To produce a vintage of distinction each year, a vine grower must not only have an intimate understanding of the particular terroir and the complexity of its subsoils, but also to its specific weather conditions. A thorough understanding of the vine’s growth cycle is also essential. Man’s role is to adapt growing practices to suit the particular nature of the year. These practices consequently vary according to vintage. 

Every operation must be performed at the right moment and without delay if the grower hopes to keep ‘in step’ with the development of the vines.  

As our forebears taught us to do, our highly qualified workers pruned the vines over a short period in February-March, when the sap had begun to rise.  

This was followed by the labour-intensive operations of removing secondary buds and non fruit-bearing shoots and laterals. 

Flowering began 30th May. The grape clusters set in around 10th July and veraison was noted on 25th July, lasting a week in the Merlot vines and two weeks later among the Cabernets.  

In view of the rainfall, we thinned out the leaves around the clusters by hand before veraison and then carried out a traditional ‘green harvest’, leaving one bunch per branch.  

The leaves were again thinned out by hand after veraison. All green grapes were removed from the Cabernet vines.  

Hand picking (with sorting tables) took place when phenolic maturity was reached, starting 26th September for the Merlot grapes and finishing 12th October in the Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The harvest was late but the grapes were ripe and very sound.  

Vinification was in small, 110-hectolitre vats, to respect the specific maturity of each parcel. All unripened seeds were removed from the cap of solids. Following a cold pre-fermentation period of about one week (between 5°C and 8°C / 41°F to 46°F), alcoholic fermentation began with the cap being punched down to extract the full potential from the skins. This was followed by a fairly long period of post-fermentation maceration. Malolactic fermentation took place in new barrels and the wines are now in casks to continue maturing on the lees. We are currently conducting experiments with a greater variety of barrels. This drive for improved quality has the full support of the best barrel-makers.

The 2001 vintage from Château Fougas Maldoror has terrific potential. It possesses good balance and fine aromatic complexity and is full of ripe fruit and silky, elegant tannins. 

The 2001 Vintage is  in bottles since the 20/05/03.