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2010 Vintage Update - February 2011 - by Solange Galan

According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s latest report, the total yield for 2010 was 45.8 million hectolitres i.e. 2% below that of 2009. The quality is most satisfactory, particularly in the South of France where weather conditions were more favourable.
So let’s have our traditional stroll through the French vineyards …

BORDEAUX - BURGUNDY - BEAUJOLAIS - LOIRE VALLEY - RHONE VALLEY - LANGUEDOC - ILE DE BEAUTE/CORSICA - COTES DE GASCOGNE - PROVENCE

BORDEAUX

The yields were a little more modest in the Bordeaux area, 3% below the 2009 figures. Our partner winegrowers were very pleased with the state of health of their vines. Spells of bad weather were rare and, after a particularly dry summer, the September rains brought the necessary water to our Bordeaux vineyards.

The red wines are consequently looking more deeply coloured, rich and structured than the 2009.
At Château Magnol, the fermentation didn’t take long. The aromatic and alcoholic potential of both the Merlots and Cabernets coupled with the acidity levels recorded give us every reason to expect a quality vintage with good ageing potential.

The vintage is also promising to be good for the white wines. This isn’t an “oceanic” vintage like 2008 or a “tropical” one like 2005, but a true “classic” vintage. The first tastings on our partner estates have shown well-balanced and expressive wines with prominent citrus aromas.

BEAUJOLAIS and BURGUNDY

This will be a good vintage despite some bad weather conditions that were not kind to the vines.
Alternate hot and cold spells and unwelcome rainfall inhibited the flowering process but our partners are now pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wines.
So although the volumes are low, the 2010 has the elegance of the really classic Burgundy vintages.

Our winegrowers in Chablis, Macon and Pouilly-Fuissé showed their usual savoir-faire, producing beautiful, ripe grapes.

In the Beaujolais, again the yields were low, but the wines are well-balanced and aromatic. After the “plump and generously fruity” 2009, 2010 will be “really pleasant”, perhaps showing more freshness and balance.

LOIRE VALLEY

Thanks to a nice dry summer, and helped along by rainy spells between 15th and 20th August, the grapes were of very promising quality. Tests showed good potential with satisfactory sugar/acidity balance in the healthy grapes. The yields were close to those of 2009.

The Barton & Guestier Muscadet is fine and elegant, developing notes of citrus and summer fruits. The quality is similar to 2005, 2007 and 2009 with perhaps a little more suppleness than last year.

In Anjou, the 2010 is well-balanced, supple and aromatic, with mouth-watering aromas. The rosés have also given nice volumes this year.

The same thing goes for Sancerre and Vouvray, where our wines are already showing good quality. They are harmonious and expressive both on the nose and in the palate.

RHONE VALLEY

The harvest conditions were ideal. The cool nights of September allowed a slow and gradual ripening, bringing a nice freshness to the wines.

At the latest tastings, our Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf du Pape 2010 showed great aromatic potential with fresh and jammy fruit flavours. They are both full, with a good tannic structure and a long, fruity finish.
A difficult vintage technically for our partners, but the very satisfactory quality will console them for the lack of quantity which seems to have been the characteristic this year in the Rhone area!

LANGUEDOC

The yield was also lower in the Languedoc Roussillon (4% below 2009) but this certainly didn’t spoil the quality of the vintage!
If 2009 offered us fleshy, generous, Mediterranean-style wines, 2010 on the contrary marries aromatic freshness with a smooth, soft palate.

As for the white wines, our Chardonnay Reserve 2010 is aromatic and well-balanced, typical of its variety.

The red wines from the area have nothing to envy the whites. Our Merlot is a little more acidulous than in previous years, mingling nice red berry aromas and a harmonious palate.

The Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010 is quite a success. This vintage is deeply coloured, well-structured, fruity and spicy.

Our Shiraz Rosé Reserve 2010 is developing a good aromatic finesse and is already showing great freshness and balance.

In a nutshell, low quantity, high quality: the usual signs of a great vintage…

ILE DE BEAUTE - CORSICA

The production was 8% down on the 2009 yield. Chaotic weather conditions throughout Corsica had real consequences in the vineyards. As the harvests began, all the winegrowers reported the same observation: small grapes and therefore a limited yield.
Our partners managed to maintain very good health in these smaller grapes however so our Pinot Noir Reserve 2010 has a high quality potential.

COTES DE GASCOGNE

The excellent sunny weather during the harvest perfected the ripening of the Sauvignon Blanc. Our first tastings confirm the great potential of this vintage.
The cooler weather during the growth cycle was very beneficial for the aromatic expression of our Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2010. This typical Sauvignon Blanc reveals lovely citrus and blackcurrant bud aromas after swirling.

PROVENCE

The vines came through the summer drought well, thanks to the winter rainfall that had replenished the water tables. We thus gained a good acidity level, maintaining the balance with the vintage’s high alcoholic degrees.
The Côtes de Provence Rosé is showing a pale robe and is full of finesse. Notes of tropical fruit mingle with fruit drop aromas.

Hopes are high for this 2010. It could be a great vintage despite irregularities in certain regions.
One common factor however: very low yields, a lower crop than 2009, and one of the lowest of this last decade, after 2008!

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