2015 crop

06.10.2015

Côte d'Or
We harvested under excellent conditions, and the grapes were very healthy. It is the consequence of a year characterized by heat and drought and thus producing low yields.

Chablis
Just before we started picking, a hail storm damaged part of our vineyard. We rushed to harvest these vines first; all of them were already of good maturity level.
In the parts spared by hail, the quality of the grapes was excellent; the berries hit by hail were bruised but did not have time to be affected by any fungal disease. We were favoured by excellent weather conditions.
The quantity is just average.

DDO
Harvesting is now over; it was early, as in Burgundy. The grapes were gorgeous and very rich in sugar.
The first vatfuls have been racked off, and without any surprise they display attractive colours, beautiful fruit flavours and quite often a solid structure.
It is too early to give the style of the vintage.
As it happened last year, some hot temperatures just before the harvest caused a light withering on pinot noir grapes but the yields are good. The year enjoyed a high potential.

Philippe J. DROUHIN

Our estate in Burgundy - First impressions
REDS
This year the colours were revealed very quickly; they are now red, deep, of high intensity.
The fermenting process was controlled to avoid too quick fermentations that would have been over within a few days due to natural sugar content and native yeasts. Globally, fermentations and post-fermentations lasted 3 weeks. We are now progressively racking off the vats.
The tastings reveal a very nice ruby-red colour. Aromas are very fruity and concentrated.
The wines show both an interesting tannic balance and a beautiful freshness, in spite of a rather low level of malic acidity. The maturing process will continue over the next months.

WHITES
They are all finishing or undergoing their alcoholic fermentations and are now still low in sugar.
They kept their fruity, floral and powerful aromas all through the fermenting process.
The Mâconnais wines offer sweeter aromas than those from the Chablis area, probably because the grapes were more concentrated with little juice, as a consequence of the lack of water during the year. The Chablis wines are very pleasant. The whites from Côte d'Or are complex and full-bodied.

At this stage, it is difficult to compare 2015 to another vintage, but at present the wines look promising and are evolving nicely.

Frédéric DROUHIN