The warm and dry autumn gave way to a winter approching to the norm.
In late March, the early bud burst of the first Merlot plots exposed them to an episode of spring frost at the beginning of April, which had no impact on the yields of a vintage with great promise.
Frequent rainfall, high hygrometry and warm nights from April to mid-June have generated high mildew pressure, reflecting conditions in 2018 and 2021.
The energy deployed by all the winegrowers to rapidly get to the end of the green pruning and the strong dedication of our tractor drivers during this period have enabled us to contain the epidemic.
Throughout these episodes, favorable weather conditions enable flowering and setting of the grapes to occur smoothly, while the rain has the benefit of swelling the growing berries.
At the end of July, veraison had almost reached its peak, and ripening gradually progressed during summer, marked by a series of rainy periods with relatively low cumulative rainfall.
The arrival of a heat wave at the end of August will define the harvest strategies:
– Start harvesting the earliest-ripening Merlots and young vines affected by water stress.
– Delay harvesting of older Cabernet Sauvignon vines.
They will benefit from the warm late season to focus and refine their tannins, while preserving their freshness.
The keys to this vintage were the fight against mildew, yield management and patience in waiting for the old Cabernet vines on the noblest terroirs to reach full ripeness.

AOC SAINT-JULIEN
Second cru classé en 1855
AREA UNDER VINES : 82 ha
SOIL : Garonne gravel from the first quaternary, settled more than 600 000 years ago