LeHaut-Médoc de Dauzac

At its best between 3 and 10 years of age, can keep up to 10 years

The 2022 vintage will be remembered by all. The particularly mild winter led to a very early budburst. Frosts were avoided during the cool nights of April. Once again, the Gironde estuary served as a protector for Château Dauzac’s vineyard. Flowering began around May 15th in ideal weather conditions, but the end of flowering was marked by violent storms. Fortunately, the vineyard was spared from hail. This last rainy episode then gave way to a very hot and dry summer. The drought was the most concerning element of this vintage. Herbal teas applied regularly to the vines helped them to strengthen their resistance and cope with this climate. August only rain helped the vines to complete their veraison. The harvest took place under exceptional weather conditions from September 5th to 26th. The overall yield was small due to the lack of water but the remarkable quality will make the 2022 vintage one of the greatest ever known in Bordeaux.

At its best between 3 and 10 years of age, can keep up to 10 years

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 occured 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 25^th in ideally warm and dry weather. June was especially rainy, with approximately 127% more rain than avarage. At times, the rain had an impact on flowering, with traces of coulure (also know as shatter) and millerandage. The cold and damp summer called for watchfulness at all times.

At its best between 3 and 15 years of age, can keep up to 15-20 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. Fermentation with gentle pumping over favoured the extraction of subtle, complex tannins. The extra special care given to the press wine was essential for elaborating the blend.

At its best between 3 and 15 years of age, can keep up to 15-20 years.

The 2019 vintage was subjected to certain weather conditions, which led us to spending more time in the vineyards. Fortunately, our team know-how and farmer wisdom allowed us to see this nice vintage through successfully. After a winter back-and-forth between mild and cold spells, bud break came fairly early. Our phytosanitary practices in the vineyards are inspired by biodynamics with the use of local plants. 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 17^th and ended on October 10, 2019. In compliance with the biodynamic calendar, the grapes were harvested on fruit days for grand terroir wines as has been the case for the past several vintages. In addition, plot-by-plot selection was optimised using a Bacchimeter.

At its best between 3 and 15 years of age, can keep up to 15-20 years.

Like for all great vintages, the weather played an essential role in structuring the 2018 vintage. A mild, rainy winter 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 17^th to October 8^th 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 a very delicate, great complexity, rarely reached in previous years. In 2018, production was 45 hectolitres per hectare.

Peak expression after 5 to 10 years, can be aged for 20 to 30 years.

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.

Peak expression between 4 and 7 years, can be aged for up to 15 years.

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 up 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 – 2027

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.

2016 – 2026

An atypical climate with a mild, rainy winter and an early spring with mild temperatures and cool nights. The month of May was mixed with cool periods and 30°C temperatures. 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; it was dry and warm – the warmest on record for 100 years – making it possible to concentrate the grapes and achieve exceptional ripeness. We were able to harvest a nice volume of grapes with peace of mind.