Beaucastel
The Vintage
The 2011 vintage is a vintage of contrasts
A hot, dry spring.
The 2011 vintage began with an extremely hot and dry spring (the hottest and driest of the century in certain regions of France). Because the vines were developing quickly, we had anticipated an early harvest.
A cool and wet July.
July was marked by fluctuations between sunny days and cool rainy days (around 60mm). The rainfall served to replenish the vines from the dry spring and the vines caught up with the normal vegetative cycle. During this period, mildew appeared on the vine leaves, which was important to control. The mistral winds, as usual, blew after the rain, promoting a healthy environment for the vineyards.
Summer became Indian summer beginning in mid-August
From the second week of August up until the month of October (Indian summer) the hot and windy days settled in. September and October were exceptionally hot (+ 3,1° in September 2011 compared to 2010; +2,4 in October). We began harvesting Syrah in mid-September and Grenache as of the 21st, therefore the harvest commenced on time. The late harvest varieties (Mourvèdre, Counoise) particularly benefitted from the Indian summer. The grapes were healthy and the crop yield was fairly large, which drove us to carry out a ruthless green harvest.The importance of the sorting
Climatic contrasts ultimately led to a ‘normal’ harvest in terms of quantity and harvest date, but the grape clusters matured at different rates, as did grapes within the same cluster. Therefore, careful sorting of the grapes was essential. As in previous years, we used sorting tables (in the vineyards and in the cellars) as well as a second sorting after destemming the grapes in order to rid of any unripe grapes belonging to the same cluster.
The Wines
The first wines are characterized by their full-bodied, smooth and charming character. An important feature of the 2011 vintage is the sweet taste of the wines, although they are still dry. These wines embody elegance and balance with tannins that are already soft. They are reminiscent of the 2000 vintage.
The 2011 vintage is the perfect combination of rain and heat. The October Indian summer allowed the late harvest varieties to reach optimum maturity. Despite having predicted an early harvest, in the end the grapes matured on time and in good health.
