Part of the complexity in Chateau Lafite Rothschild is the mixture of the grapes picked at different levels of ripeness. Optical Sorting Machines go too far in the selection.
The focus this year was on sorting for the 2011 Bordeaux vintage. Pickers were given sheets with nine different photographs of unripe berries they were to avoid placing in the basket.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, First Growth could set the tone for the 2011 Bordeaux wine campaign.
Yields were low due to the problems Cabernet Sauvignon suffered from during the growing season coupled with the loss suffered from the hail storm.
The use of the gravity, coupled with the ability to quickly cool down the grapes, which retards oxidation, allowed the fruit to maintain maximum aromatic freshness.
By placing more of the fruit in Pontet Canet, consumers get a better idea of what each vintage really tastes like. Because every vintage tells a different story, we do not make a lot of our second wine.
