1999 at Domaine de Marcoux

The last pruning programme of the century began on 11 December, earlier than usual.
This was because we wanted to make time for planting and tending the replacement vines; the earlier we plant them, the better they do. 
They thus received the rains of late winter and spring, and their roots pushed down more vigorously. 
It was a cold winter, with the Mistral prominent; a tiny bit of rain in April, then a more reasonable 60 mm of precipitation in May, and a powerful Mistral at month’s end. July was sunny, while two lots of rains in early August helped the vines prepare for véraison.
The grapes were healthy despite a few spots of downy mildew on leaves, late in the season, which had no real effect on the quality of the crop.