Taking stock : the 2016 harvest
After several months of work, our wine technicians are reporting on the 2016 harvest.__________
2016 will be an exceptional vintage for Fronton, both in terms of quality and quantity. The year did not bode well, with a cold spring and frequent rains until July. But the months of August and September were particularly beautiful and hot, which allowed the grapes to mature beautifully, the harvest was extremely healthy and very aromatic.
The harvest began on the 9th of September and the winery closed on Wednesday 19th October. It was an endurance harvest compared to last year when we finished in almost a month. This year's gross volume in Fronton is close to 90,200hl, against 73,000hl (gross) in 2015.
2016 will be remembered for its exceptional harvest at the Gaillac vineyard too, and the length of the harvest period. Our fears during the month of July as to the health of the grapes have not been realised. Indeed, the weather in August and September has enabled us to harvest healthy grapes. The quality of the wines is good, and the vintage includes some very fruity wines.
In Cahors, the 2016 vintage was marked by exceptional weather conditions with several episodes of hail on the plateaux during April, frost in the valleys and a difficult flowering, where rains and low temperatures have led to run-off. Low rainfall during the summer delayed the onset of maturity. The high phytosanitary pressure in the spring was very well controlled by the winemakers. A very dry summer caused significant delays in maturity, compared with the precocity of beginning of season. Overall, a low forecast.
The harvest at the Lot vineyard began on September 27. The mild weather of September and October combined with low rainfall promoted the maturity and growth of grapes and also maintained the grapes in a very healthy state until the end of the grape harvest on the 18th of October. In the valley overall, the objectives were achieved, which was a nice surprise after our forecasts. IGP plots meeting the criteria for our wines, with supple and fruity wines, very beautiful maturity for the AOPs, rich and structured wines. Low volumes on the plateau areas due to weather hazards, good maturity with fine and intense aromas of fruit.
A very good quality vintage, for which we have emphasized the vinification by region in the cellar of Cayx, by selecting of the best plots of our vineyards.