About the vintage : Beautiful maturities and beautiful balances. The beginning of the year was marked by numerous rains, which accentuated the pressure of mildew, among the strongest in recent years. Suffice to say that the spring was not completely restful where we had to be very vigilant in the vineyard. Fortunately, the high summer temperatures and temperate nights of September allowed for excellent grapes. The wines of the 2018 vintage are characterized by optimal maturities, very beautiful lengths on the palate and with pretty tannins, silky and coated.
Plot : Clos St Patrice
Terroir : The inimitable Clos St Patrice consists of a very deep brown sand soil on most of the Clos and completed with yellow sand resting on the rock, partially covered with rolled pebbles.
Viticulture : In November, begins the period of winter plowing, the first intervention after the harvest period: it is necessary to aerate the land and protect the stump from the cold. The pruning of the shoots takes place as late as possible. It is necessary to wait for the remontant sap, in order to avoid any phytosanitary risk. Thus, the bud break is receded. Follows in Spring, at the beginning of May, the second period of ploughing. It aims to air the stump and rootstock, in order to warm them up to stimulate the vine. This is followed by some hoeing, chosen opportunely in order to level the soil and avoid the drought from taking hold of the foot. The grapes will be able to begin their growth phase. In order to obtain optimal maturity, we trim 20 cm around the bunch. Even if technological maturity is reached, we must wait for phenolic maturity, which will arrive more slowly... The harvest begins at the end of September with the Grenaches at the top of the list and ends in mid-October with the Mourvèdre.
Vinification and Aging: whole grape harvest up to 80%. Pre-fermentation maceration and alcoholic fermentation in concrete vats exclusively. Slight pumping over and infusion of marc for nearly 5 weeks. Aging 16 months in concrete tanks only. Bottling in Spring and storage for 2 years in the cellar before marketing.
