2005 at Domaine de Marcoux

Winter was very cold, and above all, very windy. From 24 January to mid-March, the Mistral blew practically non-stop, and often very powerfully (gusting up to 110 km/h). 

It was very cold in February but also in March, when it froze every night from 1-15 March (as low as -10°C) and with the Mistral ever-present!

After some small showers in early April, on 17 April we finally had some “proper” rain: 100 mm, followed by 35 mm on 14 May. Sheer bliss!
Summer was dry, with the Mistral still blowing. The vines suffered but hung in there, thanks no doubt to the cool nights and no heatwave.
Five minutes after we began harvesting the Roussanne, it began to rain! In-between showers, we picked the white-wine varieties, the Syrah and the Cinsault. 
Then came four days of heavy rain: about 100 mm. We stopped and waited for the last varieties to ripen, then resumed picking until 1 October, in wonderful sunshine but a powerful Mistral!
The grapes were superb, and the vinifications went well.
Between 1 October 2004 and 1 September 2005, very little rain fell: just 490 mm.