Country:
France
Region:
Pomerol
Size:
750ml
Description:
A demanding vintage that required constant vigilance but which will most probably turn out to have produced one of the greatest wines at the estate.
The first six months of the year were very wet. By the end of March, we had already recorded cumulated rainfall of twice the usual amount. With this humidity, the mildness of winter triggered an early budding in the vines. The temperatures during the following months slowed down the vine cycle. Then a combination of heavy rains and mild temperatures brought about high vine disease pressure, especially that of downy mildew. Meticulous preventive work allied to the appropriate rate of spray treatments enabled us to get through this period without any serious damage.
The month of July marked the end of the rains for the summer, and a period of severe drought then set in. During August and September markedly higher than average temperatures were recorded. Water stress, which is necessary for the production of high quality grapes, gradually set in.
A bout of rain at the beginning of September “unblocked” the plots of young vines growing in soils with low moisture levels and favoured the ripening process in all of the plots.
Thanks to this almost miraculous weather, our grapes were able to reach perfect ripeness in each of the plots. Precise control of crop size was necessary to achieve this optimal ripeness. The harvest was therefore late and long drawn-out. We were able to take advantage of an Indian summer that stayed with us for the first two weeks of October. The homogeneity in the ripeness of the grapes was outstanding this year. After precision vinification aiming to bring out the purity, balance, complexity and elegance of our crop, the tastings we carried out during the wine’s ageing process demonstrated the value of all the efforts we made throughout the growing season and promised an outstanding future for the 2016.