Dear Friends, 

I am happy to present you with the new vintage 2019. From the start the cultivation of the vines and development of the grapes wasn’t easy. In May we had a strong wined that decimated the budding, in June a drop in temperature interrupted the lengthening of the bunches, in July a heavy hailstorm that damaged the canes, leaves and grapes. But thanks to our tireless work we managed to revive the the plants and the grapes.

In fact, even if the quantity of the grapes was reduced, the majority of what we harvested was of the highest quality, well-ripened, flavorful and aromatic. To guarantee a high quality, we did three passes in each vineyard selecting only the best bunches, relieving the plant of some fruit and giving the other bunches the opportunity to mature in better conditions. Luckily then the weather became truly exceptional and fantastic, always dry, ventilated with sun and temperatures constant from 21-24℃. After so, so much work and fatigue, we are proud to have done the best work in a difficult year! As they say……the good sailor sees the storm. An affectionate toast to all from Italy's south. 

Vito Francesco Perrini and family

October 19th, 2019:

The 2019 harvest was a quick one!!! A big frost on May 6th really wiped us out. The heatwave over the summer didn't help and reduced yields further. 

So we had very little Chardonnay and  Ploussard, though the Chardonnay hung in there a bit more. The grapes left were beautiful and the juices are tasting good. Fermentations are going well! 

October 7th, 2019:

"It's a terrific vintage" as my friend Frederic says and how those those in our profession will all come to say.

We had an easy year, a few scares and negligible damage from frost. It was easy because we had very little struggle with our usual nemeses mildew and odium. It was easy because there was so little water. This was the case through the summer and followed an already dry 2018. This lasted all the way to the harvest. And we have to mention two episodes that broke all heat records: around 43 °C on July 25th and 46°C in some parcels of the Auxerrois. 

Up until the harvest, which took place from the 14th to the 25th of September, we alternated between more tolerable bouts of heat and a few rains that help refresh the atmosphere. Quantities are normal, which was a surprise, and the the analysis revealed balanced juices. Thanks to our team of Italian pickers from Abruzzo and Sicily, a Spaniard, an Ecuadorian woman, a Mongolian woman, a Japanese named Yuki who was with us all year and our usual crew, we had a beautiful harvest. It was almost always beautiful weather. The juices seem to be fermenting well. Let’s hope it stays that way. 

October 4th, 2019:

The scoop in 2019:

After the heatwave of June and July an intense drought, we were anticipating a small crop similar to 2017. By late August, there was still no rain. 

The quick and unexpected maturities of the Roussannes made us pick very quickly in Brézème and our worries were confirmed: the grapes were withered and the sugar levels were very high, though the acidity was there. After picking a a measly 20hl/ha, morale was not high. We decided we had to work in overdrive to harvest everything as quickly as possible before it burned. 

We picked the first reds in Saint-Julien on September 5th, starting with the Grenaches from l’Hôpital. A good surprise: this sector had fared much better: lots of grapes, perfectly healthy with reasonable maturities and good acidity. The result will be a more “northern” "Chat Fou" then the last two vintages. The Syrahs were just as good.

In the cellar, we started tallying our Saint-Julien harvest: there are way more grapes than we expected and they are magnificent. The temperature was still very hot, forcing us to harvest only in the morning. But morale is back. Even the Serines of Le Clau are generous. It’s starting to feel really good…

On the 11th, we head back to the Drôme to harvest Brézème, and it’s abundant. The maturities are similar to 2009 and the yields much higher. We decided to leave almost everything whole-cluster and minimize the macerations between five to eight days. The colors are intense, the fermentations are going well and the juices seem very pure. 

Nature has surprised and awed us. We really did not see this coming. The work is very intense in the vines and in the  cellar, we can barely move at the end of the day but all have a big smile. 

We ended with the Cinsaults of Saint-Julien: low potential of 12%, magnificent grapes and promising juices. Cinsault, along with Clairette, is the grape thriving in the increasingly extreme conditions imposed by climate change. Cinsault will also be a new addition to “Chat Fou”, consisting of 25% to 30% of the blend this year (and maybe in the future). It’s looking like a lot of picking selections massales and doing a lot of our own grafts and plantings coming years!

The winter of 2019 was mild, with records heats at the end of February, resulting in an early start of vegetation. The spring frosts, frequent in April and May, have been rife again this year. The thermometer descended below zero for the first time on April 4th, causing a black frost affecting all the parcels including those in hillside; then a second time on May 5th, a white frost fell on the plots at the bottom of the hillside. In total, the vineyard has been damaged up to 60%.


The spring that followed was rather dry and sunny, giving us good conditions for the development of the flower, with a very small presence of disease such as mildew. The beginning of the summer was punctuated by stormy episodes and then two heat waves from late June to mid-July. The vines then suffered from drought, giving birth to clusters of small berries.


The harvest took place under the sun in just 7 days from the 16th of September onwards. The quality of the harvest is superb, with a nice acidity and a superb concentration on the best parcels. We have the very low yields of 13 hl/ha.


The fermentations are going very well so far, without any input. Only our vigilance on the temperatures and aeration of the musts intervenes in the work of the Nature ...


This year we are doing a test of maceration of Chenin Blanc coming from a pretty plot driven in "gobelets", a case to follow!
 

October 10th, 2019:

The 2019 vintage is exceptional at the estate! Despite the high heats of the summer, the sanitary state of the grapes was impeccable.

The vats are full with juices magnificent in volume and quality. All of our cuvées will be released this year. 

Here are some photos.

October 20th, 2019:

2019: More Fear than Anything! 

After a complicated start with an episode of frost in early May which affected our Gamays and Pinots, the flowering in June announced a late vintage. But a a cloudless sky with no rain and a heatwave from June 15th to September 20th changed that. 

We began harvesting on September 12th. Despite the dryness and hydric stress on the young vines, our first Chardonnays are promising and balanced juices. The hot September days made sugar levels rise so we quickly picked the Sauvignons. With yields of 30 hl/ha and higher acidities than 2018, we anticipate a good vintage. 

It was however a minuscule crop for reds, though the wines should be good if unusually concentrated. The rosé will have a lot of freshness. 

We started picking Romorantin on September 25th. The grapes were magnificent, some rain finally came and the maturities were right to make dry wine. The fermentations are slow but the aromatic expression is already very promising.