The red-wine harvest is just about to get under way in the Margaux and Pauillac appellations. "The sun is shining in Bordeaux and the climatic conditions are excellent," reports Claire Villars, owner and winemaker of châteaus Ferrière, La Gurgue and Haut-Bages-Libéral.

The weather has been dry, with temperatures at a consistent high of 77 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, with cold, crisp nights falling between 43 and 50 degrees. Initially, Villars was thinking of harvesting around Sept. 25 or 26. However, she says, "The weather is so good that we are now thinking of starting around October 1. We may start harvesting the younger grapes this coming Friday, September 28."

"The young vines are more fragile," she explains. "They have shallower roots and the skins are much thinner. The grapes are not as complex as older grapes; the sugar level is about 14 degrees with a very low acidity level of 3.9 degrees."

Most of the 80 acres of vines at Haut-Bages-Libéral range in age from 30 to 60 years old. However, this year will mark the first harvest for 5 acres of recently planted vines there, which Villars says will be the first to be picked, along with another 1.5 acres of young vines at Ferrière. This is also the inaugural harvest for the new cellar completed earlier this year at Haut-Bages-Libéral, she adds.

"At Château Ferrière, the 23 acres of old vines, which range from 40 to 70 years in age, are due to be harvested on October 1," says Villars. "The harvest looks similar to last year; however, it is still too early to say."

On reflection, she adds, "It could be a little more tricky as this year there are signs of some botrytis on some of the vines, while last year we had none. However, there's plenty of potential for a good vintage. The grapes have thick skins; that increases the potential of the tannin. In addition, the sugar levels are high."

At Château La Gurgue, the 20 acres of vines are a mix of young and old, varying between 5 and 35 years in age. Here, too, Villars expects to be harvesting the younger vines this coming Friday and the older vines on Monday.

As far as overall yields look, Villars says, "This year we have higher quantities, compared to last year. We had a generous flowering in spring, followed by a green harvest in July -- just before the grapes started to change color -- which meant a lot of pruning and cutting back on quantities."

Right now, Villars monitors the grapes daily. "If it starts raining, we'll start harvesting," she says. "Every day, I visit the vineyards and taste the grapes and skins. Today, I was in the vineyards with our consulting enologist, Jacques Bossenot, and he says the harvest looks very good -- similar to 1986."

To handle the upcoming harvest, Villars has a total of 140 pickers on standby, with 70 pickers designated for Ferrière and the same number for Haut-Bages-Libéral, with some diverted to La Gurgue as needed. "They're of all nationalities, including some students, but mainly pickers from the Médoc area," she says.

Tuesday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m.

"The harvest at Haut-Bages-Libéral and La Gurgue started on Saturday, Sept. 29, after some initial rain we had on Friday night," reports Claire Villars. "We started picking the younger Merlot grapes, which will go into our second wine. And on Monday, October 1, we started on the Merlot at Ferrière.

"Our decision to harvest is always based on the ideal level of ripeness, taking into account the alcohol and acidity levels and the maturity of the tannins," Villars explains.

"The Merlot is looking good. Right now, the acidity levels and sugar levels are high, making the [potential] alcohol level about 13 percent," she explains. "The acid level is 4 degrees to 4.5 degrees, which means there is a very good balance between the sugar and acidity level. These levels are quite normal. In the vats, the acidity levels drop to about 3.6 degrees, which is also quite normal. The acidity level drops because of the potassium, calcium and mineral contents on the skins."

Villars believes that this will be a low-acidity vintage for Merlot, similar to 1990. "It's not a classic vintage, though its early to say. Each vintage has its own specific personality," she notes.

Summing up the 2001 growing season, Villars says, "The flowering, which marked the beginning of the yearly growth cycle, was remarkable. It indicated that this would be an early harvest. However, at the beginning of July, rain interrupted the ripening. Fortunately, the heavy rainfalls were not too serious, and the water was not totally absorbed by the soil."

She explains, "Even if rain is essential, it's better to have shorter periods of rain, rather than longer periods of rain. If it rains a lot in one go, the water does not get absorbed by the roots. It drains off the land, often causing rivulets of water, which is not good for the land."

"In August and September, the weather was warm and dry, and the berries began to slowly change color [called veraison]," explains Villars. "The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes turned red and were quicker to ripen than the Merlot.

"This year is a Cabernet Sauvignon vintage," declares Villars enthusiastically. "The Cabernet looks huge. I am very optimistic about its potential. The berries have been quick to ripen and are mostly more mature than the Merlot, which is quite unusual. The quality of the Merlot is good, but the Cabernet is definitely better."

How long does Villars expect the harvest to take? She explains that on a standard day, she has about 30 people in the vineyards cutting grape bunches and another seven people carrying the grape baskets; they manage to get though 2 to 2.5 acres of vines a day. "We'll probably finish the Merlot around Thursday of this week. Then we'll move on to the Cabernet Sauvignon, without a break between the two," she says. "Today, we are lucky; the weather is warm, dry and sunny."

Friday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.

"We've had two good days of nice sunny weather, but it's a little too warm for the month of October," says Claire Villars. "Temperatures have reached the 30s [in Celsius degrees, high 80s in Fahrenheit].

"Right now, the pickers are selecting and hand-picking the grapes, which are then brought to the winery, where they are put into thermo-regulated concrete or stainless-steel vats," she explains. "This year, the grapes are fermenting naturally, without the need to add commercial yeasts."

Villars says the Merlot in the vats looks very promising: "The color and extraction are superb, and the sugar levels are unusually high for Bordeaux -- more than 220 grams per liter."

Today, Ferrière started harvesting its Petit Verdot. "It is an old variety of grape, which is characterized by its thick skins and a high concentration of sugar and acidity," says Villars. "It's a variety which is very interesting when blended."

The Cabernet Sauvignon harvest has begun at Haut-Bages-Libéral, and Ferrière will start picking Cabernet tomorrow. "The grapes have reached good maturity, and the tannins in the skins are ripe and silky," she says. In the Médoc, "Cabernet Sauvignon is our main grape variety; it makes up more than 75 percent of our vines.

"Cabernet Sauvignon doesn't like too much rain, and it gives excellent results on well-drained, gravely soil. In fact, we say it does best when it 'suffers the thirst' during maturation in August and September, and this year we had a very dry August," she explains. "Its yields are naturally lower than Merlot, and it is often considered more subtle. Grown on an excellent terroir, it is my favorite grape variety."

"Last week's rainfall and Wednesday's rain could make the grapes just a little fragile," concedes Villars. "However, I am full of confidence regarding their potential."

Monday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.

The weather in Bordeaux has been sunny, especially on Sunday, even though the weekend forecast had looked unpromising, Claire Villars reports. "Everybody has been working flat out. We've been harvesting from dawn to dusk."

Reflecting on the beauty of the countryside this time of year, Villars dreamily says, "The Médoc is wearing its autumn coat, the color of the fall leaves is beginning to turn from yellow to red. Médoc is well-known for its flat plains; however, from the surrounding hills, you can observe some of the area's most beautiful châteaus. These estates are like floating boats in a huge and tranquil sea of vine."

However, returning to the relentless rhythm of the harvest, "On Sunday, the vineyards were swamped with tractors and pickers, often causing traffic jams [on the roads] and blocking each other's right of way! It was quite a Sunday!" exclaims Villars.

"We'll probably finish harvesting the Cabernet Sauvignon on Tuesday or Wednesday. Both Haut-Bages-Libéral and Ferrière are considered 'earlier' estates," she explains. "The main characteristic of the Margaux appellation, where Ferrière is situated, is the deep gravely soil, with its scarcity of clay. This makes for lower yields.

"Haut-Bages-Libéral is situated close to the estuary [like Château Latour, its closest neighbour in Pauillac]. Due to its proximity to the river, it profits from the microclimate. Its subsoil is composed of rough pebbles on limestone," she adds.

Villars seems satisfied with the Cabernet Sauvignon. "The fermentation of the Cabernet Sauvignon has just started. The color and the fruity nose are both excellent. The must is of a high quality because we picked at the ideal level of ripeness," she says.

Villars predicts that for the majority of the Médoc estates, the harvest will be over by the end of this week. 

Monday, Oct. 15, 2 p.m.

The exceptional sunny, hot October weather continues in Bordeaux. "Nearly everybody in the appellations of Margaux and Pauillac has finished harvesting," says Claire Villars. "It will be a very good vintage for Médoc. Sauternes also looks promising."

Right now, most of the activity at Villars' estates is indoors, where the must is fermenting. "The wine is superb," she says. "The Cabernet Sauvignon looks as promising as it did on the vines."

About 50 percent of the estates' production is currently completing alcoholic fermentation. Villars explains that during fermentation, the wine is pumped up from the bottom of the tanks and recycled over the cap of grape solids floating on top, in order to break up the cap and submerge the skins. This is important for aeration and encourages the extraction of color and tannin from the skins. This pumping over, called remontage in French, is carried out twice a day. "The aeration helps develop good yeasts and a polymerization between the anthocyanins [plant pigments] and tannins," says Villars, who holds a university degree in chemistry and is a chemist at heart.

When the alcoholic fermentation is over, the vats are closed, and maceration -- the steeping of grape solids in the wine that began during fermentation -- continues. Maceration typically lasts 10 to 20 days, Villars says. "During this process, I taste daily from each vat in order to decide on the length of maceration and the quantities of juice to be pumped over," she explains. "The next step is what we call écoulage. This consists of separating the skins from the must." Villars plans to "run off" her first vat of young Merlot wine by the end of the week.

So how do the wines look so far? "At the beginning of November, when the malolactic fermentation [the conversion of the sharper malic acid found in wine into smoother lactic acid], which is mostly carried out in new casks, is completed, we'll have a better picture of the vintage," she says. "In December, I usually do the cross blending.

"However, right now, I am very confident that the 2001 vintage, the first of the new millennium, will be a good one," says Villars.