2020, a calmer vintage, full of roundness and balance
After a 2019 marked by massive and concentrated wines, the exceptionally early 2020 vintage marks the return of fresher wines with great balance.
The dry and very hot summer of 2019 required a rainy winter to allow water reserves to be replenished. This was the case from October to December 2019 with a cumulative rainfall of 400 to 500 mm depending on the area, then with a particularly wet late spring. The winter temperatures were quite mild which led to a very early bud break. The spring remained very mild, confirming the great precocity of the vintage with flowering in mid-May. Rainfall was almost absent from mid-June to the beginning of August, until several rainy episodes prevented any risk of water stress. The summer was hot but not scorching. The veraison started at the end of July and was very fast.
The first plots of white grapes were harvested in the third week of August and those of Syrah in early September. Around September 20th, some rain (40 to 60 mm) delayed the harvesting, slowing down the accumulation of sugars but accelerating the phenolic ripening of the Grenache and Mourvèdre. The harvest continued serenely until mid-October, no weather episode interrupting it, and the winegrowers were able to harvest each of their plots at the optimum of their maturity. The grapes were very healthy and required little sorting. The alcoholic fermentations took place without any problems.
Côtes-du-Rhône
Villages Terre d’Argile
Les Garrigues
2019, Structure, colour, healthy grapes : A superb vintage
2019 witnessed a normal rainy spring, after an exceptionally rainy spring in 2018.
The autumn and winter rainfalls (460 mm) launched the vegetative period and provided the soils with good water reserves. April and May were moderately cold, marked by fast -and then suddenly slow- growing periods. This phenomenon can trigger coulure (= failure of the fruit to set. The growing season was very with only 158 mm total rainfall (against 530 mm in 2018 and 185 mm in 2017). It was also very hot, with 7 every 10 days exceeding 30°C (86°F) between 1st June and 15th September. At the end of June, a heat wave hit the region, peaking at 44.3°C (111.2°F) on 28th June.
In the face of these extreme weather conditions, the foliage did rather well. The water shortage however impacted the size of the berries that remained comparatively small. By harvest time, the grapes were showing a beautiful sanitary state albeit a low yield in juice. The 15 mm rainfall on 18 September was rather welcome and allowed the grenache grapes to reach phenolic maturity. The yield is slightly up from average, compared to the last few years.
Côtes-du-Rhône
Côtes-du-Rhône
Archives / Millesimes
2010
2010, QUANTITATIVELY LOW BUT QUALITATIVELY HIGH
With an average yield of 27 hl/ha (for 35 hl/ha authorised in the appellation’s specifications), the 2010 vintage will be remembered as one of the lowest in terms of volumes produced, and one of the highest in terms of the quality of the grapes harvested and the wines made from them.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2010_an
2011
2011, EXCEPTIONAL CONDITIONS FOR THE HARVEST
With a normal yield estimated at 33hl/ha, the 2011 harvest in Châteauneuf-du-Pape returns to its quantity standards, leaving behind the last few years of low volume crops. Even if the wines are not finished yet, we already have a good idea of the quality of 2011. The weather conditions during the harvest helped immensely, allowing the grapes to be picked at optimal maturity.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2011_an
2012
2010, 2012, A BALANCED VINTAGE
All Saints’ Day and its first winter cold marked the end of the devatting of a vintage that benefited from optimal climatic conditions for the production of great wines.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2012_an
2013
2013, IS AN EIGHTIES’ VINTAGE
The vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape gave birth to a 2013 vintage marked by late maturities, and very similar to the ones of the 80’s in many respects. Though safe from the worst effects of the weather conditions that affected many regions -notably hail- it is characterized by low yields and an atypical balance in which fruit prevails over strength.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2013_an
2014
2014, A VINTNER’S VINTAGE
The 2014 vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape is what is commonly called a “vintner’s vintage”, in the sense that the work done in the vines all along the seasons was a key factor to achieve a great result. The working year – which started early in the spring and finished late in the autumn – was an exhausting year, where experience and anticipation proved to be precious allies to produce beautiful grapes.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2014_an
2015
2015, A GENEROUS VINTAGE
Marked by several periods of strong heat and a few timely thundery storms, the 2015 vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape may already and in all aspects be qualified as generous. Generous in colour, generous in structure, in ripeness. Generous also in quantity, a rare occurrence for an appellation known for its low yields.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2015_an
2016
2016, A FABULOUS VINTAGE
As autumn is drawing to a close and the wine presses have been washed and put away, the first wines tasted before being blended confirm what had been sensed: 2016 is going to be a fabulous vintage! And if some compare it to the magnificent 2010, some others do not hesitate to go as far as the famous star-vintage 1990… Either way, the evidence that we are witnessing the making of a great vintage is clear.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2016_an
2017
2017, A RARE AND EXCELLENT VINTAGE
Exceptional in many respects, the year 2017 has generated climatic records that have resulted in an early harvest and low quantity. Marking in more than one way, we will especially remember this vintage for the excellent quality of the wines produced. Balanced, rich wines with nice velvety tannins for the reds, lively and fruity for the whites.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2017_an
2018
2018, BEAUTIFUL MATURITY AND BALANCE
In the memory of winegrowers, we have to go back several decades to find such a rainy beginning of the year. Fortunately, September was spared by the equinox rains (limited to 5 mm), which allowed the winegrowers to harvest in complete serenity, until late in the season. Produced from grapes in excellent sanitary condition, the red and white Châteauneuf-du-Pape of the 2018 vintage are characterized by optimal ripeness and very good length in the mouth.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2018_an
2019
2019, A SUPERB VINTAGE, HIGH IN COLOR AND OF BEAUTIFUL WORKMANSHIP
The harvest started early in the season and took place in the greatest serenity. The rains of September 18 led to an increase in juice yields and a rebalancing of the musts. The perfect sanitary state of the grapes allowed us to produce very colorful, unctuous and generous red Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 2019. The whites are fat, full-bodied and have good length in the mouth.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2019_an
2020
2020, A MILLESIME ALL ROUND AND BALANCED
The 2020 vintage is the fruit of a serene vegetative year and a harmonious development of the grapes. It is therefore appeased that the winemakers were able to harvest and vinify Châteauneuf-du-Pape that are already proving to be brilliant at tasting. The 2020 vintage is characterized by good acidity and elegance for the white wines. The reds have less intense colors than in 2019, but also less alcohol, more freshness, purity of fruit and tannic finesse.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2020_an
2021
2021, AN OLD-TIME MILLESIME WITH BEAUTIFUL POTENTIAL
In the memory of winegrowers never has the spring frost arrived so close to the heart of the appellation, causing fears of a lot of damage to the earliest grape varieties. Fortunately this was not the case. The 2021 vintage is no less atypical and takes us back fifteen years in terms of climatic conditions and the profile of the wines produced. The first wines show lower average degrees than in previous years and the beautiful acidity of the vintage suggests a good potential for ageing for wines that can be appreciated in their early youth.
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FederationProducteursChateauneufDuPape_FM_2021_an