Successful harvest at La Gardine :
Promising Potential
The 2024 harvest at Château de la Gardine was marked by excellent conditions, producing balanced wines that are shaping up to be an exceptional vintage. Jérôme Tilli, Cellar Master, and Patrick Brunel, owner and winemaker, share their impressions of this promising harvest.
How did the 2024 harvest go at La Gardine?
Patrick Brunel : A dry year, as it's usually the case nowadays. Good harvest in terms of quality, small harvest in terms of volume, with a loss of almost 30%.
Jérôme Tilli : I would add that this was a special year, with a rainy spring followed by a good sanitary conditions. The cold spell in early September was beneficial, allowing the grapes to reach optimal maturity with moderate alcohol levels, particularly in the Grenache. The uniqueness of this vintage lies in the perfect synchronization between sugar/acid maturity and phenolic maturity, which is rare in our region.
What are the yields and aromatic potential of the wine?
Patrick Brunel : I've already answered the question with the previous question.
Jérôme Tilli : *Laugh* Let's just say that the yields are slightly lower than in a normal year, but this translates into great concentration and exceptional quality. The aromatic potential is excellent, with very supple tannins from the start. We already have very expressive wines that will be accessible quickly, while maintaining great aging potential.
What's new in the cellar this year?
Patrick Brunel : Yes some experiments. We did one vinification, two, even three in terracota jarr. One in white and another one in a large 600-litre container, in new oak. I think it's from Atelier France. Jérôme thinks the wood will be more subtle, and I think so too. I hope so *smile*. Last year's experience in jarrs for the whites was very good, so with this year's quality, we gave it a try with the reds. For me, being a winemaker means knowing how to be honest, patient, adaptable and loyal, and in this spirit, I think you have to try to see further and therefore experiment.
Will this vintage require special ageing?
Jérôme Tilli : No, we're sticking with classic aging methods. The natural quality of the grapes and the balance of the wines do not require any particular adaptation of our ageing methods.
Patrick Brunel : We're keeping to our main methods, adapting to the high temperatures and various climatic changes.
What is the typicity of this 2024 vintage?
Jérôme Tilli : Balance is the keyword for this vintage. We have obtained beautiful material, optimal phenolic maturity giving remarkable colors and structures. The concentration is there, accompanied by nice suppleness, all with moderate alcohol levels around 14.5°
Patrick Brunel : Yes, remarkable color and structure.
How did the fermentations go?
Jérôme Tilli : Fermentations were exemplary, with a very linear progression. Malolactic fermentations started quickly. The ideal length of fermentations (10-15 days, even 3 weeks) produced in fleshy, complex wines with beautiful roundness and body.
Are there any wines that already stand out?
Jérôme Tilli : Yes, we have two tanks of Syrah and one tank of Mourvèdre that show exceptional potential. Although our overall production is of high quality, these vats particularly stand out.
What about the 2024 white wine production?
Patrick Brunel : Very, very good, it's subtle. It's very beautiful, magnificent. For the whites, the color is a little... It will be quite intense. Perhaps precisely because of climatic changes, we're noticing that the Roussanne is giving more color than usual.
Jérôme Tilli : It's a very good year for whites, with satisfactory yields representing 17% of our Châteauneuf-du-Pape production. Fermentations went perfectly and the aging process is promising. The quality of our limestone terroirs allows us to obtain wines combining salinity, freshness, and minerality.
How did the vintage behave in the Rasteau appellation?
Jérôme Tilli : Rasteau wines follow the same qualitative trend as our Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes-du-Rhône. The particularity lies in fresher sugar-acid balances, linked to our high-altitude terroir. We obtain wines that are both fresh and concentrated, with good structure.
What are your perspectives for 2025?
Patrick Brunel : This is my 58th harvest and I feel a lot less stressed, maybe it's age *Jérôme laughs* . I'd say that at 76, I'm touched by serenity about the future... Here, our philosophy has always been to express the purest essence of our terroirs, while respecting the environment around us. For 2025, we are strengthening our environmental commitment with minimal intervention, both in land management and winemaking. Producing natural, healthy, and concentrated grapes remains our absolute priority.
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