Vintages

2020

Foolproof adaptability!!!

2020 will go down in history in more ways than one.

We first experienced a very mild winter which allowed the vines to bud (buds bloom) very early, around two weeks in advance. The cool, humid weather of spring does not affect this advance and the flowering and fruit-set stages are rapid and regular: spring in winter and winter in spring.

And then, spring 2020 ushers in the first strict lockdown for everyone, during which labor is difficult to find. So we are all mobilizing in the vineyard, not being able to go meet our customers. Mildew pressure is still strong this year but our work allows us to channel it to bring the grapes to good maturity and promising potential.

The harvest at Petit Mangot begins on September 14 (the advance of spring is still there in September!!!). Merlots have a very deep color and very intense fruitiness. The Cabernet Francs are picked in turn a week later and offer us very colorful and tannic juices, of perfect maturity.

2019

A great vintage…in “9”

Flowering and veraison, two crucial stages, were very heterogeneous with an astonishing disparity on the same plot. The month of August and its summer temperatures help the grapes ripen. But, as usual, September, with its beautiful warm and sunny days and its cool nights, completes a maturity that can be described as excellent.  

In mid-September, the weather forecasts predict a week ahead of very hot weather (35°C). So we made the decision to harvest the next day (September 15), Amandine, a young plant of which it is the 1^st harvest year, because it is already suffering a lot and the berries are losing weight!! We therefore organize manual harvests at short notice with friends and family.

The other plots will wait a few more days to obtain perfect maturity.

The years in “9” always delight us…2019 does not disprove the belief!!! Like the great vintages 1989, 1999, 2009 (to name a few), 2019 offers us wines of great freshness with remarkable aromatic power. The black fruit aromas so specific to Merlot are very intense with a nice balance.

2018

From fear to relief

The 2018 vintage will not have spared us any fear!!

First of all in spring, where the temperatures are getting milder, it rains, it rains, it doesn't stop raining...thus favoring the proliferation of mildew on very small, fragile and very sensitive branches!!

Added to this are unfortunately violent episodes of hail which put the entire region under stress. Some are lucky to be spared, like us in Petit Mangot, but others find themselves without a harvest, like in the Blaye region. Bourg…a nightmare, so many episodes follow one another!!

But after the rain comes the good weather!! In mid-July, the sun delights us with its rays and will not leave us before the harvest. Thus, we will be able to wait for the grapes to ripen perfectly and begin our harvest on September 28.

Thus we obtained magnificent maturity with very high quality tannins and remarkable fruit.

Proud to have been able to see this chaotic harvest through to the end, but that's what makes the charm of our great profession.

Presentation of the vintage by the Saint Émilion Wine Council: 2018

2017

He comes from far away

The extremely mild temperatures of February and even hot temperatures of March led to early vegetative growth, too early.

During the night of April 26 to 27, temperatures dropped to -2° in the vines, which is more than enough to cause very serious damage to an already well-grown vine. So, that night, 50% of Petit Mangot’s harvest was wiped out. However, the particularly warm climate of May allows for early, rapid and even flowering, which gives us hope for the plots not affected by frost.

During the summer, the alternation of stormy episodes and drought but without excessive heat allows a satisfactory development of the maturity of the grapes. Despite a deterioration in climatic conditions at the beginning of September, the providential return of the anticyclone will allow the Merlots grown on later terroirs such as those of Petit Mangot, as well as our Cabernets, to complete their maturation in a favorable climate.

If all the conditions for a great vintage are not completely met in 2017, we are proud to have succeeded in producing colorful, fruity, tasty Merlots with good aging potential. It would therefore be a mistake to neglect this vintage, certainly more heterogeneous than 2015 and 2016 but offering some nice surprises!!

2016

A remarkable vintage

After a complicated year due to attacks of mildew in spring and a very dry summer, harvest projections were rather pessimistic. But that was without counting on the rains at the beginning of September and the Indian summer during the harvest. All these conjunctions allowed the grapes to reach perfect maturity and save this vintage. This vintage has come a long way.

Thus the 2016 vintage promises to be remarkable both in terms of quality and quantity and a homogeneity characteristic of great vintages.

The wines are fruity, very smooth and have very round tannins.

They are concentrated with pronounced colors: dark color, balanced with beautiful acidity, very elegant tannins and a beautiful length on the palate.

It will be enjoyed with pleasure in young years and has very long aging potential.

2015

A great vintage

The 2015 vintage benefited from rare ripening conditions with ideal weather. However, at the end of July, the land was very dry, the vines were in complete water stress. The month of August, with precipitation, saved us. The vegetation has regained its rights. And September was very beautiful: we didn't have any great heat but we enjoyed lots of sunshine. During the last weeks, the nights were cool. The thermal amplitude between day and night allows the grape skins to relax and retract, and thus refine the tannins. These long periods of maturity are the secret of great vintages!!

Everything went well, from flower to harvest. We had some very nice Cabernets and Merlots. The balances between sugars and acids are very interesting.

The reds have very silky, crunchy tannins with lots of fruit and elegance, density and a beautiful length and roundness in line with the great vintages, such as 2005, 2009 or 2010.

It will be enjoyed with pleasure in young years and has very long aging potential.