Château Dauzac

At its best between 5 and 20 years of age, can keep up to 20-30 years.

White meats, game, red meats, cheeses.

One vintage follows another but no two are alike. The 2021 vintage called for a lot of patience and commitment. We worked relentlessly to protect our vines from disease pressure. The vintage began by an especially mild and rainy winter. Bud break was uniform and occurred early but the extra-cold and rainy spring meant that the head start was soon lost. During the spell of frost in April, Château Dauzac’s vineyards were protected due to their proximity to the Gironde estuary, which acts as a natural thermal regulator. Flowering began around May 25th in ideally warm and dry weather. June was especially rainy, with approximately 127% more rain than average. At times, the rain had an impact on flowering, with traces of coulure (also known as shatter) and millerandage. The cold and damp summer called for watchfulness at all times. Mildew pressure increased and was more intense. Preventing the mildew from developing turned out to be one of the summer’s main goals. Veraison was delayed due to the 20% lack of sunshine, while temperatures remained cool and below average. Uniform veraison was only reached between August 15th and 20th. Harvesting began on September 22nd in our earliest-ripening Merlot plots and ended October 13th with our grand Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which managed to take advantage of the sunny days after the rainy spell in early October. Plot-by-plot selection and meticulous sorting of the grapes harvested allowed for high-quality winemaking. The mature balances are reminiscent of the past century’s great vintages: aromas of crisp fruit, lots of subtlety and great length on the palate. It has the freshness and structure that have made Bordeaux wines so famous.

At its best between 5 and 20 years of age, can keep up to 20-30 years.

The months of March and April were quite mild, encouraging dynamic, early budburst about two weeks ahead of time. Mechanical soil tillage in the spring stimulated the vine to develop its root system in depth, allowing the plant to resist drought. An essential agronomical factor this year that enabled well-structured ripeness. Flowering occurred between May 25th and June 1st. The warm, dry summer which followed led to excellent grape ripeness. The lack of rainfall brought about a slight water deficit, a situation that created natural concentration with ripeness evolving nicely until harvest time. The use of biodynamic preparations in the vineyards allowed the vine to face the summer’s high temperatures and drought in good conditions. For the Merlot grapes, harvesting began on September 10th, ending on September 17th. We were seeking fruit and complexity. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were picked from September 21st to the 30th, before the weather conditions deteriorated.

At its best between 5 and 20 years of age, can keep up to 20-30 years.

The 2019 vintage was subjected to certain weather conditions, which led us to spending more time in the vineyards. After a winter back-and-forth between mild and cold spells, bud break came fairly early. Flowering occurred quickly thanks to the mild weather in late May and early June. However, rainfall disrupted the smooth development of the flowering on the Merlot grapes, triggering a little coulure (also known as shatter) and millerandage, leading to looser, less compact bunches, and lowering the yield in favour of quality. Then in late June and into July, a heatwave settled across southwestern France. The heatwave, coupled with a slight lack of water, caused the vines to develop minor water stress, beneficial for stopping growth and conducive to grape ripeness. In late July, bunches in the vineyards were thinned out by our teams to eliminate the unbalanced berries and make veraison more consistent. Harvesting began on September 17th and ended on October 10, 2019.

At its best between 5 and 20 years of age, can keep up to 20-30 years.

White meat, poultry, red meat, game, cheese.

Like for all great vintages, the weather played an essential role in structuring the 2018 vintage. A mild winter – one of the mildest since 1900 – with substantial rainfall for the first six months of the year allowed the vines to develop extremely well. Research conducted over the past three years at Château Dauzac on the use of algae as an alternative for fighting powdery mildew to reduce copper treatments significantly contributed to keeping our vineyard in very good health. After flowering, which was quick and even, a total change in climate occurred with a four-month period that was dry, warm and sunny. The groundwater supply and the outstanding summer months helped bring about complex and subtle ripening of the grapes. The harvests were conducted from September 17th to October 8th in excellent conditions with meticulous plot by plot selection. In compliance with the biodynamic calendar, this vintage was harvested on fruit days for grand terroir wines. The alcoholic fermentations were done with yeasts naturally selected in our vineyard. The symbiosis between the terroir, yeasts and varietals succeeded in producing very delicate, great complexity, rarely reached in previous years. In 2018, production was 45 hectolitres per hectare.

S’exprime à son meilleur entre 5 et 20 ans, pour vieillir jusqu’à 20-30 ans.

White meat, poultry, red meat, game, cheese.

After a rather dry and sunny winter, the month of March was mild, causing the first vine leaves to appear very early. The heavy spring frost in the Bordeaux region at the end of April spared all of Château Dauzac’s vineyards with their bench of gravel located near a river. There were mild temperatures in May, with rapid and even flowering at the end of the month. The summer, with average temperatures, was marked by a water deficit. The first rainfalls in September were worrisome but once again, Château Dauzac’s geographic location between a river and forest which causes air to flow through clouds limited rainfall during harvesting. The harvest was rapid: we started the Merlot on 14 September and ended the Cabernet Sauvignon on 4 October. The main terroirs were harvested primarily on fruit days according to the biodynamic calendar. The harvest was highly homogeneous with impressive maturity. Careful intra-plot selection work resulted in high-precision vinification.

At its best between 5 and 10 years of age, can keep up to 15-25 years.

White meat, poultry, red meat, game, cheese.

The climate at the beginning of the year was oceanic; there was then a long period of sun and heat until September 13, when precipitation allowed the vines to reach full maturity. An Indian summer in October resulted in the longest harvest in the history of Château Dauzac (21 days), enabling us to pick the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at peak maturity. The 2016 vintage is extremely rich and precise without being excessive, revealing bright fruit and a dense and complex raw material. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend gives it an exceptional acidity/alcohol balance that is an indication of a great vintage.

2017 – 2030

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat

The summer heat gave way to the brightness of September, leaving behind the memory of very homogeneous flowering and a dry, temperate summer, promising a great vintage. Light rain in August and mid-September restored a healthy glow to the leaves, thus allowing the grapes to become packed with aromas, tannins, sugars and anthocyanins.

2017 – 2030

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat.

The year 2014 was characterized by an atypical Climate with a mild, rainy winter And an early spring with mild temperatures and cool nights. It was an early year similar to 1990 and other great vintage years. The Month of May was mixed with cool periods and 30°C. Flowering took place in good conditions with some Grape shatter for the merlots, promoting the aeration of the bunches. A disappointing summer with bad weather slowed down vine growth. The autumn was fabulous in September and October, it was dry and warm, the warmest on Record for 100 years, making possible to concentrate the grapes And achieve exceptional ripeness.

2017 – 2030

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat.

2013 began under the influence of the Atlantic climate, resulting in a later bud break. Blossoming occurred in less than ideal conditions causing heavy “coulure” in the merlot grapes and consequently a smaller yield. The cabernet sauvignon benefited from suitable conditions, promising good homogeneity. The weather warmed back up at the beginning of July with summer conditions arriving in August. Consistent sunshine facilitated very satisfying ripening, particularly in the cabernet grapes. Favorable conditions in August and at the beginning of September encouraged the vines’ synthesis of phenolic compounds (tannins and anthocyanins) and production of high quality grapes.

2015 – 2030

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat.

The 2012 vintage is the subject of much discussion. It is recorded as a very technical year with humid conditions from April to June, followed by a mild summer. To achieve the level of quality we maintain, our teams were more vigilant than ever in their efforts to reduce any risk of disease. These efforts were successfully rewarded, allowing a harvest of high quality grapes.

2016 – 2026

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat, mixed salad.

From February to June, temperatures were largely higher than the average and rainfall significantly less than the usual amount. Drought conditions were observed at the end of spring.

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat.

Winter was harsh (with numerous frosts) and spring was fairly cool. Sunshine was abundant throughout 2010. The period from June 21st to the end of September was consistently dry, which proved beneficial to the vines.

2015 – 2035

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat.

Though January and February were colder than usual, 2009 was still a very hot year (one of the hottest of the century). Sunshine was in great abundance. The summer months were particularly dry.

2015 – 2030

Game, cheese, red meat, vegetables.

Humidity and cool temperatures can sum up this wine year’s weather conditions: most rainfall occurred in April and May (growing season) and summer was cool, particularly in June and August. The heat and drought of September encouraged the ripening of the grapes.

2012 – 2025

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat.

With cool and humid conditions from May to August, 2007 was not particularly favorable for ripening across the red grape varieties. However, an ideal September—both hot and relatively dry—allowed us to extend the harvest period in order to obtain a perfect maturity.

2012 – 2025

Game, cheese, red meat, white meat.

Though the first quarter saw cool temperatures and rain (March rainfall was 3 to 4 times greater than the norm), 2006 was a hot year overall (ranking as the second hottest year since 1950) with a heat wave in July and a very mild, dry September.

2013-2030

Game, cheese, red meat.

Weather conditions were ideal in 2005 and produced a superb vintage for Bordeaux. Between winter and autumn, the weather was particularly dry for the region. Sunshine was abundant from the end of spring onward. Summer temperatures were high, but with no heat wave.

2012 – 2020

Game, cheese, red meat and chocolate desserts.

This vintage follows a 2003 that brought a small harvest due to drought and high summer temperatures. In 2004, flowering brought surprising blossom fertility and grape size. The bud break began in April, but the vegetation did not develop due to the rain and cold. The month of July saw good sunshine and sparse rain, but a fairly normal temperature, save for a few spikes up to 32°C / 89.6°F at the end of the month. On the contrary, August brought heavy rainfall with little sunshine and fairly low temperatures. September was satisfactory with a good amount of sunshine and cool nights, which prevented any rot from setting in. The harvests began on September 24 and finished on October 16.

2012 – 2020

Game, cheese, red meat and chocolate desserts

A year of heat waves produced atypical wines. The vintage can be described as a new style with very expressive aromas. The merlots suffered most from the intense heat making it necessary to harvest them early in order to save the freshness of the grapes.

Though October 2001 was hot, November and December were cold. The first three months of 2002 were fairly hot and very dry. The bud break came early thanks to mild conditions in the beginning of the year and was generalized by the last week of March. Sprouting was abundant and required significant thinning, therefore promising a respectable harvest.

2012 – 2025

Game, cheese, red meat and chocolate desserts

Weather conditions for the 2001 vintage began with a particularly rainy winter. From October 2000 to March 2001, precipitation reached 1,004mm—almost twice the average over the last twenty years and largely surpassing the yearly norm (886mm). In addition to abundant rainfall, the winter was fairly mild—+1.8°C on average. The mild winter temperatures incited a premature start for vine activity. April continued the previous months’ mild weather trend, with rainfall at +58mm. Around April 20, temperatures dropped, threatening frost; however, the Dauzac vineyard was ultimately unaffected. Over the months of May and June, temperatures were higher than usual and rainfall 50% below the norm. Flowering, which began at the end of May, was fast and homogeneous. The rain returned in July during which time 103mm were recorded—two times the norm—with cool temperatures for the first twenty days and a switch to hot, dry conditions in the last week. August was hot and moderately rainy. The ripening process was fairly slow to start due to the alternating rain and heat.

2015 – 2030

Game, cheese, red meat.

The first three months of 2000 were slightly warmer than usual: the sum of average daily temperatures was consistently 10% higher and precipitation was significantly less. Though April temperatures were normal, precipitation was quite heavy (173mm versus the usual 70mm). May was hot and fairly rainy. June and July were also hot and relatively humid while August was hot (+1.5°C) and dry, with rainfall at 30mm. Weather conditions allowed vintners to pick healthy grapes across the various vines, all boasting a constitution rarely seen in recent years.