The early winter is very cold and wet. At Christmas, the weather changes and becomes softer. January is mild, the month of February is cold but dry, no snow this year. March is cold and wet. Late March and early April are hot for the season. Vegetation, started, 10 days ahead of 2010.
The heat continues in April with temperatures around 30 ° C during the day. May was hot and dry.
Flowering starts in late May with two weeks ahead of the year 2010 which, if it was less hot than other vintages, was still part of the early years.

In late June, the veraison began on Mourvedre and Syrah. We were concerned about the advance of the vegetation who was accumulated and which might lead us to harvest some grapes before August 15th. Fortunately, the prevailing balance in nature and we had a weather change from the end of June with rain followed by cool weather and Mistral wind.
July was then washed and fresh. The vine then lost his advance. The veraison has continue, but more slowly. Summer rains were adequate and not excessive.
August 4th, the maturity checks show that the vine was at the same stage as it was in August 4th 2007. The climatic conditions with the cool beginning of summer allowed the grapes to slow its progression and we could start the harvest after August 20th, which is more reasonable.

About the grapes, due to the weather we have at the end of the season, the health was perfect. The Grenache grape didn’t had any coulure this year, by the way, the crop could be sometime consequent on young vines. A green harvest was sometimes necessary.

The harvest began on August 24th at Domaine de l’Amauve with the first white grapes, Grenache Blanc and Viognier. The Clairettes grapes were harvested August 25th. We then continued with the first red grapes of Syrah August 26th. The harvest were done quietly without any rain, and we end them on September 7th.

Today, tasted at the tank, the white wines are expressive and aromatic and the red wines have a deep color with a beautiful expression of fruit, plenty of tannins with a great finesse.
I am very confident with this vintage for the Domaine de l'Amauve, because it has a high concentration and a lot of expression.

Based on the comparisons that were made at various points in the Rhone Valley, the 2011 vintage seems to have been in similar climatic conditions to the 2007 vintage. We will see in a few months, when the wines will taste well, if these comparisons are relevant.

This year, our harvesting team was :
Monique, Camille, Claudine, Martine, Franck, Benjamin, James, Michel, Mohamed, Guy, Thomas.
 

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