This week is En Primeur week. We have been hearing for months that the vintage 2018 is looking exceptional in many parts of the world – Bordeaux is no exception.

CHÂTEAU GRAND BARRAIL LAMARZELLE FIGEAC 2018, SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU

The first few months of the year were characterised by high rainfall. Flowering went well, during an opportune, clement window of opportunity, confirming our initial hopes spurred by bud break in April. Fortunately, we avoided the hailstorms in May, which hit some of the vineyards on the right bank. Mild spring temperatures, coupled with high levels of humidity, placed us under serious pressure. The impending threat of mildew caused us to increase our vigilance in the vines. The return of very sunny weather gave hope to our teams, who had not relinquished their efforts to protect the vines, and adhering to environmentally- conscious protocols.

Hot and sunny, summer boosted ripening in the grapes. Significant water reserves accumulated at the start of the year protected the vines from excessive stress. We approached the relatively early harvests in a total state of calm, picking by hand and tailoring our schedules to individual rows. The grapes were exceptional in terms of ripeness and quality. We rolled out densimetric sorting across the vineyard, a practice introduced in 2016. This is followed by a final sort by hand to eliminate the last remaining MOG.

We were aware of the excellent quality potential quite early on, as soon as we started vinification. The wines are concentrated, rich and intensely aromatic. After the 2017 frosts, which hit the estate hard, the 2018 vintage is a gift from Nature.