Weeks in the Vines: July Round-Up
Cadillac heat, mildew battles, and the long wait for véraison
We’re deep into the hazy, sun-baked lull of mid-July — that deceptively calm moment before veraison kicks off and everything speeds up again.
The good news? The weather’s been near perfect. Daytime highs in the upper 20s, cooler nights for balance, and just enough breeze to keep things dry — bar the odd threatening cloud that never quite commits. We’ve made our 13th treatment, and with any luck, that’s not far off our last.
The vines are holding steady, though mildew hasn’t given up entirely. A few stubborn spots on the Merlots — but the rest (yes, all six varieties) are looking clean and balanced. The Malbec is glowing. Cabernet Franc is looking particularly smug.
We’re on véraison watch — not quite there yet, but it’s coming. Expect photo spam of colour changes any moment.
Meanwhile, cellar-side and label-deep in our sugar saga: read all about it in our weekly OH BORDEAUX here: https://ohbordeaux.substack.com/p/oh-bordeaux-10-sugar-rushed. Our rosé and all our reds all clocked in at ND on the sugar tests — that’s Non-Detectable, meaning less than 0.1g/L of residual sugar. Even our press wine. In an era of sugar-padding and “smooth” crowd-pleasers, we’re quietly proud to stand on the dry side.
On the fun side, we recently popped open a bottle of la Yotte 1995 and it was a stunner. Caramelised fig, honeyed apricot, and a whiff of saffron — followed by Werther’s-rich mid-palate and a zesty, classy finish that practically curtsied. Bordeaux sweets can age — and beautifully so — particularly if they were born on our limestone slopes!
We are also interviewing keen vineyard workers and cellar rats (sorry, we didn’t come up with the term) for a busy autumn ahead of us. A dream team is coming together.
Coming up: harvest prep, late-summer vineyard tidying, and some plotting for the 2025 vintage. For now, we’re soaking up the stillness and staying grateful that things are (mostly) going our way.
Wishing you dry wines, clean clusters, and a shady seat with a view.
— Team La Yotte
