![]() Concentration was so intense in 2011 that both at Climens and Yquem, golden grapes were included to balance the botrytis intensity. ![]() At Yquem, harvest started September 15th and ended on the 14th of October with only four passes, two fewer than the average. Yields were low for those affected by hail, but for many others, yields fell within their average. It was important to have larger numbers of pickers ready to be deployed this year because timing was crucial to enable botrytis infected grapes to be picked quickly rather than risk having the grapes hang too long on the vines.Ģ011 was one of the earliest harvests over the past few decades with many starting harvest as early as the 7th and 8th of September. Thus fewer passes in the vineyard were necessary for most Sauternes producers. ![]() Xaviar Planty at Chateau Guiraud says during the first trie, ten days were devoted to cutting off grapes affected by rot and those that were not ideally ripe.īotrytis spread very rapidly in early September following showers and morning mists during the first ten days of the month. Combined with very low temperatures over the summer months, the main concern was not about botrytis but about grey rot, sour rot and other diseases. The rain fell in huge amounts with Chateau Climens recording 100mm between July 11th and August 8th. Hail was followed by months of warm and dry weather with vineyards showing signs of water stress until mid July when the rain finally arrived. Chateau Guiraud lost 60% of their crop and La Tour Blanche an even higher percentage. It was not an easy vintage and 2011 Easter Sunday was a devastating day for a handful of Sauternes producers including Chateau Guiraud, Chateau La Tour Blanche and Chateau Lamothe. The personality of this vintage is all about freshness and precision the style is closer to 20. But 2010 broke this cycle of lucky odd years by bringing us phenomenal sweet wines and 2011 adds to this modern trilogy of complex, refined sweet wines with concentrated botrytis.Ģ011 has greater purity of flavours than 2009 and is also less opulent in style. Over the past 12 years, it has been the odd years in Sauternes that have been hugely successful starting with 2001.
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