A Great Year!
It is common knowledge that farmers are never satisfied with the weather: too hot, too cold, too dry, too wet, too windy, etc.
Winemakers add to this permanent dissatisfaction some more subtle concepts: not enough rain in July, too much in September, the nights were not cool enough, the days too hot, not enough difference between day and night, etc.
In short, we are forever dissatisfied! So please do not spoil our fun when the vintage turn out to be great... after all.
2012 was a chaotic year. The winter was extremely cold with very low temperatures (- 14 ° C) and a violent mistral over 100 km/h for two weeks that killed part of the vineyard! Including old Grenache gobelet vines, the mortality rate of the vineyards ranging from 5 to 20%! Something we had not seen since 1956.
This is obviously a disaster for which we will pay the consequences for years.
The spring was rainy and cool, creating good conditions for vine diseases and weeds.
I will not hide from you that from April to June we never rested, but we managed to keep things under control. However, this gloomy climate led to coulure on the Grenache. In addition, the output of the other varieties was low.
The last rain was recorded July 2 ... then nothing until late August. It was too long: we had to water our plots of land that are most sensitive to drought; this was again very hard work.
From August 15, a terrible heat wave had us worried because the nights were very hot, which in theory is not good for the proper ripening of the grapes, but we will see later that this was not the case, on the contrary.
In late August we had some brief showers that saved the situation, followed by a large downpour in the beginning of September that was very beneficial to the vines, plus the heat had returned to normal.
The harvest began on August 24 for the early white varieties, in early September for the rosés, and on September 10 for the reds, ending on September 23, the eve of an intense stormy period that brought a lot of rain.
The conditions were perfect: mild temperatures and fair weather gave us perfect ripeness, and the very cool nights protected the balance and the flavors of the wines.
The wines are magnificent in all three colors; the intense heat of August finally did not affect the freshness or the aromas, the wines turned out exceptionally intense and complex, with moderate alcohol content.
The wines are dense, suave and concentrated with very round and silky tannins, very deep colors, and perfect balance.
It was a great year, a magnificent vintage in line with 2010, again with volumes about 20% lower, but this is the price one pays to get exceptional wines.
As for the 2011 reds, after maturing, they proved to be delicious, fine, fresh and balanced, with medium aging potential and perfect to drink while waiting for the long aging vintages like 2010 or 2009.
We are also pleased to announce that in the spring of 2013 we will begin our wine tourism activity, making available to our customers a beautiful place with the most beautiful views in the area of the vineyard, the Mont Ventoux and the village of Tavel. It will be a unique place, with high quality furnishings and services and of course tastings and educational tours on request.
We will tell you more in a few weeks, so please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
Sincerely,
Christophe
DELORME
