Millesime 2011
An early and generous vintage...without frost or hail.
The hot and very dry spring already announced an early vintage with the appearance of the first buds in April, and at the end of June the vine cycle was two and a half weeks ahead of schedule.
The climatic conditions from spring to August 10th, dry and sunny, required very little intervention in the vineyard, the sanitary state was exemplary, only a few water deficiencies began to slow down the veraison on the alluvial soils.
Then, from August 10th, the rainy episodes multiplied, leaving little room for sunshine. At the beginning of September, the health of the Cabernet Franc on the alluvial terroirs began to suffer from the excess water, and to deteriorate, but the phenolic ripeness was not reached. We had to wait for the change of moon on September 16, hoping that the sun would shine again.
The Chenin Blanc was ripe, we took advantage of the sunny windows on September 10 and 13 to harvest the Clos de la Plante Martin with its beautiful balance.... ?????
Then on September 16th, the change of moon marked the return of the sun. The days passed, the weather was sunny and the temperatures gradually rose, reaching 30°C on September 27th.
The parcel took full advantage of this sunshine, the ripening process was spread out over time according to the terroirs and on September 29th the pickers could start to criss-cross the rows and pick the berries from our sandy and alluvial soils and from the Clos du Chêne Vert, which, with its south-west exposure, is fully mature.
Next came the gravel terroirs that make up Les Petites Roches and the Clos de la Cure.
Still under a beautiful sunshine, the pickers walked through Les Charmes on October 3rd, then the north-east silica-clay and limestone Clos - Les Varennes du Grand Clos and Clos de la Dioterie, on October 4th and 5th, and finished the clay terroirs located in the commune of Anché on October 7th.
The harvest was generous, only a few sorting operations were necessary for the Cabernet Franc grapes from sandy and alluvial soils, which were generally in a healthy state and had reached a good level of ripeness.
The hot and very dry spring already announced an early vintage with the appearance of the first buds in April, and at the end of June the vine cycle was two and a half weeks ahead of schedule.
The climatic conditions from spring to August 10th, dry and sunny, required very little intervention in the vineyard, the sanitary state was exemplary, only a few water deficiencies began to slow down the veraison on the alluvial soils.
Then, from August 10th, the rainy episodes multiplied, leaving little room for sunshine. At the beginning of September, the health of the Cabernet Franc on the alluvial terroirs began to suffer from the excess water, and to deteriorate, but the phenolic ripeness was not reached. We had to wait for the change of moon on September 16, hoping that the sun would shine again.
The Chenin Blanc was ripe, we took advantage of the sunny windows on September 10 and 13 to harvest the Clos de la Plante Martin with its beautiful balance.... ?????
Then on September 16th, the change of moon marked the return of the sun. The days passed, the weather was sunny and the temperatures gradually rose, reaching 30°C on September 27th.
The parcel took full advantage of this sunshine, the ripening process was spread out over time according to the terroirs and on September 29th the pickers could start to criss-cross the rows and pick the berries from our sandy and alluvial soils and from the Clos du Chêne Vert, which, with its south-west exposure, is fully mature.
Next came the gravel terroirs that make up Les Petites Roches and the Clos de la Cure.
Still under a beautiful sunshine, the pickers walked through Les Charmes on October 3rd, then the north-east silica-clay and limestone Clos - Les Varennes du Grand Clos and Clos de la Dioterie, on October 4th and 5th, and finished the clay terroirs located in the commune of Anché on October 7th.
The harvest was generous, only a few sorting operations were necessary for the Cabernet Franc grapes from sandy and alluvial soils, which were generally in a healthy state and had reached a good level of ripeness.