Marechal Foch or Leon Millot

[VinesnBines]

I have both Foch and Millot. The observations are correct. Millot is wild in growth and tough to harvest due to the small tight clusters. It is productive; I got 173 lbs off 20 vines. Millot should be high wire because it insists on clusters all along the cane.

Foch needs high wire too and is productive but not as much as Millot; 325 lbs off 60 vines. The birds go wild for Foch so netting is a must.

Both have early bud break so late frosts are a danger. Both have a fair secondary crop. Both have good disease resistance.

I’m really impressed with the wines. I made a Foch 65%/Millot 35% blend in 2023 that is a winner. So much so that the batch is nearly gone. I left the blend on the skins longer than recommended but it worked out to good tannins and a woody, dark fruit aroma.

The 2024 crops were fermented separately; Foch was 12 days on the skins and Millot was 14 days on the skins. I have Foch in a barrel and Millot is in line for a barrel. I also have a Foch blend with Baco Noir. I’ll have to check ratios.

My take; grow both.

 

[Hazelemere]

Grow both. I made a wonderful field blend of 2/3 Foch and 1/3 Millot. They were harvested the same day. I’m so pleased, I plan to repeat. They did need MLF. I hope to barrel this year’s crop.
Note: The birds will attack Foch and Millot so be prepared to net early and often. I had to add more nets to my Foch zone nets.

retaste:

Marechal Foch 2023

Appearance - clear, inky purple

Smell - good clean nose of coffee, chocolate, roast duck, Chinese 5 spice, blackberries. I get a really interesting and different smell from it after I swallow it which I find to be unusual.

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - This has improved a lot. It is another wine that was un-labeled and un-sealed with "M" marks on the corks to identify it as a cooking wine. This is at least as good as my 2023 Regent which I rated as very good today no less. Another cooking wine that morphed itself into something special, picked at SG 1.094. Until I started using 71B yeast I couldn't get a Foch flavour that I liked. This is much better than what I have made in the past unblended by a mile. It is rich and complex. Right now I'd rate it as very good. Another treat after Regent 2023 which is also very good. I will label and seal this to age it as a premium red wine which I believe that it has morphed into. I should get ~32 bottles in 2025 and if I am lucky at SG 1.094+ to ferment destemmed and uncrushed with 71B/RC212 yeast with nutrient. Sometimes you get lucky, especially if you are patient.

Happy New Years

Wild things

You all make my heart sing

Wild things

Namaste

Klaus

 

[VinesnBines]

My 2024 M. Foch is barrel aging and early (two months in).is really developing well. I have great expectations for this wine.

I’ll be barrel aging the 2024 Leon Millot as well. I’m hoping it will be nice too.