Autumn-like weather today: the mistral is blowing hard and it feels chilly, despite plenty of sun.

We harvest the Muscardin grapes at Beaucastel.This is one of the 13 authorised grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It may not be the most widely planted or the best-known, but we feel that it adds something special to the final blend (we will talk more of this later).

As for all our varieties, the grapes are rigourously sorted as they come into the winery to eliminate any damaged berries (see photo below).

In tricky years, we set up an extra sorting table in the vineyard itself, in order to ensure that no damaged grapes can find their way into the tanks.

For Perrin & Fils we also harvest a plot of Syrah that will become part of the blend of our Côtes-du-Rhône Perrin et Fils.

We stop picking quite early in the day.