climate

Started with the intense, continuous autumn rains. These rains made it possible to replenish the soil's water reserves and to produce this vintage with sufficient stock. The winter that followed was very dry and cooler, especially in January, giving everyone the opportunity to organise theirpruning work and maintain the vineyard. The almost omnipresent mistral made the autumn and winter of 08-09 one of the windiest in recent years.

harvest

Under these conditions, the fairly uniform budding was no earlier or later than recent vintages. The warm spring brought plenty of water which then allowed fast growth. The flowering period was very rapid, but the physiological yields observed pointed to a small harvest from mid-June. This hypothesis was then confirmed with the first ripeness checks. The weight of the grapes was rather low, but they had an extraordinary colour and a significant phenolic richness. The challenge for the year was going to be how to achieve the correct ripeness and harvest at the right time to preserve this attractive potential.

characteristics

The wines of this 2009 Vacqueyras vintage are rich, sweet and powerful. The tannins are well wrapped in an exceptional texture, and the intense aromas and freshness make these wines particularly palatable.

Finally, the whites and rosés were this vintage’s pleasant surprise. The high temperatures, summer drought, low volume and fast ripening didn’t leave much hope. But in the end, the whites and rosés which were harvested in time are expressive, very aromatic and lack neither freshness, body nor deliciousness.

comments

"A vintage that is without a doubt extraordinary. 2009 had a hot and dry growing season, allowing the production of an incredible number of remarkable wines. This year was very hot and sunny with a few showers in September"

Jeb Dunnuck – Rhone Report