2012 : A balanced vintage
The first cold days of November marked the end of the devatting of the new vintage. It benefited from the optimal climatic conditions necessary to make great wines:
Between April and July 2012, temperatures ranged from an average low of 13°C and an average high of 24.7°C. At the beginning of the summer, the total rainfall on Châteauneuf- du-Pape was no more than 52mm, a figure on par with that of 2010.
The summer ended as it had begun, dry and hot, with average low temperatures at 16.53°C in August and September (against 16.11°C in 2011) and high at 28.25°C (28.63°C in 2011).
From April to September, bright sunshine total amounted to 1811 hours, on par with 2010 (1837 h) but lower than in 2011 (1905 h) -a year with a particularly sunny summer.
It rained at the end of August, allowing the vegetation to avoid a long –thus dangerous- water stress, and then again at the end of September, allowing the perfect maturity of the grapes harvested late. In most cases, the harvest began mid-September and ended mid- October.
Generally, the vineyard being disease-free, the grapes were healthy, aerated and coloured. A long vetting process (4 weeks) allowed the winemakers to extract the best of this quality harvest.
After racking, the wines are dark, well-balanced, fruity, round and unctuous. Because the level of malic acid was quite high this year, the tannins have become more refined after the malolactic fermentation. The percentage of alcohol is moderate.
Yields are low with around 30 to 32 hectolitres per hectare (maximum allowed in the appellation: 35 hl / ha).
Nevertheless, the winegrowers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are particularly satisfied with the 2012 harvest.
As the first AOC wine in France in 1936, the 3,150 hectares of the appellation extend over 5 communes: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bédarrides, Courthézon, Orange, and Sorgues. With 300 harvest declarants, the appellation produces an average of 90,000 hectoliters per vintage, or about 12 million bottles, distributed to 93% for red wines and 7% for white wines. Benefiting from a unique natural heritage, the AOC relies on 13 grape varieties, 5 distinct terroirs, and an exceptional climate, marked by sun and mistral, to produce exceptional wines distributed mainly for export (66% of volumes in 2021). Historically and continuously committed to sustainable development issues, 35% of the AOC’s surfaces are managed in organic or biodynamic agriculture.
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