Roussillon : a 2022 vintage of remarkable complexity and balance

The Pyrenees-Orientales certainly live up to their reputation: the winter was mild, with a wet late season and an early spring, which replenished the soil’s water reserves (370mm of rainfall fell between November 2021 and March 2022).

The summer of 2022, on the other hand, broke all records, particularly for a severe shortage of water (only 25mm from June to August). In
addition, we had a heatwave that lasted from June to mid-September with temperatures exceeding 35°C almost daily. The grapes’ ripening accelerated dramatically. We were expecting harvest dates to be an average of 15 days earlier than in 2021.

Compared to previous years, we had very few windy spells (Tramontane wind), which is unusual in our region. This reduced the hydric stress on the vines and the dehydration of the grapes. In addition, the highaltitude areas where our vines grow present two advantages: more temperate nights and the preservation of the grapes’ aromatic freshness, with a moderate increase in their sugar content.

But we had to completely rethink the harvest timetable as the Syrah lying at altitude in Lesquerde were ripening early, even earlier than the
historically earlier ripening areas (Latour-de-France and even Collioure).

Against all expectations, and thanks to our biodynamic practices (composts, forest litter), the vines responded well to the drought, drawing only on their spring water reserves. The upside of the extremely dry summer was that it reduced the pressure of cryptogamic diseases and ensured that the grapes remained in exceptional health.

We saw a poor inflorescence count in the Collioure area, as well as on the Syrah in Latour, but our local grape varieties, now long adapted to this climate, maintained a good level of production giving us wines that conceal the exceptionally sunny character of the vintage and possess a lovely freshness thanks to the preserved acidity.

Despite the difficulties brought by the drought, the 2022 vintage is second to none. It even shows an impressive aromatic complexity, concentration and a lovely minerality.

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