Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vintage 1991

The AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a gem of the Rhone Valley. It is famous for all its wines, whether red or white. It is in this that each type of vine that we use brings its identity, its personality. Wines have an obvious quality/price ratio when we know their holding potential whether for red wines or AOC white wines. Let us tell you about the 1991 harvest: 

The vegetative cycle of 1991 was marked by a capricious weather. After a rather cold winter for the region with some snowfall, the climatology of spring is characterized by a certain irregularity, a mild and humid March and dry April and May months with below normal temperatures. Fortunately the Castelpapal vineyard will be preserved from the frost of late April by the mistral.

These conditions will cause a delay in vegetation, flowering from May 25 to June 20. An important coulure due to the Grenache grape variety (80% of encépagement in Châteauneuf du Pape) already suggests a low harvest volume.

The very hot summer will not manifest itself until the 3rd decade of June. Temperatures above normal in July of August will be somewhat attenuated by a large thunderstorm at the end of July and will not make it possible to compensate for the delay in vegetation and maturity.

The harvest began around 20 September, about ten days later than in 1990. The white grape varieties Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault are harvested at optimum maturity.  There is a greater irregularity on the Grenache requiring a scrupulous sorting of the harvest and accentuating the low yields. These will be of the order of 20 to 25 hls per hectare.