Årgång 2013 enligt Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin
★★★
En lång och kall vinter följdes av en lika kall vår som gav sen blomning i slutet av juni, vilket skulle kunna innebära katastrof. Visserligen drabbades en del vingårdar i Marne av hagelstormar, men rekordvärme i juli och augusti räddade årgången, och det regn som föll i september var välkommet.
Det blev en sen skörd i oktober med hög syra och fin finess. Vinerna är av medelgod kvalitet med fin renhet, men saknar koncentration och längd. Ett tydligt kännetecken från årgången är en behaglig arom av mandarin i frapperande många viner ihop med ståligt rena ungdomliga syror och en kort eftersmak. De främsta champagnerna jag provat hittills från 2013 är Agrapart Vénus, Agrapart Avizoise, Bollinger B13, Belle Époque, Louis Roederer Millésime och Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs.
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2013 by Curtis Joseph
★★
- Harvest: September 24th
- Total Sales: 304,994,034 btl
- Yield: 12,008 kg/ha (10,500 kg/ha AC)
- France: 167,354,694 btl
- Area under vine: 33,573 ha
- Export: 137,639,340 btl
- Average potential alcohol: 9.8%
- Prix Constaté : €5.80/kg
- Average total acidity: 8.4 g/l
- Average gluconic acid: 0.05 g/l
Overview: A late harvest of uneven quality.
The winter preceding the season was cold, although not as cold as February of 2012. Bud-break was relatively late, and the weather remained cool and rainy through the early spring. Despite this, neither frost, downy mildew, nor powdery mildew posed a severe problem in 2013. However, there were two fairly serious hail incidents, one in June that struck the Côte des Bars and part of the Marne Valley. Flowering was also late, and once completed, the vineyards were hit by another hailstorm in the area around Epernay and the Côte des Blancs. Weather was hot, sunny, and dry from mid-July through early September.
However, the rains returned on the 10th of September, and it rained until nearly the end of the month. This rain brought on a virulent attack of grey rot, which hadn’t been a problem up to this point. In the end, about 12% of the Chardonnay, 14% of the Pinot Noir, and 15% of the Meunier were affected by rot. The harvest was very drawn out and carried out under warm and wet conditions, and up to 4,000 kg/ha in some regions were lost to rot. Pickers were still working in some parts of Champagne on the 19th of October.
One of the best wines of the vintage (from any subregion) is undoubtedly l’Esprit from Pierre Péters: “Crafted from selected parcels in Le Mesnil, Oger, Avise, and Cramant, this has done partial malo and saw in 2013 a dosage of 5 g/l. The result shows notes of lemon and white flowers with a chalky underpinning. The texture is silky and very fine, yet there is a rewarding density and length as well – deftly balanced yet powerful.” **** (Tasted 2018)
On the south face of the Montagne, Paul Bara has created a very interesting Special Club Rosé: “Pure, expressive red berry fruit on the nose prepares one for the powerful impression this makes on the palate, with plenty of concentration, density, and a pleasantly lingering finish.” **** (Tasted 2018)
In the furthest reaches of Château Thierry, the Rue des Noyers from Benoît Déhu had a somewhat similar character: “Lovely, lively saline and mineral notes. There is a richly lemony fruit but also a beguiling floral note. On the palate, the wine is very crisp and refreshing. Brut nature with malo blocked, completely fermented in cask. The wine was 11 months on the lees in cask´before bottled without being racked.” **** (Tasted 2016)
In the Aube, Dominique Moreau from Marie Courtin has given us a trio of marvelous wines, but the Blanc de Noirs « Concordance » was the stand-out for me: “Completely done in tank, without any addition of sulfur. There is a superb purity of fruit for a wine done even without sulfur. Malolactic fermentation is done here to ensure the stability of the wine. The wine is rich and expressive, yet not heavy at all, with a suggestion of marzipan and fresh white flowers that linger on the delightful finish. A tour de force of winemaking technique as well as of terroir.” **** This is my highest-rated wine produced in 2013 (Tasted 2017).
The relative abundance of exciting, delicious wines in 2013 shows that even when harvest conditions are not promising that one should not rule out any given vintage until the region’s most talented winemakers have had their say.

Odyssée 319 Jour 2: Avize, Le Couchant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs

R&L Legras Vieilles Vignes Présidence Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013

Franck Bonville - Grand Cru Blanc de blancs Extra Brut 2013
Nyhet