July sees us green harvesting, which is similar to the harvest in September, but has the aim of improving the quality of our vintages by leaving only the best bunches of grapes on the vines.

The very warm weather and low humidity index have been essential to producing a healthy crop. Despite this, we still had to keep a careful look out for powdery mildew (oidium), a white powder like fungus which covers the berries and destroys them, as it is so common and destructive.

The end of spring and the summer have allowed us to prepare for what we believe will be an exceptional 2006 harvest. That said, in accordance with the winemaker’s proverb « c’est le mois d’août qui fait le moût » (the month of August causes the mould), it really is August that will determine the harvest’s quality.