After a dry, cold winter, vegetation moved quickly, with temperatures well above normal in March and April. This represented the first pressure on vineyard crews because winter work had been delayed. Then, the region experienced great stress due to a frost warning at the end of April.
But the rest of the season was quite calm: a warm and beautiful spring raised alarms of an early harvest. Flower went very quickly, in less than a week in early June, during an episode of early heat. Surely one of the explanations for the excellent yields observed at the harvest.
A heat wave followed at the end of this month but finally, quite abundant rains in July, which however did not affect the integrity of the grapes, slowed the pace. Throughout this period, the pressure of disease was low.
It was obvious, however, that the nature of the vintage was becoming clearer ... in particular, the abundance of grapes. Several passages were indeed needed to regulate a crop that seemed to swell after each rainy episode, to the point in some cases, to end up wondering if the team had done its job properly ... After some adjustments, we had to face the facts: the year was plentiful and our interventions, an absolute necessity, could not totally go against the thrusts of nature.

Finally, harvest began on September 6, under conditions that threatened to be difficult and ended up millesimesally very suitable. There was a rainy day but much less water than announced and the crops were finally brought in in good conditions. The surprise was elsewhere, in relatively high yields for some parcels: despite the green harvest, all vines affected by frost in 2016 compensated for the lack of harvest that year and produced beyond what we had planned. On the other hand, the vines that had had a normal harvest in 2016 were sometimes a little lower in 2017, which explains a supply against the common trend of the year for some appellations.

Fermentations went on quietly. The first pressings announced good balance: a good sugar content and standard acidity. Grapes were very healthy and we encountered few difficult fermentations.

Wines followed a normal development in the cellar. Malolactic fermentations were rather early but did not disturb the wines too much. They recovered well and remarkably, acquired a beautiful depth in the months that followed. The wines of 2017 at the end of the 2018 vintage did not look the same as a few months before! Today, the tannins are ripe, the acidity light, the aromas well-developed, the structure integrated ... In the end, it is therefore a very approachable vintage that we can show.

Of course, this vintage is also lighter than 2015 or 2016. And thankfully! What could we drink in the coming years, if not? They are delivering good stuff today, and have reached a balance allowing an easy comprehension by amateurs and professionals alike. This is a graceful, flattering vintage, already complex, which allows the amateur to approach Burgundy with ease: "So this is Burgundy? But it's very good and not at all tight or difficult, and this combination of sweetness and lightness is so sensual! ".

To be even more explicit, we can compare these wines to those of the 2014 (in a less upright and tight character) or of the 2007 vintage (with a little more flesh).
They may not be imposing or really tight, however their concentration is quite adequate and there is no need to worry about their aging capacities. However, some will offer a complete profile very quickly, making their tasting possible, and even attractive, in their youth.

The wines have not gone through a general tasting since their release in 2019. 

What can be said however is that the bottles opened since have all shown good approachability, a firming up of the structure, and a real tasting pleasure. 

No sign of closing down for now.