09/25/2026
Harvest is a family affair at VGS Chateau Potelle 🍇 As we reflect on what is means to each of us, we thought we ought to ask the next generation too!
For Jean-Noël, harvest is about tasting the future. “For months, nature has been in charge. Now it’s my turn. During fermentation, we taste every day, trying to understand not only what the w**es are today, but what they are becoming. It requires instinct, precision, and decisiveness. It is difficult to describe a moment of extreme pressure and extreme joy at the same time.”
For Clarisse, harvest is about family. “It means coming together to do our family work. Walking the vineyards, tasting grapes, checking sugars, and deciding when they are ready. It is late nights, early mornings, big pasta dishes for the harvest team and hot tubs at the end of long days. What brings me the most joy is sharing it with my children.”
For Mariette, "One summer in the early 90s it was unusually scalding hot. For a cooling respite, we filled one of the w**ery tanks with about 1.5 feet of water, to the level of the 2nd door, which we then used to climb in and out. Oh what a relief from the heat! We used it daily until the harvested juice needed a place to ferment. Our pool turned back to its intended purpose. To this day, that tank still carries "The Pool" sign on that second door."
In French tradition, every family member, no matter the age, plays a role in the annual grape harvest. For Amélie (9), “I liked going in the vineyards to pick grapes and be with Nono.” For Olivier (12), “I liked waking up early to go in the vineyards and eat the grapes.”
We invite you to join the VGS Chateau Potelle mailing list for notes from Kathleen Fourmeaux du Sartel. 💌
