News
Vintage 2019
IN THE VINEYARD
The winter of 2018/19 was mild, largely dry and sunny. The second half of February offered cooler temperatures, slowing down the vines’ development but not preventing an early budburst in the spring. The weather stayed cool most of May, with sunny spells, a lot of wind, and very little rain.
Flowering began in good conditions in June, but some cold weather and thunderstorms impacted the latter part. This resulted in some coulure and millerandage was quite common, making for a smaller crop.
Warmer weather returned with the summer and quickly went beyond warm. Fortunately, the nights stayed cool and none of the successive heat waves lasted long enough to cause a worrying rise in sugars or a drop in acidity. The blazing hot sun in July and August did however burn many of the grapes, further reducing our yields. It was not only hot but also very dry! Fortunately, what little rain we had, came at just the right times to avoid hydric stress and save the vines from excessive stress. With smaller bunches, the lack of water was not felt too much.
Picking began on 10th of September for the whites, and on 14th for the reds. This was a very clean crop, with most of the sorting focused on removing sunburnt berries. Overall, the quality was small but outstanding.
IN THE CAVE
In the winery we kept to our idea of infusion rather than extraction. We made few punch downs and allowed tannins to come out with very little active extraction.
We have been doing so in warm vintages since 2014 and have been very pleased with the results. 2019 is not an exception. Some vintages naturally compare, others stand apart. The reds in 2019 fall in the latter camp. This is an extraordinary year. Despite the heat of the summer, the wines are beautifully well-balanced. The fruit is deep and intense with a sweet, controlled ripeness. The tannins are silky and velvety. The acidities are good and give these wines brightness and energy. The whites are not to be left behind, with plenty of ripe fruit, counterbalanced by acidity. Powerful concentrated wines that should age well.