Château
Capet-Guillier
2017
Château
Capet-Guillier
2017
Climatic conditions
January was cold and dry, followed by mild, rainy weather in February and March, causing early budburst.
With little rainfall and 24 to 28°C heat peaks, spring proved ideal for budburst and was a time of particularly vigorous growth.
Unfortunately, from April 16th onwards, the nights became cooler, with severe frosts on the 27th, 28th and 29th of April. The first frosts hit the vineyard hard, with temperatures dropping to lows of -4°C.
April will be remembered as a month of historically low temperatures, with three successive frost episodes, destroying 80% of the total harvest.
Vegetative recovery was slow.
For those vines spared by the frost, flowering lasted for about ten days in extremely favourable conditions.
A damp month of June prevented water stress, and growth of vines and berries was extremely rapid.
A dry summer with an impression of autumn freshness.
Vintage presentation
An early vintage and rainfall from early September hastened harvesting, which began on the 25th.
Very low volume, suitable technological maturity, with distinct aromatic freshness.
Atypical due to the devastating spring frost, but still with aromatic expression, colour, fruit and freshness.
From the vine to the glass
Vinification with extraction by punching down over a short period, to preserve freshness.
Ageing in 50% new and 50% one-wine barrels for a 12-month period.
Tasting
This vintage was hit by frost, which raged for four consecutive mornings at the end of April, affecting the vines at the foot of the slopes even more severely. The vintage was late and rainy, with a dry summer and heavy rainfall in the run-up to the harvest.
The colour is intense for the vintage, with purple highlights. Its complex nose is still dominated by fresh fruit: wild strawberries, redcurrants, red berries, accompanied by a few spices and hints of garrigue. On the palate, after a lovely fresh attack, the structure is more discreet, due to its youth. The tannins are young, but offer impressive length for this vintage.
James Suckling – 92 pts
Terre de Vin – 92 pts
Antonio Galloni, Vinous – 91 pts