News
Vintage reports from Château Latour and Lafite:
After a mild and rainy autumn of 2009, precipitation in November was exceptionally high (216 mm). Then the trend reversed because the first months of 2010 were particularly cold and dry. These rather moderate temperatures, showing a difference of less than 2.1°C compared to normal temperatures for the season, caused a delay in budding. However, this was quickly reduced with almost summer temperatures in April, allowing good vegetative development.
Flowering was disrupted by precipitation and especially by the cool days of the first half of June due to high flower abortion and mixed berry size. It was only during the 3rd week of June that temperatures returned to normal. The summer was characterized by low rainfall with an average deficit of 60% between July and September. Temperatures were very close to normal with a hot month of July (1.5°C warmer than normal).
At the end of June, some plots of the Enclos began experiencing water stress which worsened in July. We noticed a stop in the growth of the vines at the end of July. At the end of August, high levels of stress occurred on some sandy and gravelly soils which favored anthocyanin synthesis and the phenolic compound.
Our clay-clay terroir allowed the vines to conserve water and achieve a more regular maturation process.
By mid-September, the grapes were in perfect health with a dense and deep aromatic and phenolic structure. Between September 6 and 8, the 18 mm of rain helped the grape skins to ripen. The Merlot harvest began on September 20 with our young vines. Our best plots of Merlot were picked on the 22nd and 23rd, and showed, the day before their picking, potential alcoholic degrees of 14.4% vol on average with an acidity of 4.5 g/l on H2 SO4, giving lots of freshness when tasting.
We resumed picking with Cabernet-Sauvignon on October 4, after a period of heavy rain (21.5 mm). The good weather returned on Tuesday and remained until the end of the harvest; The sanitary condition was impeccable. Analytical parameters showed excellent balance with high sugar potential and good acidity level.
Period report from Charles Chevalier / Château Lafite:
The years go by and none of them are quite the same.... Although 2010 has a "family resemblance" to 2009. The start of the wine season was complex, with fairly high rainfall, difficult to be managed until mid-June. July, August and September were then very dry (with an average of 20mm of rain) with excellent daytime temperatures and cool nights, ideal for slow but complete ripening of the grapes. Nevertheless, this dry period had a negative impact on berry size, and after recording flower abortion and uneven grape size, we expected a low yield.
The harvest at Château Lafite took place from September 24 to October 13. Due to the different soil types, we harvest each plot separately to ensure the grapes are picked when fully ripe. On October 4, a few showers cooled the vines and welcomed the 350 harvesters from Lafite and Duhart: a rainy start, followed by 10 days of beautiful sunshine.
In Sauternes, the selective harvests began in mid-September, in a heterogeneous manner, with a slow development of botrytis. In mid-October, the growth of the fungus was slowed by very cool temperatures, requiring delicate and very selective harvests. Then everything accelerated in the last week of October and a great spirit of mutual aid developed as part of the Lafite and Duhart team came, pruning shears in hand, to learn the techniques. special Sauternes pickings.
Weather conditions
2010 was a dry but relatively cool year, with no summer heatwave. A generally cold winter gave way to a dry, cool spring that ended with some precipitation in mid-June. Temperatures began to rise on June 21 and the summer weather continued throughout a particularly sunny July. The beautiful conditions at the end of July were followed by a cloudier, slightly cooler and very dry month of August. Summer weather returned on August 21 with high temperatures (reaching 38°C on the 25th and 26th) and cool nights, which allowed the ripening process to get off to a good start. A welcome rain between September 6 and 8 allowed the grapes to ripen. Acidity levels dropped and phenolic maturation