| Trottevieille 2002 • August 2003 | TROTTEVIEILLE
1st Great Classified Growth "B"
2002 Vintage
Weather conditions :
November and December were cold, which was healthy for the vine wood and good for sending the sap down to the roots. Temperatures got milder as from the middle of January.
What may seem surprising was a severe lack of water in the soil every month, from –25 mm to –78 mm, with the exception of the months of May and August.
September was very sunny with over 52 hours, the highest recorded sunshine of the last 12 years.
Growing season :
The flowering began at the end of May and ended on the 12th June. The weather was cool and damp, leading to an uneven pollination, followed by substantial coulure.
While the light rains in July helped the perfectly healthy vines to start the grape colour-change at the end of July, the lack of sunshine in August spun it out until the 25th August.
In the middle of July we carried out our first de-leafing as well as our first crop thinning. The second de-leafing took place at the end of August after we had culled out those bunches that were behind in the ripening process.
With some plants being at different stages of ripening, we decided to mark those plants to be harvested later in each of the plots. We can therefore say that this year the overall vineyard at Trottevieille was harvested twice.
Harvest :
The picking began relatively late : the 1st October for the Merlot, the 7th October for the Cabernet Franc and the 10th October for the Cabernet Sauvignon.
As mentioned above, 70 % of the plots were harvested twice, with separate vinifications for these wines.
Vinification :
Given the enormous amount of work done in the vines, - harvesting in small crates, sorting, vibrating sorting tables before crushing, - it can be said that only grapes of outstanding quality went into the fermentation vats. With a superb colour and outstanding fruit, we have the making of a great vintage.
Neither chaptalisation, nor concentration were necessary to make this wine, which was vinified over about 5 weeks. The help provided by our two oenologist Gilles Pauquet and Denis Dubourdieu once again proved very valuable. With a tiny yield of just 22 hectolitres per hectare for this 2002, our strict selection will also enable us to make some " Vieille Dame ".
So 2002 will be a great vintage, and Trottevieille this year has its terroir to thank, for allowing us to wait and pick late.
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