Beaucastel
The Vintage
In 2010 there was 20% more rainfall than average, therefore the vines did not suffer from hydric stress. Most of the rain fell at the beginning of the spring and caused a lot of shatter mainly on Grenache, explaining the smaller crops in this vintage.
After a cool and damp spring, the months of July and August were very hot with 55 days of temperatures exceeding 30°C (against 53 in 2005 and 34 in 2007) and very dry (one the driest summers since 1871). In August the nights became cooler and at the beginning of September we had plenty rainfall followed immediately by a few days of strong Mistral.The beautiful weather carried on and turned into an Indian summer with very hot and windy days throughout September and October and cold nights. The large variations in temperatures between day and night allowed the grapes to reach perfect maturity but still preserving a good acidity level.
The cool spring and cold nights delayed the maturity of the grapes and harvest started fairly late and the weather conditions were perfect throughout harvest. The Indian summer allowed to reach maturity on late harvest varieties such as Mourvèdre and Counoise and to maintain a healthy crop.
The wines are concentrated with intense notes of fruit but they are also very balanced and extremely elegant. It is similar to vintages such as 1978.
