After a run of outstanding vintages in the Southern Rhône, 2008 was a much more challenging growing season for the producers. Cool and rainy weather dogged the season, reducing the crop size and making ripening difficult.
The vintage conditions
After a run of outstanding vintages in the Southern Rhône, 2008 was a much more challenging growing season for the producers. Cool and rainy weather dogged the season, reducing the crop size and making ripening difficult.
It was the mistral (the strong north wind that blows down the Rhône valley) that saved the vintage, arriving at the end of August, bringing warmer weather and drying out the vineyards throughout September and into October. With grapes ripening slowly under these new conditions, vignerons waited anxiously for full maturity in their grapes.
"It was the year of the vigneron and patience," said Daniel Brunier, who owns both Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe and Domaine La Roquète in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, as well as Domaine Les Pallières in Gigondas. "In the vineyard we had to take risks and wait for the good ripening."
