Christophe Drag, like most producers, characterized the vintage as relatively easy to do. Even for the nights at the end of April where there was the risk of freeze and so vignerons took up places in the vineyards to light fires to stave off the frost, he didn’t have to light a fire because the humidity in his position was sufficient to prevent freezing.
He began harvesting on 8 September. There was very little chaptalization here — only for the wines that would be sold off. As usual, all grapes were destemmed. Malo-lactic fermentations were very slow, and indeed a few barrels were still continuing when I visited on 29 October. This is the largest harvest at Chauvenet since 2009.(Continue reading here.)