2007 at Domaine de Marcoux
Winter was very mild: no big Mistral, and no rain either!
Pruning went smoothly.
The heat arrived in early April (22-27°C); some rainfall in May and June caused a little mildew, but nothing serious. The vines flowered early; we began to see the first berries form on 25 June – a first for ourselves and our employees!
But summer was cold and very dry; the grapes ripened slowly.
Harvesting began in a very strong Mistral (up to 110 km/h) – so strong, in fact, that it knocked the bunches off the vines. It was slightly disheartening to see these handsome bunches withering on the ground.
It lasted more than a week… We’re used to it, but it’s hard for everyone to be outside in such a severe wind. In the evening, you feel punch-drunk.
We finished the harvest on 20 September.
The winemaking went well, though with very high alcohol levels – up to 17° for the old vines, but Sophie kept everything well under control. The fermentations were problem-free, and the wines were “dry” by 15 October.
In autumn, we began work on the cellar. We knocked down and rebuilt some of the buildings, and redesigned the others.