Provence: a Terroir challenged by the climate in 2021
Provence: a Terroir challenged by the climate in 2021
In the vineyard
14 February 2022
A Terroir affected by the climate : the winter of 2021 is similar to that of 2020: not very harsh, with beautiful sunny days and average temperatures of around 9°C.
Conversely, spring is a stressful time of year because of recurring negative temperatures. On March 21st, 22nd and 23rd, they fell to around -4°C. Fortunately, thanks to late pruning, this first peak did not affect us. But during the second cold snap, around April 8th, the thermometer hovered at around -5°C. The earliest plots were frozen, but over a limited surface only. The spring continued to be mild and dry, favouring the development of the vines with little cryptogrammic pressure. These good conditions allowed us to work the soil and do our maintenance work on the Domaine.
At the beginning of June, budburst was irregular, causing a delay in the other phenological stages. This is due to the different weather episodes of the previous years, poor flower induction in the past, the lack of rainfall and the very distinctive nature of our Terroirs.
The Syrahs did not reach veraison until the beginning of August. Ripening was not optimal due to the dry summer and the lack of rainfall. Around August 20th, an episode of heavy rain and hail was a concern. Fortunately, no damage was done to the plots thanks to the foliage absorbing the impact of the hailstones. And a steady quantity of water came to unblock everything before the harvest.
With this rather unusual year, the phenological maturity of the grapes is very disparate. This led to a later-than-usual and longer harvest. On September 2nd, harvesting begins in the Merlot vineyards, followed by the whites (Les Infirmières) and finally the Single Vineyard Selection red, Esquirol on September 28th.
Because of the constraints around maturity, the harvest produced pale rosés with a nose and palate sustained by citrus notes and very nice freshness, lending the wines more character. A complex vintage that required us to go to the limits of maturity on our Single Vineyard Selection red, Esquirol now shows notes of candied red fruit and aromatic complexity. For the whites, we find a beautiful acidity combining with white flower aromas, topped-off with exotic fruits.
