The story of 2018 and our best wishes for 2019.

2018 :
Winter had almost passed us by when in February, just as the apricot trees had started to blossom, we finally had a proper cold spell.
Spring was not long in coming and by mid-April the vine had unfurled an abundance of delicate greenery.
The frequent, heavy rain showers that fell from late May to mid-July brought with them a high risk of mildew, but our repeated work in the vineyard paid off and we were able to protect our vines. By the end of this period, the future bunches of grapes were plentiful and looked good!
Next came a hot, dry spell – very hot and very dry – the sort of weather where you’d rather nap in the shade of a tree than tend to the vine! However, despite the dryness, the vines didn’t suffer very much. In late August, the maturity levels of the grapes indicated that the harvest would be early.

Harvesting started on 5th September and 16 days of picking the grapes, in shorts
and sunhats, ensued, with just one light, morning shower to cool the air. The condition of the grapes was never a concern – all the bunches remained healthy right up until
the end of the harvest.
The biggest challenge of this harvest was to retain freshness so, as soon as a plot
of vines started showing aromatic maturity – and given the continuous sunshine,
this could happen in the space of a day or even a few hours -, the team was sent
in to pick the grapes. In the winery, to retain the acidity of the juice, we carried out gentle extractions and kept the maximum pressure of the presses lower than
in normal years.
The 2018 juice was ripe with about 13% potential alcohol. The whites are full and the reds show great structure.
They will contrast nicely with the 2017 vintage that we are currently selling: very typical of the Loire, drinking well now but could benefit from some bottle ageing.
In youth they remind us of our 2014 vintage, which looked very fine and elegant after 4 years’ ageing.
We look to you to continue to share our wines and thank you for your kind collaboration!
We hope you have a great time around the Christmas table and wish you all the best for
2019.

The Pellés