What does Sabrina Pernet's day look like during harvest?
Without a doubt it's a day that starts early... and finishes late! Harvest is a rich and intense step in making our wines, at it demands a great deal of attention.

This is a strategic moment.  The vine has been developing all summer long, it flowered and produced some beautiful bunches.  The grapes have fattened, ripened, and developed their tannic force and aromas, under a benevolent sun this year.  The time to cut has arrived, followed shortly by the work in the cellar to patiently age the wine that will become a grand cru.

During these few weeks of harvest, Sabrina works closely with Thomas Duroux, Palmer's CEO, to insure that the grapes reach their optimal stage of ripeness. She decides the harvest date for each parcel (or divides the parcels if the quality is uneven and requires harvesting on different dates - see the article "The Medoc's Nest"), verifies the day's yield, and controls and adjusts the beginning of fermentation in the tanks. She also manages, with the help of the vineyard director and the cellar master, a team of 150 people, permanent staffers and seasonal employees, from the foreman to the vineyard worker, from the harvest reception director to the cellar workers, including the technical assistant, the fork-lift operators and the traceability director.

A glimpse of her schedule for an "average" day - of course, it's only an outline because of the frequent modifications due to unexpected events:
 
8:00 am: In the winery: debrief with the cellar master, Olivier Campadieu, and the team members who have been at work since 6:00 am, verify the evolution of fermentation in each tank, test for density and temperature levels
8:30 am: Debrief with the vineyard director, Jacques Dupin, instructions for the day's harvest
8:45 am: Quick stop in the office to check email, take care of emergencies, and check the weather
9:15 am: Green light for separating the berries at the reception area with the team leader, Yohan Sardo.  Update on the employees in place, material verification
9:30 am: Tasting berries in the vineyard to decide ripeness, zone division of certain parcels with Thomas Duroux and Sylvain Fries, technical assistant.
11:30 am: Back to the winery for a studious tasting of samples from all the tanks.  Each tank has its fermentation levels measured, with a pumping over protocol decided for that night, the next morning and afternoon.
1:00 pm: Lunch with the harvesters
2:00 pm: Weather check, another walk in the vineyard if there are still unanswered questions, inspection of the separating area
3:00 pm: Prepare the harvest schedule for the next day, as well as a provisional outlook for the next 2 or 3 days
4:00 pm: Answer emails; take care of administrative tasks unrelated to harvest
6:00 pm: The last tractors arrive in the harvest reception area. Weighing the bunches and the berries at the end of the day, as well as the total weight of harvest, to analyze yield. Verification of tank filling levels
6:30 pm: Team meeting with Thomas Duroux, the vineyard director, the winery directory and the technical assistant
7:30 pm: A last check in the winery for the latest density and temperature measurements
 
All of this with a telephone that never stops ringing!
 
.... Goodnight Sabrina ;)