Cold sweat...
The 2011 vintage often made us break into a cold sweat, and even though during the summer the situation in the vineyards was difficult, the Indian summer that we got in September allowed us to produce a very good vintage.
In the springtime, forecasts announced a year with very early harvests in mid-August; this did not bode well. Indeed, a mid-August harvest means that grape maturity comes at a time when the weather is at its hottest, and if it happens to rain things can quickly get out of control.
In view of such a high risk, we had to take some drastic preventive measures : radical thinning of leaves in order to prevent moisture accumulating around the grape bunches, severe green harvesting to eliminate badly placed bunches, no tilling of the soil to allow grass to grow wherever possible, careful placing of trellises, and countless little details that seem insignificant when considered separately, but which make a huge difference when added together.
We had been preparing all summer for a tough fight... and the inevitable happened : the first rain in mid-July was extremely beneficial because the soil really needed it, a second rainfall in late July was not strictly needed but did not have any negative impact, but a third shower in early August started the countdown, it was as if we were sitting on a powder keg with a lit fuse... And yet the preannounced early maturity was not there at all!
One must always be wary of forecasts, in all domains!
Botrytis rot started to develop on a few isolated parcels of land, so we began fighting it. The best way to act in these cases is to cut the affected bunches or, if possible, only the affected berries. The entire staff of La Mordorée participated, and we brought in some highly skilled pickers to help us. In this way we were able to contain this first attack.
Then, a heat wave moved in, with very high temperatures and, unfortunately, no wind. The second attack that we faced was more vicious, this time it was what we call “sour rot”: berries damaged by wind or insects get infested by fruit flies (drosophila) and spoil very quickly. It was therefore necessary to completely remove all the affected bunches, because the juice from damaged berries can drip onto healthy bunches and ruin the fermentations process. We had to check each cluster in detail, removing those that were damaged, and letting the healthy ones ripen, on the affected vineyards.
Honestly, despite the fatigue of this long and meticulous work, it was difficult to sleep well at night as the situation was deteriorating rapidly on some specific vineyards; our main concern was that this bad situation could spread to the entire production.
But thanks to these efforts, the situation was under control by mid-August, with only a few plots affected but cured, the others were in perfect health. Maturity began to advance and on August 23rd we were able to harvest some exceptional whites, perhaps the best ever produced at the Domaine. In early September the Mistral set in and, apart from a few light showers, the weather remained dry and very hot, so we were able to harvest for the rosé. Starting in mid-September we began harvesting the reds in ideal conditions. It was not all easy, the heat wave had affected some varieties, including the Grenache which had trouble ripening, and some bunches were late. It was necessary to sort bunches to remove the unripe ones. Fortunately the yields were good this year, because it had been years since we last had to sort grapes so meticulously (discarding quite a large proportion of the Grenache), but this was essential in order to obtain harmonious wines with ripe tannins. Last but not least, while normally there is an optimum time to harvest, when grapes have reached their peak of color and tannins, and then degrades gently, leaving a few days to harvest high quality grapes, this year this process weakened extremely quickly.
We obviously belong to the "late-harvest" school, to get the best out of each vintage. But this year one had to be spot on for harvest timing, and very responsive, with no past experience to rely upon and having to deal with the situation day by day. The late varieties were much easier to harvest than the Syrah and Grenache. Mourvèdre and Carignan are exceptional. The harvest ended Sept. 25.
In conclusion, we had to fight, be smart, responsive and extremely demanding, but it was worth it. This is a superb vintage for whites and rosés, and a very good one for reds. Of course, because of all the sorting, the harvest is small, but this is the price of quality. The willpower of the winemaker, and his ability to make tough decisions, were decisive factors in obtaining high quality wines.
In comparison, in 2010 Mother Nature has been so kind to give us the best of herself, without asking so much work. After aging the wines are magnificent, bursting with fruit and silky tannins, an exceptional vintage, one of our favorites due to its density, its freshness, its aging potential and balance. Unfortunately it is a small vintage, with the lowest yield per hectare of the decade.
We remain at your disposal for further information and will be pleased to let you taste the new vintages.
Yours truly
Christophe
DELORME
