Clos des Rocs, a vintage for each year

The heatwave of 2003 also affected Burgundy. Indeed, as long-time Burgundians will recall, such precocity had not been experienced since the mid-19th century! By the end of June 2003, the dry and hot weather signaled very early harvesting, scheduled for early September. We ultimately began the harvest on August 16 and finished on September 4, 2003. This is obviously THE exceptional vintage, one that will not be seen again, except in the case of proven climate disruption.

In 2003, the grapes were therefore ripe and warm. To mitigate the effect of the heat on the grape juices, we did not harvest very early in the morning, and our cooling system for the must was very useful. In short, it was extremely hot, but once again, all the work done on the vines allowed us to obtain balanced grapes from parcels that had withstood the heat well. We will continue to emphasize this: great wine is made in the vineyard. Soil tillage, old vines, shoot thinning, and respect for the plant are essential for crafting great terroir wines.

Ultimately, our 2003 wines undeniably bear the hallmark of the vintage (ripeness, richness, fullness), but we are genuinely pleased with the expression of each terroir found in every bottle.

2002 is the archetype of the ideal vintage: maturity, balance, very low attacks from diseases, and perfect conditions for tilling the soil. However, we did experience heavy thunderstorms in August and conditions particularly favorable for the development of gray rot on still-green grapes from often overly vigorous or poorly aerated vines. As a result, many vineyards in the Mâconnais were affected, and the phenomenon was even more pronounced as one moved further south in France. (Recall the torrential and dramatic rains in the Avignon region.) By the end of August, a dry north wind, uninterrupted for nearly six days, halted the development of rot, drying out the already affected berries.

In general, all the balanced vines, properly trellised (i.e., with good aeration and arrangement of clusters) with average yields performed very well. Thus, in the estate's vineyards, we had no grapes affected by rot.

We began harvesting on September 18 and finished on September 29. It is undeniably a beautiful vintage, flattering when young and still holding great surprises today in the reserve cuvées.