2011 Vintage -- The Story So Far

How is the current vintage shaping up? Spring was exceptionally warm and dry. The vines were 3 weeks ahead of the normal lifecycle in early May. And this dry and warm spring continued through June. In early July the vendanges were predicted to start on August 25th! This would suggest 2011 would be similar to 2003. But then a cool and damp July set in and the grapes have slowed their development. This suggests a vintage more similar to 2007 which was very hot in spring and then was followed by a cloudy and cool summer. So, with 4 weeks left to go we can expect 2011 will be a vintage with an attractive fruit and floral nose (from the sunny, dry spring) and potentially a fresher palate due to the cool and rainy July. The structure depends on what happens in August. The forecast is for warm (23-29 oC) weather in the first half interspersed with local thunder storms.

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