The 2021 vintage was particularly cool with a late harvest, resulting in wines that are already very attractive and atypical.
The highlight of this vintage is the black frost that occurred during the night of April 7th to 8th. Many vineyards were affected. In Gigondas, we were lucky to see our high altitude slopes rather spared by this cold wave.
Following this event, the vegetative cycle had difficulty to restart and the delay in growth was confirmed throughout the maturation of the grapes.
The rest of the season was characterized by cool weather and frequent rainfall, which resulted in one of the latest harvests compared to previous years. The decision of the harvest dates was particularly decisive because of the heterogeneity of ripening due to the frost.
Fermentations then started and went on smoothly and fairly quickly. The good nitrogen content facilitated this process.
After a maturation period of 12 to 18 months, we taste this new vintage.
Obviously, the climatic conditions had a strong impact on the wines of the vintage. At the tasting, the wines show a lot of freshness and energy. Thanks to the good general maturity of the harvested grapes, we find balanced and elegant wines, which are quickly accessible.
Although the wines appear lighter, they remain very attractive, with beautiful aromas of small red fruits and good acidity, both lively and juicy.
The climatic hazards of the 2021 vintage make the wines atypical compared to the solar vintages of recent years. Nevertheless, the quality is there, with nice surprises for our Gigondas terroirs. We can only recommend them to you, especially for those who like a fresher and lighter style of wine!