Château Cambon la Pelouse has 30 different vineyard plots, each of which has a name, often that of the very local place where they are located, or after an historical reference. The aptly named Croupe de Guiseis a large 8-hectare (20-acre) plot, whose contours are reminiscent of French history books’ rendering of the Duke of Guise. Its surface is strewn with pebbles (see below another photo of this “Croupe de Guise”), which have a direct influence on wine quality: firstly, they ensure good drainage and during summer they create very local conditions that speed up grape ripening.
The frost at the end of April caused some damage, but luckily the best plots were spared of any great impact. The 2017 vintage developed about two weeks earlier than usual and the grapes were about to change colour at the beginning of July. We are now removing leaves and hope the summer will be fine so that we can enjoy a great harvest at the beginning of September.