At the end of August, the oleanders and crepe myrtles still bear the signs of a very fine summer with lots of sun and little humidity. The vines stopped growing leaves and stalks a month ago; flowering and the onset of ripening were observed to take place very quickly. In these circumstances, the fruit is naturally hoped to produce a very good vintage. A special feature of this vintage is that the grape stalks are very long, so the bunches are nicely open for air to circulate within them. We expect harvesting to start early: the Merlot could begin around 21stSeptember and the Cabernet Sauvignon about the 30th. We are growingly impatient to start picking this very promising vintage, but as all good winegrowers know, this is a mistake we have to avoid.