Tardieu-Laurent
Vintage Reports
The 2008 Vintage
The rather warm conditions of the last few vintages might have led us to believe that the same conditions would repeat themselves with the 2008 vintage, but that was not the case. In fact, 2008 was a vintage marked by weather that went from cold to very cold, and the vintage ultimately has a style reminiscent of vintages many years ago.
Spring rainfall began the season auspiciously, although mildew was present in some areas, resulting in loss of fruit. Summer continued as rather cold, without any of the periods of heat we had experienced in recent years, inhibiting the ripening rate of the grapes.
In the beginning of September, an unexpected rainfall occurred, mainly in the north and Rhône Valley, creating further challenges for the season. Luckily, in the areas where the fruit was not affected by mildew, the vineyards fared well.
Not surprisingly, the healthiest grapes were found in the vineyards belonging to the best vignerons. These same vignerons benefited from the long, cool season that eventually brought warm temperatures in mid-September.
The weather during harvest brought smiles to our faces, knowing that the quality potential was rather good.
The advantages of this vintage: Very small yield. Moderate sugar levels. Beautiful balance. Superb color. Healthy, good acidity. Abundant tannins. Superb white wines full of freshness and fruit.
The challenges of the vintage: Small yield. Very long harvest. Sorting and follow-up of maturity levels were crucial. Ripening was a challenge in the coldest vineyard parcels. Tannins are a bit austere in some wines. Vineyards on the valley floor were especially susceptible to disease, so diligence was critical.
Consequently, as it is true every year but particularly in those years with difficult weather conditions, 2008 will be a year of the vigneron.
A patient, confident process of aging should reveal the quality potential of the wines produced by the vignerons who nurture every aspect of their vineyards year-in and year-out.
Older wines, produced in cold years, can be absolutely remarkable. We often taste these wines, but this year it is our turn to make them. In fact, the aging process will be the final determinant of the quality of the vintage. It will reveal all the potential of these wines and will allow the terroir to express itself freely, in a way we have not yet seen, with the signature of a vintage particularly attractive: 2008.
Mother Nature loves to reward those that serve her well …
The 2007 Vintage
Overall, the 2007 vintage is superb and so remarkably healthy it even surpasses 2005!
The season began with challenging, fairly wet conditions leading up to the end of spring, which demanded a keen eye on the vineyards to watch for disease. These conditions, combined with a potentially higher yield, kept vignerons on alert.
Fortunately, summer was remarkably dry in the region. Formidable sunshine and a sustained wind — although less fierce than in the preceding years — kept the vineyards free of any disease. With this ideal summer tableau, harvest began 120 days after flowering. This is an exceptional length of time — 100 days between flowering and harvest is typical — for the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
Harvest, too, was drawn out. Conscientious vignerons harvested “à la carte,” or “parcel by parcel,” picking grapes only when they reached optimum ripeness and fully expressed terroir. Cool nights and the clean state of the grapes made harvest memorable. The cool temperatures also allowed vinification to proceed at a leisurely pace.
The result is a vintage marked with a subtle balance between fruit, acidity and tannins. The color of the wines is exceptional — never had extraction been so easy. The aromatic profiles are complex, powerful and without a hint of over ripeness. The tannins appear to be fine, round and mellow — less imposing than 2005, but amply sufficient, creating anticipation of a vintage with significant aging potential.
And finally, the most striking feature of 2007 is the purity of perfect fruit — the volatile acids are the lowest ever recorded — promising a radiant expression in the red wines and even more so in the white wines.
The 2006 Vintage: In a Word...Bizarre!
First, it began with a winter so cold, frosts were frequent and the thermometer did not rise above 13°C during the warmest part of the day. Unfortunately, and once again, there was little precipitation and the feeble rains that did come were not sufficient to return the water tables to a healthy level. And a violent Mistral in March and April, followed by warmer-than-average sunshine, did not help. These conditions led to vine development to happen in fits and starts, especially during flowering and véraison. Ultimately there was uneven progress among the vines in a vineyard.
Then the vineyards were subjected to excessive heat in July — as hot as July 2003. Next, they had to survive the chill of August — among the coldest in the last 50 years! After the heat wave in July, the rains in August encouraged the vines to mature, but September rains caused concern, especially for the Grenache.
Again we had to be patient ... So we waited ... And we were rewarded. The vineyards remained perfectly healthy. The yields were also good, with a larger crop than the previous year. Volumes were close to 2003, but the berries were small with thick skins.
When it was time to make wine, again we had to be patient. The wines revealed their nature very late, not until after fermentation was complete. But in that moment, the young wine inspired anticipation for what was to come…pure beauty.
As it turned out, the very cool month of August did a world of good for the white varieties. The white wines already demonstrate a luscious density, with an uncommon freshness. They are precise wines, with a pure fruit essence.
The quality of the red wines from the north is between that of the 2004 and 2005 vintages. The wines have a very dark color. Not as tannic as 2005, but quite as long in the mouth thanks to the support of a good acidity. They have to be regarded quite seriously.
The reds from the south express the same level of quality as those from the north, with some cuvées demonstrating superiority over the 2005 vintage! These are truly impressive wines with enviable color, fruit and intensity.
