Languedoc Vintage Reports

Domaine de Martinolles (Limoux), Jean-Pual Mas :

The harvest began on 10th August, making it the earliest since 2003; but it also turned out to be the longest, with harvests not finished until October 20th. Autumn and winter had been rainy. Mildew was a factor for many winemakers, with some even their entire crop. At Domaine de Martinolles, thanks to the vigilance and proactivity of the vineyard team, we were able to apply preventative measures allowing us to bring in excellent, healthy bunches. Starting in July, the lack of water began to have an effect; the grapes’ ripening gradually slowed. On the early-ripening grape varieties, the small amounts of rainfall helped to bring about a relatively rapid ripening. 2020 has given us optimum maturity, very satisfactory yields, but with different varieties ripening very close together and causing intense periods of harvesting. This required us to increase the size of our picking teams. Thanks to the efforts of these teams, we were able to harvest right on time. With the more concentrated grape varieties, ripening in 2020 took its time, a factor in the making of the great wines of the world. The vines gently nurtured their grapes, reaching into the deepest soils to find the perfect concentration for this vintage like no other. Our terroirs, both complex and generous, gave of their very best both in quality and quantity, with exceptional results. In the cellars, the grapes have shown a great freshness and a surprising sugar / acidity balance. The fermentations have gone smoothly.

Mas d'Alezon, (Faugeres) et Domaine Clovallon (Bédarieux), Catherine Roque

The 2013 vintage of Mas d’Alezon “Le Presbytere”, DEMETER certified, has a lovely fresh quality, with notes of red fruits, and the crunch of fresh grapes . It is generous in the mouth, with silky tannins.

The harvest is finally finished. We had a difficult vintage, requiring a lot of hard work. Now, I am reassured, the wines are tasting well. It is also our first vinification in our new cellar and we are quickly getting used to having more space to work in!