After a cold and dry beginning of the year, March was mild and sunny. But on April 10th in the evening, snow began to fall. In the morning of the 11th April, the temperature was –6°C. This frost made a lot of damage on the early bud burst grapes: pinot noir, gewurztraminer and muscat. Not only the future harvest was damaged but also the architecture of the vine-trunk was disturbed. The main buds were distroyed. The secondary buds are less regular and less productive. Unlike a normal frost, the early locations were the most touched because the buds were already out.

Until early June, the development of the vine was normal compare to an average year. But the lack of rainfall didn’t augur well. The vineyard suffered from the dryness and the warmth of July and August. The places at the top of the Clos Saint Landelin, with stony and South exposition are the most hit. The places at the bottom of the slope or with richer soil stayed in better conditions.

Pinots noirs and pinots gris had a quick maturation. Gewurtraminers took more time because they had thick skins that would have given bitterness if picked up early. But the maturation of the Riesling was the longest. This grape is sensitive to the lack of water and had its growth stopped by the dryness.

The harvest began on the first of September with the pinots noirs, that is to say three weeks earlier than usualy! It was the first time that the harvest was so early. After pinots noirs, it was the pinots gris and sylvaners. Gewurztraminers were picked up at the end of September. The harvest ended with rieslings on the 24th October, under the first snow.

The pinots noirs have an elegant structure with ripe tannins. Red fruit aromas are present and make the wines charming.

The white wines are powerful and fat. The balances are dry except for the muscat produced in vendanges tardives. But all the white wines offer exotic fruit and white fruit aromas.

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