2011 HARVEST

2011: A generally, warm, dry climate (in the Languedoc), producing very harmonious winesA hot, dry year that favoured aromatic expression and produced concentrated wines.

2011 VINTAGE

After a very mild start to the winter, December, late January and early February were particularly cold. March was extremely wet, which meant that there was plenty of water in the soil when the season started.

High temperatures and dry weather in April and May gave the vines a good growth spurt, and flowering took place 14 days earlier than the average.
July and early August were cooler than usual, which slowed the development of the vines so that growth dropped back to only around 5 days in advance of the average.
On the other hand, late August and the whole of September were hot, but a few light showers during the summer meant that the vines did not suffer.
Temperatures during the growth period were 1°C above average, with a rainfall deficit. Fortunately, the reserves built up during the March rains allowed the growth cycle to continue without difficulty.
As a result, the harvest went very smoothly, although temperatures equivalent to those expected in August meant that we had to rearrange the pickers’ working hours out of concern for their physical condition and also to be able to bring the grapes back to the cellars in reasonable temperatures.
After two years of very low production, yields this year were more normal. For us, the average yield for all grape varieties is approximately 32 hl/ha.
Our early tastings have already given us a good impression of the vintage. The wines all have a delightful freshness. The whites have plenty of density and volume, with elegant aromas that are already mellow. This should be confirmed with the arrival of winter. As for the reds, the structure is already very smooth, combined with a high degree of concentration. The aromas also reflect considerable maturity, with a dominance of dark berries and spices. Here too, these first impressions should be confirmed with a little more time.
In short, the 2011 vintage currently appears to be very harmonious and promising.

2010 VINTAGE

A vintage that is both concentrated and fresh

A cold spell at the end of winter led to a vintage that was a little later than previous ones (the harvest began on 20 September and ended on 1st October). The dry winter was followed by a wet spring, which helped to build up reserves that turned out to be very useful later on. The summer was extremely dry, the traditional mid-July and mid-August storms did not come and, shortly before the harvest, some of the vines (mainly Syrah) were showing signs of a lack of water, as was illustrated by the small, highly concentrated grapes. This was combined with a small grape yield. In addition, the summer months, along with April, were hotter than average.
All of these factors led to a small harvest (an estimated 24 hl/ha to date), though slightly higher than last year (20 hl/ha). In short, these yields are not economically viable at our sale prices.
As far as quality – the most important factor – is concerned, ideal phenolic maturity combined with concentration has produced some fine, rich, colourful, well-balanced wines that contain a certain acidity. The cool nights prior to the harvest were particularly favourable towards bringing out the fruit.
In a vintage of this type, the quality of the terroirs (especially on the hillsides), the work we do to encourage the vines to produce good roots and the low yields were key factors in providing well-ripened grapes and balanced wines.
We now need to keep a close eye on the wines and confirm these initial observations with the arrival of the first frosts of winter.

18 October

2009 VINTAGE

2009: A hot, dry year that favoured aromatic expression and produced concentrated wines.

Winter 2009 gave us temperatures that were close to normal. Rainfall was low and did not allow the soil to build up reserves to any great extent.

April was extremely wet, with rainfall double that of a normal year. This damp weather favoured rapid growth in the vines, but it also favoured the development of fungal diseases.
The weather then turned dry and hot, with May being the hottest for 50 years and August the hottest on record after 2003; temperatures were often over 35 °C throughout the month. The average temperature for the period April to September was 19.6 °C, i.e. 1.5 ° higher than average.
Another important and characteristic aspect of the vintage was the coolness of the nights during the ripening period. This was very favourable to aromatic expression and phenol potential in the wines (colour and tannins). The nights were cool in August and September, particularly so in mid-September.
Towards the end of the ripening period, hydric stress appeared in some of the more sensitive parcels.
Weather conditions for the 2009 vintage offered the potential for high-quality wines for those who were able to cope with the problems caused by the damp weather in April, and where reasonable yields, combined with good rooting systems on the vines, were able to counteract the hydric stress that occurred towards the end of the ripening period. The influence of the rootstocks and types of soils also led to disparities. Yields were low overall as the grapes were unable to swell to any great extent.
The harvest started early and took place in ideal weather conditions.
As far as La Madura is concerned, we are currently very pleased with the quality of the vintage. The whites harvested on 26 and 27 August are fresh; at this stage, the aromas are not as powerful as usual and are more oriented towards elegance. The reds were harvested between the 10 and 25 September; the vintage is full-bodied, delicious and concentrated. The only negative factor is the yields, which are even lower than usual and equivalent to those of 2003 (21 hl/ha for the reds this year).

5 february 2010

2008 VINTAGE

2008: A fine, very pleasing vintage

Winter 2007/2008 was particularly dry and mild, and water reserves were not built back up in the soils. Then came May, with heavy rainfall and high humidity, which led to considerable concerns about the health of the grapes.
The summer was then fairly cool overall, with little rain but above-average humidity levels.
Weather conditions during the ripening period were exceptional in terms of temperature differences and particularly the cold nights (record-breaking night-time temperatures equivalent to those for a month of November). This was of considerable interest as we know that these parameters have a significant influence on aromatic expression in the grapes and on anthocyan synthesis (colour).

Although it was harvested a little late (by ten days) and was a bit difficult from a phytosanitary point of view, the vintage has turned out to be a very good one.
Weather conditions during the ripening period (August, September) brought the grapes up to normal size with good phenolic maturity, strong colour and, above all, a lovely aromatic expression.

Early tastings have clearly confirmed the quality of the 2008 vintage in terms of balance, tannin quality and, in particular, aromatic expression, which is already very pleasing during the first few months of maturing.

3 February 2009

2007 VINTAGE

At last, a great vintage ending in a 7 ! (in the Languedoc)

The year was particularly atypical and contrasting from the weather point of view.
The winter was very dry and mild, and was then followed by an exceptionally warm, quite wet spring in April and May. This led to a very early budburst, followed by rapid leaf and branch growth. Added to this were a number of occasions when the “Tramontane” blew very strongly, causing considerable breakage in certain parcels and therefore a loss of harvest (mainly on the whites for us).
The summer then saw a the climate change to very dry (unlike the rest of France) and cool for the season. This led to a welcome slowing in growth and helped to avoid a harvest that looked at one point as if it could start on a historically early date. The weather also meant that the grapes remained in excellent health.

Overall, 2007 was the driest year since 2000, with temperature levels close to those of 2001 and 2005 (an interesting comparison!). Another feature of the year was the coolness of the nights, a factor that encourages polyphenol synthesis (colour and tannins) and aromas synthesis.
In the cellars, the wine clearly confirms these observations.

From a wine-growing point of view, 2007 was also a good year for those who are keen to limit the amount of spraying. By taking a few calculated risks in spring, we did not have to spray at all for mildew. The wind took care of part of the work, while thinning (sucker removal, careful trellising and leaf thinning) also helped a great deal. Only two treatments were needed to deal with oidium, while only the Carignan needed an extra dose of sulphur. You can’t do much better than that.

This year was also one in which the wine-maker and his ‘terroir’ worked closely together. Those parcels where the roots are able to burrow deep down to find a source of water – i.e. mainly the slopes – suffered little or no hydric stress, especially as the soils are worked in such a way as to encourage the roots to go deep (ploughing, winter grassing, etc.). We also note that our yields were comparable to those of previous years (apart from the breakage caused by the wind).

Against this background, we were able to pick the grapes with some peace of mind as they reached maturity. The harvest was completed quite quickly as the late-ripening varieties (Carignan and Mourvèdre) matured earlier than usual compared to the Syrah and Grenache.
The white was harvested on 30 and 31 August, and the reds between 12 and 27 September.

The quality of the 2007 vintage is already surprisingly convincing, even though malolactic fermentation has only just finished.
The white wines are rich and concentrated, and pleasantly fresh, with elegant aromas. The only major problem is the small quantity due to a rather low level of blossoming followed by the heavy breakage caused by the wind.
The reds are well-rounded, highly coloured and concentrated, but have remained fresh and harmonious, with fine, complex aromas dominated by notes of smoke and ripe fruit. Our initial tastings have reminded us of the 2001 reds at this stage.
St-Chinian, 2/11/07

2006 VINTAGE

A very typical, flavourful vintage resulting from a particularly contrasting climate.

The 2006 growing year began with a very wet autumn and winter (double the normal rainfall) that replenished water reserves, despite the violence of the showers. This was very useful, because April, May and June were exceptionally dry. Fortunately, the storms came at the right time in July and mid-August to allow the grapes to change colour and ripen in good conditions on our various ‘terroirs’.
As far as temperature was concerned, we had a very cold winter, which meant that budburst came late. This was followed by a very warm spring and early summer, with April temperatures often 20 to 50% higher than normal. July was extremely hot, and only August saw temperatures close to the average, with a regular north wind to keep conditions dry (as in 2001).
The hot weather during the growing period meant that the vines grew rapidly, making up for time lost earlier and leading to early ripening, with small berries, thick skins and, of course, a very healthy crop.

We harvested the whites on 29 and 30 August. The grapes were very sweet with good acidity, a promising balance that has been confirmed by our recent tastings.
We began harvesting the red grapes in calm conditions on 11 September (as in 2001) after a fine, warm start to the month. There was a short period of rain (23-24/09) halfway through the harvest (which ended on 30 September) but this had no consequences for our work later on, particularly as we had done plenty of thinning work (shoots, leaves, etc.) in spring and summer to make sure the bunches were well aired.

Our high hopes following our tasting of the grapes have been borne out in the cellar. The wines are rich, flavourful and very typical: very similar to the … 2001 vintage.
To be continued…

Saint-Chinian, 12/01/07.

2005 VINTAGE

Winter, spring and summer were relatively dry with a significant water deficit (approx. - 40%) compared to a normal year. June and July were excessively hot, which allowed the vines to catch up on a delay in growth in the early part of the season. The weather led to the grapes being of a particularly interesting quality: small size, thick skins and early phenolic maturity (tannins and colours).
The harvest therefore looked highly promising but, just to add a little bit of spice, we were treated to a superb week of storms and heavy rain during the first week of September, which reminded us that there are certain disadvantages to vineyards on slopes, not least of which is gullying. Fortunately, there is also a positive side: the grapes don’t suffer the consequences of excess water and this, combined with bunch and leaf thinning, meant that the remaining leaves and grapes received plenty of air and we were able to start the harvest with some peace of mind. In addition, the thick skins made the bunches more resistant, allowing them to cope with this rainy patch. The weather was kind to us over the rest of the month, making the task of harvesting the 2005 crop much easier. For the reds, picking started on the 19 September and ended on the 30th, a speed record for us, brought about by the early ripening of the normally late-harvesting varieties this year. In fact, the cold weather in February delayed the early varieties, and this led to all the varieties ripening at roughly the same time.

Early tastings have confirmed our observations and grape tasting. The wines are highly coloured and concentrated, with rounded tannins combined with a delightful freshness. We obviously need to confirm this with further tastings.

Saint-Chinian, 22 October2005

Cyril