What is the vintage effect?

First, let’s go back to basics: a wine vintage is the year in which the grapes used to produce it were harvested. We speak of a “vintage effect” when the variations in weather conditions from one year to the next are such that there are variations in the characteristics of the same wines from different vintages.

Some regions have little or no vintage effect. In regions with a warm, dry continental or Mediterranean climate, such as Languedoc-Roussillon, the Californian coast, Spain or Chile, there are few meteorological variations from one year to the next, and therefore few health risks for the vines, so the vintage effect is virtually non-existent.

On the other hand, cool or humid continental and oceanic climates, such as Burgundy, Beaujolais or Bordeaux, experience strong weather variations, with high health risks for vines: hail, disease, etc., so the vintage effect is strong. When buying a bottle of wine, it’s important to look at the vintage.

2018 thes winegrowers can breathe a sigh of relief!

After two difficult vintages in 2016 and 2017 due to the weather and especially hail, 2018 is THE vintage that all the region’s winemakers have been waiting for, combining quality and quantity! Heavy rainfall during the winter, enabling the soil to store water before budburst (the start of the vegetative cycle), followed by a mild, rather dry spring, ensuring that the vines were very healthy during their activity, and to finish with a dry, hot summer, pushing ripening and concentrating the grapes, put a smile back on the faces of the winegrowers, without making them jealous!

The wines are expressive, charmingly fruity and intoxicating. The winemakers who managed the generous yields of this vintage produced wines with great potential!

2015

Deemed “fabulous” by Georges Dubœuf, the pope of Beaujolais, this 2015 vintage is bursting with sunshine! The juices are deep, almost black in color, with aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry. The palate is structured, powerful and unctuous…

Beware: some winemakers were surprised by the generosity of the grapes: over-extraction, over-ageing… It’s not all good news, as the weather conditions have changed the rules!

But for the winemakers who have been able to sublimate these beautiful ripenesses and this unexpected power, the result is there: it’s a very great vintage!

2009, 2010, 2011: a winning trilogy!

These three vintages benefited from plenty of sunshine in spring and low rainfall throughout the summer, producing deep, concentrated juices!

In 2011, ripening was so early that the harvest came three weeks early! Acidity is rather low given its early ripening, resulting in supple, concentrated wines that are sometimes a little unbalanced.

In 2010, the perfect weather allowed us to produce very well-balanced, very homogeneous wines with a good suppleness, all in all very classic!

In 2009, as in 2011, acidity is rather low, but fruitiness is exceptional! The fullness and aromatic complexity of this vintage make it a delicious must-have!

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