Clos des Rocs, a vintage for each year

In this very particular context of COVID and its various lockdowns, we had the privilege of continuing to care for our vines and enjoy the outdoors. We are therefore very pleased to have been able to harvest beautiful grapes in this vintage, once again characterized by rare precocity. I won’t hide from you that we are concerned about the rapid evolution of climate change. Starting the harvest on August 21, aside from the unique year of 2003, is not particularly encouraging. Are we already forced, as we were at the beginning of the season, to fight against spring frosts every year and to endure these summer droughts? The 2020 wines remain fresh, digestible, and balanced.

Spring was once again exceptionally warm, with very little water from early May until the end of June. Flowering was almost perfect, resulting in a substantial yield of grapes, but the heatwave that followed made us fear the worst until early August, when a much-needed rain came to revive grapes that had previously shown little vitality.

The harvest was magnificent, with a refreshing acidity that imparted a very fresh character to the saline and dense wines, even though we began the harvest on August 27.

A few snowy episodes disrupted an unusually mild winter. As a result, the vegetation sprouted very quickly in early April, making us fear spring frosts.

Fortunately, this did not occur, and flowering at the end of May led us once again toward a harvest at the end of August.

The harvest was interrupted by a significant day of rain in Loché, with 60 millimeters, allowing the latest parcels to complete their maturation perfectly instead of undergoing concentration due to stress.

2017 is a solid vintage with a strong personality, where each terroir is well defined.

Let’s start at the beginning: at the start of the growing season, indeed, since the first event of this vintage occurred very early, with a rare hail episode during this early spring period. Significant damage put us under pressure from the start, making it morally difficult to begin the season knowing that a portion of the future harvest had already been lost.

However, we maintained our faith, driven by the passion that inspires us, even in moments of deep doubt, particularly due to the significant pressure from downy mildew. All our efforts led us to the eve of the harvest, during which the sun was generous, in stark contrast to the previous year: without drought, the grapes appeared plump, appetizing, and colorful.

Harvesting began on September 17 in a slightly humid atmosphere, transitioning to calm and comfortable weather, ensuring optimal harvesting and maturation. In a friendly atmosphere, 12 days were needed to gather beautiful, healthy clusters, heralding great promises, thanks to a very pleasant team.

We were delighted with this lovely reward; even though the volume was not impressive, the 2016 vintage is one of the classics, and like in cinema, classics build legends. The answer will come in a few semesters...

“I will only briefly touch on the year 2015, during which many of you endured this exceptional drought just like the vines of the Mâconnais. I would still like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderfully friendly team that participated in the sunny harvest, which began at the end of August. However, I will elaborate a bit more on the comments that have been attributed to this sunny vintage rather early on.

Indeed, we are already hearing here and there that 2015 will be an exceptional year, the vintage of the century. Praise is pouring in from the press, creating a media frenzy. One must remain level-headed; I hope to have many more vintages to manage like this one, and the century has barely begun... But it is true that we harvested very beautiful grapes—rich, energetic, and perfectly aromatic. However, as with the very complicated vintages that I do not wish to dismiss too quickly, I am cautious in my praise of this one: perhaps this is the beginning of wisdom, you might say.

Even if 80% of a wine's quality relies on careful work in the vineyard, one must not overlook the work in the cellar, that of the winemaker, the time spent in the cellar, where so many tiny decisions can have irreversible consequences: so, yes, if this work in the shadows is done with talent, then 2015 can indeed be great.”
Olivier Giroux, upon the conclusion of the harvest.

Conclusion: A great vintage, rich, balanced, and made for aging.

As we were preparing the cellar on September 4, we learned with joy that we were featured on the cover of Le Point magazine. What a strange sensation to see our faces plastered in all the Parisian and provincial kiosks! This was enough to energize the entire team at the estate before the intense harvest period.

We began the harvest on September 8 under a radiant sun, as summer finally decided to show its face. In any case, this beautiful weather accompanied us until the end and erased the unoptimistic autumn months of July and August.

Remarkable intensities were noted in the fruit juices coming from the press. For we must admit, 2014 brought us smiles; since taking over the estate, I thought I had never tasted such magnificent grape juices, with a rare aromatic intensity, perfectly balanced, and rich in sugar!!!

2014 is certainly another great vintage for Burgundy lovers, with fruit and tension. A vintage for aging, no doubt, but one that offers immediate pleasure for many of our cuvées.
Cheers!

“A good ten years have marked the first wrinkles on the face of the young man I was in 2002 when I acquired the estate.

These ten years have undoubtedly allowed me to accumulate experience, pinches of humility, and spoonfuls of convictions. Mastery, in short, of a certain number of recipes to adapt depending on the guests: an excess of sunshine (in 2003), a often humid overcast sky (in 2004), and an almost perfect summer (in 2009).

These ten years had not given me the time to meet 2013. An emotional vintage, first spiced up by a tiring spring that drained our energy, depriving us of light therapy and forcing us to live like sailors in our yellow raincoats daily. Then, a rather generous summer, though not excessive, finally allowed us to make our plowing and treatments against diseases effective. All this work had kept us relentlessly busy, often making us forget that humans sometimes need rest.

So, on the eve of the harvest, I was quite confident, looking at the finally golden grapes of Clos des Rocs; confident, but also aware that this vintage would once again be unproductive, but likely much more balanced and of higher quality than what the so-called specialized press was announcing.

We still needed to take the right risks: could we wait for even more maturity, but October—harvest in October!!! And what if it rained?

Friday, September 27, 6:30 AM: the two rental minibuses are brand new, under their morning dew, the tractors hitched to their trailers, and the smell of coffee in the break room is just waiting for the crew's arrival. This year, we will first go to the Pouilly-Loché, the "Barres"... What beautiful clusters... First press... Little juice... 35 hl/ha...

Saturday, October 5, the last day: we finish, muddy shoes, but golden grapes, with the hour for the assessment already ringing. Unfortunately, without compromise: 50% less than a so-called normal year.

An emotional vintage, as I mentioned earlier. The hour of questioning: the effectiveness of organic farming in a humid year, nearly contiguous parcels, which are a handicap during hail or difficult flowering, and of course, the economic aspect. Let us hope our loyal partners continue to support us in this adventure.

Despite all these thoughts swirling in my mind, it’s time to get back to work to enhance the little wine that 2013 has offered us. Little often rhymes with quality, and I believe this will be the case once again. The fruit juices have a rare intensity; it’s up to us to transform them into great terroir wines.

Once again this year, I would like to thank our team of harvesters who turned this period of continuous stress into a time of good cheer and human encounters: one image will remain in my memory of this harvest, that of two Latvians sleeping at night in their hammock, barefoot, with just a tarp for a roof. What a crazy desire! Thank you all. The 2013 wines are magnificent, showcasing tension and fruit. Another difficult vintage in the vineyard, but magical in the bottles!”
Olivier Giroux, after the harvest.