive vineyard with views to the Dentelles de Montmirail hill range.
There, we harvest as we do in Châteauneuf: by hand, with the pickers sorting the bunches into two buckets at the vine.
 2003 HARVEST
2003 A heatwave summer! For the first time in the Coulon family memory, the harvest began in August – on the 27th, to be precise!
 2002 HARVEST
On the first day of picking, it rained heavily. Thereafter, work took priority and so we were unable to do a photo report as in previous years. This year we beat a record – harvesting all the Châteauneuf du Pape parcels in just nine days!
Usually, we take 3-4 weeks in total for the Châteauneuf and Rasteau vines. But we had to move fast to keep the grapes as healthy as possible.
Fortunately we use grass cover between our vines. This prevents the rain from creating gullies, but most importantly gives our tractors access to the vineyards the day after it rains, so we can perform effectively after minimal downtime.
 OUR VINEYARDS IN 2005
January The start of the year was marked by a near-drought. The winter brought little rain, and the Mistral blew generously through the vines.
February Pruning continued normally, with fairly cool temperatures and plenty of wind.
Mars We replace any missing vines.
April 30 millimeters of rain was welcome but insufficient.
The first leaves start to appear. A new cycle is beginning.
To protect the environment, we use a technique called sexual confusion. The brown capsule attached to the vine diffuses hormones which disrupt grapeworms' reproduction. Nature is thus respected, and it's not unusual to see ladybirds, bees and cicadas in our vineyards.
May The "ice saints" haven't visited yet, so we still need to be wary of dawn frosts.
Once again, scant rainfall…
We begin debudding: we do this to ensure that the vine focuses on the shoots previously pruned, and not on the emerging suckers. This is a way of controlling yields – and, as a result, the quality of the grapes.
June Horse-drawn ploughing has made a successful comeback in certain parcels of vines.
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