October 7, 2002

September sun saves the grape

2002 will be an excellent year for lovers of Chardonnay despite the bad weather which devastated some vineyards in southern France. September sunshine has saved the grape harvest in Chablis, producing what could be some of the best wine for more than twenty years.

Chablis producer, Virginie Courty of Domaine de Perdrycourt said: "The harvest for us has gone perfectly and the grapes have tested for good balance of sugar, alcohol and acidity. I think 2002 will be an exceptional vintage, as good as the 1985 which was a really beautiful wine".

According to Maurice Carroll of wine website winedrive.com, this is excellent news for Chardonnay lovers. "New world Chardonnay labels have been top selling wines in recent years, but many drinkers don't realise it actually originated in France almost 900 years ago.

"Local monks first planted the Chardonnay grape here in 1128, so the wine is no 'new discovery'. Chablis is the global benchmark for wines from the Chardonnay grape. It is 'Chardonnay with history' and the plentiful supplies keep the price comparable to high quality whites from other regions."

September has also helped redress the balance from a lack of August sun elsewhere in France. In the Beaujolais region, the rains cleared up just in time for the harvest. According to Madame Agnés Sapin of Maison Barronat, this year's vintage is showing good sugar-acidity balance and colour, and should produce good wine. "It is a little early to predict the quality of this year's nouveau, but the indications are good," she said.

Ends

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