The 2021 vintage is a winemaker’s vintage, really promising, giving wines with a surprising balance.
Mild winter temperatures resulted in early bud break. Spring was marked by a frost episode, on the night of April 7th, carrying away the young buds and slowing down the vegetative cycle of the vine.
Our plots on the hillsides of Rasteau and Cairanne were spared by this cold wave. Indeed, the icy air circulated, starting from the hillsides, to stop in the plain. On the other hand, Calendal, on the Plan de Dieu, was strongly affected, with a loss of more than half of the production. Despite everything, depending on the plots, we were pleasantly surprised to see the vines recover. We managed to reach 60% of an average production.
After a more “northern” summer and a welcome rain in August, allowing slow ripening, we started harvesting the whites on September 9th with perfect sanitary conditions. We had to be very patient so each plot reached optimal maturity. The whites and rosés have beautiful balances and combine complexity and freshness.
The harvest of the reds was marked by major stormy episodes involving strategic choices to meet the requirements of the vintage.
A cool vintage is ideal for our Syrah, we had a very nice quality and we isolated one plot in particular, which we age in demi-muids and eggs, and will certainly give a unique cuvée for this very special year.
In a few words, 2021 is a demanding vintage, which combines complexity, balance and elegance, reminding us of those of the 90s, with good aging potential.