The 2013 vintage in the Languedoc
2013 was not a straightforward year – what vintage ever
is? But compared with the rest of
France, the Languedoc has fared very well, escaping most of the major climatic
hazards that have beset other regions.
The one exception is Limoux which suffered from hail at the end of
July. Hail is always very localised;
some people escaped without any damage at all; others lost a significant part
of their crop.
The key climatic factors of 2013 were the wet spring and the
late arrival of summer. St. Chinian had
the coldest May since 1950, and that slowed the development of grapes down by at
least two weeks. There was also a lot
of rain, making it the wettest spring for about thirty years, but that meant
that there was no danger of water stress during the summer. Bad weather at flowering in June reduced
yields, though Pic St. Loup fared better here. Grenache Noir is particularly susceptible to coulure, when the grapes fail to form
properly, so most people are complaining of very small yields for their
Grenache. The late arrival of summer meant a late
harvest. Sometimes the grapes catch up,
but this year they did not. My friends at
Rives Blanques in Limoux started their harvest two days after the end of the harvest
in 2012, on 1st October and reckon they picked the last white grapes of the Languedoc on 17th October. And friends
in the Minervois and Corbières were still picking the later ripening grapes,
notably Mourvèdre in mid-October. St.
Chinian finished about 12th October, and Faugères around 15th. Vignerons
get nervous when the harvest threatens to be late, but happily September was
bright and sunny, and the rain that did fall, did not harm the grapes. The grapes have ripened well, with supple
tannins and some freshness; and the whites are nicely aromatic and fresh. Certainly the 2013s that I tasted at Vinisud
showed plenty of promise.
However, the Comité
des Vin du Languedoc which works hard to promote the wines of the Languedoc is
very aware that the preconception of 2013 in the Languedoc risks being tainted by
the problems that beset the vintage of
more prestigious areas such as Bordeaux,
Burgundy and the Rhone Valley. These
are regions where the weather really was not kind in 2013, giving severe
problems with rain, rot and hail. So the
CIVL has produced an eye-catching badge saying: Millésime 2013 en Languedoc -
320 jours de soleil comme nulle part ailleurs! 2013 in the Languedoc -320 days of sunshine, unlike anywhere else. 'Please spread the word', said my friend, Christine, from the CIVL, so I
am.
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