Januari has seen a lot of activity and events. For a start, temperatures have been dropping since the middle of the month. We haven't had temperatures higher than 32ºC (90F) this summer but especially at night it's getting colder every day and just before the sun comes up we now normally register 8ºC (46F) which is cold! For the vines this means the season is past it's peak and the grapes are starting to ripen. The first variety that started to change color and begin to ripen was Carmenère, although it's normally one of the last ones to be harvested. This is always a good moment to inspect the bunches and eliminate the ones that are most delayed. As it was, we decided to leave only one bunch per shoot, to make sure they all ripen evenly and completely. This is always a difficult decision, as you suddenly see lots of grapes on the vineyard floor, that can not be put back on the plant!

After that we had a look at the Syrahs, which was more or less the same story. The Petit Verdot just keeps falling over, so had to be ordered yet again with some bunches removed to tidy and uniform their aspect. Cabernet Sauvignon on the other hand has very few bunches so hardly anything had to be removed. Just a few leaves to allow the wind and sun to reach the grapes and avoid rot later in the season. The plants of Cabernet were made from cuttings from very old vineyards in Chile, so they are more heterogeneous and less fruitful than clonal selections. Bunches are very loose and small and the grapes are tiny. For our own wines that is just fine, as this means more concentration and less risk of rot, but I'm a little worried that we might not reach the volume of grapes that some of our buyers need to buy. My conscience is clear though, as I'm sure they'll have excellent quality this year.

The mediterranean varieties Garnacha (Grenache) and Mourvèdre were the last to start ripening and are about two weeks behind the rest of the vineyard. To give them a little help we are now eliminating bunches there as well, or reducing the size of very big ones. Next year we'll be pruning them a bit shorter to avoid having to go so many times through the rows to adjust the crop. However, as they're late ripeners, we'll just have to wait until the end of April to start harvesting there.

Our viticultural consultant dropped by yesterday and seemed happy enough (what a relief!). The plants have stopped growing but leaves are still looking healthy and green. He just urged us to irrigate a bit more go help the plants during these last two months before the harvest. The chilean government just declared a state of emergency for this region, as there is a lot of drought. Fortunately we still have all the water we need, let's just hope it lasts!

One of our buyers dropped by as well, together with a grower from Champagne who was visiting Chile. My neighbor is also from Champagne, but wasn't there. It is always interesting to exchange ideas with people from other areas, especially if they are so evidently successful at what they're doing. We only had to hedge once this year, as with irrigation we were able to control growth, whereas in the North of France they have to hedge three times and the pressure of diseases is much higher. I truly admire these guys. No wonder Champagne is so expensive!

For company and a little extra security I got two dogs from the dog pound in Rancagua. They were both thrown away and were a bit shy at first, but they've adapted amazingly well. One of them especially enjoys splashing around in the irrigation canals that surround the vineyard. The other one only touches water to drink!

It looks like next month is going to be a bit quieter, as we're now only waiting for the grapes to ripen, but I'll keep you posted. In March we'll be bottling to empty tanks before the harvest in April so a bit of rest now won't harm!

All the best,

Meinard Jan Bloem