[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.24″ background_image=”https:\/\/www.domainedemarcoux.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/marcoux-fond-accueil-1-top.jpg” box_shadow_style=”preset6″ box_shadow_blur=”39px” box_shadow_spread=”-2px” background_last_edited=”on|phone” background_image_phone=”https:\/\/www.domainedemarcoux.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/marcoux-fond-accueil-responsive.jpg”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ custom_padding=”||2px|||” _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Titre (dynamique)” _builder_version=”3.24″ _dynamic_attributes=”content”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMT4iLCJhZnRlciI6IjwvaDE+In19@[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ custom_padding=”5px|||||” _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.domainedemarcoux.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/marcoux-millesime-2017.jpg” _builder_version=”3.24″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24″ text_font=”||||||||” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
Autumn 2016 was fine and calm \u2013 typical weather for the season, dotted by showers, especially in late November.
Winter slowly settled in, but in mid-January there was a very chilly episode with a strong Mistral. A dusting of snow fell on 25 January; followed the day after by rain that caused black ice on the roads \u2013 something we rarely see in these parts. In the space of a morning, ice covered the vines \u2013 a beautiful sight.<\/p>\n
Spring came quickly. The vines have already grown plenty when, on 21 April, we had a cold snap: 0\u00b0C in the morning. This had no impact in Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape, but many vineyards froze in the C\u00f4tes du Rh\u00f4ne and the Ventoux. Indeed, Mont Ventoux was covered in snow \u2013 it\u2019s very unusual to see green vines with a snowy summit in the background.<\/p>\n
Maybe this was why the Grenache suffered coulure (the flowers don\u2019t develop fruit); and the other varieties didn\u2019t develop many clusters either.
We were facing a tiny crop.<\/p>\n
The summer heat arrived as early as May, and there were some very hot episodes in June (37.6\u00b0C on 25 June), July and August. (40\u00b0C on 4 August) often accompanied by the Mistral. In August, it blew for a dozen days, with gusts up to 80 km\/h.
The vines planted last winter needed several waterings \u2013 a very time-consuming task.<\/p>\n
Summer is always cicada season, but this year there were thousands of them. When walking amid the vines, we had to duck to avoid them! And they got into the cars through open windows… We had singing in stereo everywhere!<\/p>\n
Sun, Mistral, no rain: everything was dry and scorched: the slopes, ditches, scrubland and also the vineyards, where there wasn\u2019t a blade of grass\u2026
The combined rainfall in June, July, August, September and October: 38.1 mm \u2013 a miserably small amount. Only on 1 November did we get some proper rain (48 mm)!<\/p>\n
The vines withstood the drought to varying degrees, depending on the district; but as the small crop was small, the grapes didn\u2019t suffer too much. They were ripening fast, especially the white-wine varieties and the Syrah.
We were forced to cut short our holidays. We had been due to come home on 24 August, when we actually harvested our Roussanne \u2013 the earliest date on record. We continued on the 28th with the Syrah, and then we waited. The first Grenache bunches were picked on 11 September, and we took our time, through to the finish on 28 September.
Not only were there few clusters, there was little juice in the berries \u2013 which would further reduce quantity. But the grapes were of perfect quality. Despite the year\u2019s weather, the grapes did not roast as in 2003; and they kept their frame and freshness.<\/p>\n
This vintage was all about quality, not quantity.
Attractive colours, velvety well-integrated tannins, freshness, and an appealing texture on the palate: 2017 would be an excellent vintage, rich and well balanced.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Navigation entre les posts” _builder_version=”3.25.4″ global_module=”1971″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25.4″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=”on” _builder_version=”3.25.4″][\/et_pb_post_nav][et_pb_text admin_label=”Retour Millesimes” module_class=”back_millesimes” _builder_version=”3.25.4″ text_font=”||||||||” text_text_align=”center” link_option_url=”\/millesimes”]Tous les mill\u00e9simes<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Autumn 2016 was fine and calm \u2013 typical weather for the season, dotted by showers, especially in late November. Winter slowly settled in, but in mid-January there was a very chilly episode with a strong Mistral. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vintages"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n