After a hot, dry summer, the month of August ended with a storm during which some 50mm of rain fell in our area, providing the vines with the water they needed to ripen.
The weather during the harvest remained sunny, but with chilly and sometimes windy mornings.
Besides the white varieties, the first vines to be harvested were the Syrah, in early September. They gave ripe, highly concentrated juice (Syrah yields this year averaged around 35 hectolitres per hectare).
The grapes ripened daily and in perfect health (thanks to favourable weather) and we succeeded in harvesting each of the selected parcels in excellent conditions.
The grapes were vinified separately by variety, selection and terroir. The top-range selections of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache underwent carbonic maceration lasting 12 to 27 days, depending on the wine. Fermentation of the other cuvees lasted between 6 and 16 days at the most.
Depending on the type of wine we wish to obtain, some grapes are vinified in the traditional way, while others are stemmed to obtain more supple wines.
The results of the 2002 harvest are very satisfactory.
The traditional Corbières were rather mixed, some of them being a little too lively at first, although subsequently rounding out. These wines will be light and fruity. The best selections in the Corbières range are the result of excellent cuvees most of which have been aging since last November in oak barrels.
The others will be vat-aged for several months.
Finally, the grapes that went into our vins de pays varietals - Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet and Mourvèdre, for example - posed no problem during vinification and have yielded wines with distinctive varietal character.
Initial tastings of the 2002 vintage are extremely promising. The wines will be ready for sale in a few months, or in a few years in the case of products such as our Cuvée Sextant.
SYRAH
Deep red and highly concentrated wines with the flavour of stewed, slightly jammy black fruits. The ripeness of the grapes has resulted in substantial but rounded tannins, making generous, mouthfilling wines.
GRENACHE NOIR
These wines have distinctive varietal character, with a powerful taste of ripe fruits and spices. The tannins are supple but weighty, and with the right aging should achieve excellent results.
CARIGNAN
This is the most typical grape variety of our appellation. It demands meticulous care and patience throughout the harvest and vinification process, but the results obtained from the selected parcels have fulfilled all our expectations. These are intensely flavoursome cuvees with typical varietal character. The concentration we obtained was thanks to the patience of the winegrowers who waited for the right moment to harvest. The selected cuvees are richly tannic and deeply coloured. Aging will help round out the naturally rather rugged tannic structure.
Our 1999 Cuvée SEXTANT, which won a gold medal at Macon and another gold medal in the "Silène" section of the Grands Vins du Languedoc competition, is extremely popular. We will soon be forced to limit sales for this vintage. Contact us for more details.
The same goes for the 1998 SEXTANT SEDUCTION sales of which are restricted to six bottles per customer (availability is down to 1,800 bottles) while stocks last. Featured in the 2002 Hachette Wine Guide.
The 1998 TERRE D'OCTAVIANA, which won a silver medal at Macon is now ready for drinking. Ask for our special "discovery" promotion price on this cuvee. But beware - quantities are limited.
