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A vintage that played hard to get…
The 2024 vintage gave our teams a hard time. A cooler and wetter weather than usual and a slow ripeness led to the longest harvest we’ve experienced in recent years.
The rain at the end of winter led to a good number of buds and a sufficient leaf surface for ripening of the grapes. The summer was very mild in temperature, giving the grapes time to ripen at a fairly slow pace, to which we have not been accustomed for many years. We had to be very patient, not rush to harvest and control the plots very carefully to wait both alcoholic and phenolic ripeness.
Harvest began the 22nd of August at Cers and Puimisson with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon grapes, followed by Hérépian the 6th of September with Chardonnay and Sauvignon; so around the same dates as previous years. However, it had been many years since they ended this late, 11th October
The weather and patience of our winegrowers allowed the vines to develop well and the grapes to be harvested in good conditions. The regular rains as well as the wet sea weather prevented water stress and led to good circulation of nutrients in the plant. The mild temperatures also prevented the vines from suffering peaks of stress linked to summer heat. As the maturity has been delayed, the yields were slightly lower than expected but acceptable average. The quality is therefore there! Phenolic ripeness has been reached thanks to very slow maturity, the seeds have had time to lignify, the malic acid has gone down, and the degrees have risen well. The health status of the vines also turned out to be very healthy.
The white grapes came in ripe, yet with a nice liveliness and few tannins. The rosés were very pale with a good natural balance, which allowed less intervention on the fermenting wines. As for the reds, as the phenolic ripeness was reached, the maceration lasted longer than usual, allowing to extract ripe and silky phenolic compounds.
Concerning the tasting, the white wines offer beautiful green reflections, finesse and good balance on the palate. The rosés, less colourful, stand out well aromatically with flattering greedy notes and delicious fruitiness. The reds, less colourful than last year have supple structure and mellow tannins.
Still under making, Viognier and Syrah appear to be the favourites of the cellar. All the wines of this new vintage prove to be flattering in tasting.
