The sun has been shining gloriously in the Rhone this week. I spent Monday and Tuesday tasting in the South under bright skies and there was the distinct air of optimism and contentment amongst the growers, all of whom seem delighted with the 2012 harvest.
It has been a late vintage, not helped by an extremely dry season that resulted in vines shutting down. As soon as a little rain arrived at the end of August ripening continued in brilliant conditions. The crop is a small one but promises much, we will see.
My main purpose here, of course, is to taste the 2011s. This is a very different vintage to 2012 and to any other Rhone vintage of recent years, for that matter. Spring and early summer were unseasonably fine and hot, flowering was therefore very successful and the potential crop high. This was one of 2011's challenges, limiting the crop. The other was a heat wave at the end of August that resulted in grapes increasing in sugars and therefore potential alcohols very quickly, two degrees in a matter of days as one grower quoted me. Summer had been mixed, there was not the drought that characterised the last two vintages. There was enough rain so ripening the grapes was no issue, limiting the ripeness and alcohol was the key as well as reducing yields enough to ensure a sufficient level of depth in the wines.