Vintages

Weather conditions

A year of contrasting weather that gave birth to a great vintage :

The winter and spring were particularly wet, more rain falling over the first six months than we usually record in a whole year. A fortuitous window of fine weather allowed the flowering to take place in good conditions but the wet period made it generally difficult to access the plots for the vine care tasks : it was a real nightmare for the vine workers.

Luckily, a bubble of high pressure settled in the Bordeaux area from mid-July, with anticyclones remaining right through to the end of harvest-time. Only a few welcome showers refreshed the vineyards. The high summer temperatures were not as extreme as during the heat wave of 2003, and were tempered by the generous water reserves in the subsoils and by the sufficiently cool nights. The vines adapted to the situation with no visible signs of suffering, thanks to their deep root system and the appropriate work on the soils. These dry weather conditions augured well for the quality of the crop but meant we had to expect low yields.

The Merlots were picked between 17^th September and 2^nd October. With the exception of a plot of young vines harvested on 24^th September, the Cabernet Francs were picked on 4^th and 5^th October. The harvest atmosphere was calm as we picked in optimum conditions. The grapes from different plot types all showed remarkable quality with even maturity levels. The colour was intense and the thick skins offered generous, fleshy, ripe tannins. The alcohol level was slightly above the average of recent vintages and was beautifully balanced out by the freshness brought by the natural acidity.