DOMAINE LABRUYÈRE 2021

As has been the case for the last few years, the month of January was cool, followed by a mild February and a cool March, except for the last week, which was unusually hot for the season. Budbreak arrived about a week later than in 2020 and occurred uniformly in early April.

The real challenge came on the 5-8^th of April where widespread frost affected a large part of the vineyard causing significant damage, with some vineyards showing damage close to 90-100%.

The first 10 days of June were slightly above average temperature and relatively dry (half the amount of normal rain). Flowering began on the 6^th June with temperatures between the 10^th and 20^th June being 4.2°C higher than normal.

At the end of June cooler temperatures returned along with some rain: 2.8°C below normal and over three times the normal precipitation. The weather that followed flowering is responsible for the coulure observed in some vineyards. These dreary weather conditions continued into July, with temperatures 1.6°C below average, and twice the precipitation.

In terms of temperature, August was in line with July. Despite this very cool weather for the season, veraison was underway from the 2^nd August and was in this respect very similar to the 2019 vintage.  

Whilst the beginning of harvest was disrupted by rain, the rest took place under normal temperatures and drier conditions.

Overall the 2021 vintage can be characterized by cool temperatures throughout the year, a severe frost episode at the beginning of April, high levels of precipitation in July as well as significant mildew pressure.

Despite these challenges, the dry and mild weather around harvest combined with the low yields allowed for a good overall progression of ripening and a high-quality crop.