​2017
​A vintage full of contrasts

​Everyone knows the famous quote from Shakespeare: “To be or not to be; that is the question?” In 2017, we could have said: “Harvest or wait to harvest; that is the question.”
Summer heat and a lack of water significantly accelerated the grapes’ maturity for potential alcohol, leading to complex situations at times. When tasting the grapes, feelings were mixed. It was easy to measure the potential of sugar, but phenolic maturity was lacking.
As soon as winter finished, a warm springtime period settled and this led to the earliness of the vintage, which did ease off a little after flowering. Nevertheless, at the start of summer we had a good ten days head start compared to a normal year (although “normal years” have practically disappeared).
We started our harvests on 4th September.
We began with a new plot of Viognier planted in Seyssuel three years ago. It was a small harvest but ripeness was excellent. Then we carried on by gathering grapes from the first plots of Condrieu. Despite the intense heat of the month of August, degrees of alcohol are high, but the balance seems very good.
As for the reds, situations vary a great deal. Some plots suffered because of the drought and sometimes due to the spell of frost at the end of April, whereas others were not affected at all (especially the sector of Côte-Rôtie and Seyssuel). The grapes were perfectly healthy. We finished harvesting our last plots on 27th September. This was the first time since our estate has existed that we finished harvesting so quickly.
The vintage promises to be delicious and fruity; the tannins are supple. Unfortunately, quantities are low for the whites and reds, approximately 30% less.