Château Fonréaud

90 Wine Enthusiast // 16,5 Jancis Robinson // 0r / Gold Medal Lyon

The demanding Vintage

The 2013 vintage reflects the extent to which climatic hazards can influence wine production: The naturehas forced growers to pay more and more attention to the vineyard in order to achieve optimal ripening. It’s also the charm of our job.

After a rainy and cool winter,the vegetation started off cautiously.The wet, cool spring resulted in slow vine growth and late bloom: Cabernet Sauvignon bloomed evenly while Merlot was slightly more heterogeneous.The remarkably warm and sunny summer helped to fill the heat deficit and catch up with the vine.The veraison began around the 10th of August.The months of September and October were characterized by a mild climate and a few moderate showers in Listrac.The harvest started on September 30th and ended on October 12th.The quantities harvested are small. The optimal ripening of the grapes was not obvious to determine and the date of the harvest was dictated both by the observation, the tasting of the grapes and the climatic conditions: A constant attention will have been necessary to the vine and the sorting work even more intense than usual.

The winemaking was done at moderate temperature in order to promote the expression of the fruit and a harmonious structure.Small harvest therefore of a very pleasant wine, charming, with soft tannins, whose freshness delights the palate