Guilane Godot, Export Director at Champagne Duval-Leroy just sent us this summary of the 2011 harvest:"This year's Champagne harvest came to its end. In our own vineyards, the last grapes were picked on September 3rd. Since August 17th (just before the beginning of the harvest) the climate has remained as unpredictable as it has since the month of May: a few very hot days, rainy and sometimes very heavy rainy periods, and some fresher, more temperate days. These were not ideal conditions for the finale to the maturation cycle. The growers had to be very careful with their picking priorities according to:
- - the maturity, which was very variable from a vine to another
- - the sanitary conditions of some “Meunier” and more occasionally of “Pinot Noir” locations
Some locations postponed the beginning of the harvest for a few days. The harvest reached a maturity of 9 and 10 degrees of alcoholic strength and acidities between 7.5 to 8 gms. Degree levels are therefore a little lower than forecast. Our plot “Clos des Bouveries” was harvested at 10 degrees of alcohol.
With an early harvest, we could expect to have degree levels on average slightly higher. This unusual climate for the end of August disturbed the evolution of the maturation cycle. The sanitary conditions of the Chardonnay grapes were perfect throughout the harvest. Some areas of Meunier were more prone to botrytis, as well as some plots of Pinot Noir.
With a large potential size of harvest, the winegrowers could make a good selection of grapes during the picking. Even if it is too early to make a definitive judgement, it seems that the 2011 harvest is qualitatively good on average. It will not be as great a vintage as 2008, but this will be a good year for blends of great Chardonnay (for example, Clos des Bouveries) and locations of excellent Pinot Noir. All this will be confirmed during the first tasting of the vins clairs. As of today we are optimistic."
#63684 - NV Brut (12x750ml)
#63681 - NV Brut (1x3L)
#63644 - 2006 Brut "Paris"
#63664 - NV Brut Rose
#63654 - Blanc de Chardonnay
#63624 - 2004 "Clos des Bouveries"
#63314 - 1995 "Femme"
With an early harvest, we could expect to have degree levels on average slightly higher. This unusual climate for the end of August disturbed the evolution of the maturation cycle. The sanitary conditions of the Chardonnay grapes were perfect throughout the harvest. Some areas of Meunier were more prone to botrytis, as well as some plots of Pinot Noir.
With a large potential size of harvest, the winegrowers could make a good selection of grapes during the picking. Even if it is too early to make a definitive judgement, it seems that the 2011 harvest is qualitatively good on average. It will not be as great a vintage as 2008, but this will be a good year for blends of great Chardonnay (for example, Clos des Bouveries) and locations of excellent Pinot Noir. All this will be confirmed during the first tasting of the vins clairs. As of today we are optimistic."
#63684 - NV Brut (12x750ml)
#63681 - NV Brut (1x3L)
#63644 - 2006 Brut "Paris"
#63664 - NV Brut Rose
#63654 - Blanc de Chardonnay
#63624 - 2004 "Clos des Bouveries"
#63314 - 1995 "Femme"
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