Long Dai

The most notable characteristic of this vintage was the relatively dry start to the growth season. The lack of water enabled better control of the overly vigorous growth that typically occurs later, especially in the second phase of the season, which is traditionally accompanied by rainy spells. Particularly heavy rain arrived on 3 August (150 mm in a few hours) followed by a hailstorm on the western side of the vineyard on 5 August. Although dramatic, neither of these events had a significant direct impact on the vines, the damage being limited to some washout erosion in some of the steeper areas.
We benefitted from beautiful late summer weather throughout the ripening period. Differences between day and night-time temperatures were more marked this year, which was good for the grapes’ phenolic development, and also helped to keep the vines in optimal health.
In order to harvest at the best time, we made up to three rounds of selective picking among the various plots. The low rainfall at the start of the season strongly influenced yields, which were around 20 hl/ha.
The very precise zoning of the plots resulted in the harvests being spread over a longer period. These began on 8 September and ended on 25 October, with a total of ten full days of picking.