Citrus aromas and notes of grapefruits and ripe fruits on the nose. Palate: broad and fruity on entry. Lovely aromas of ripe fruit, enhanced by a nice acidity, giving the wine good length on the palate. In order to achieve a balanced and complex vintage, the vineyards we have selected are cultivated on clay and calcareous hillsides. This type of location provides favourable sun exposure conditions on the hillsides as well as sufficient water reserves in the limestone earth so that the vineyards can reach its desired maturity. The very mild winter was accompanied by heavy rainfall (+300mm accumulated in January). Spring continued with a rainy period, the likes of which are rarely seen in Roussillon (the equivalent of a whole year’s rainfall in a single month). These beneficial Roussillon rains came just when the vines were at their most sensitive, particularly to mildew but due to quick adaptation of viticultural practices its development was contained, but not without a notable loss of volume. But in the end, the rains made it possible to regulate the vines for the summer, avoiding hydric stress and producing a more bountiful vintage than in 2019. The arrival of the summer was perfectly timed for the continued development of the grape bunches and the beginning of ripening. Even though it was very hot and very dry, the accumulated water reserves brought the healthy harvest to optimum ripeness. The 2020 harvest was much more condensed than other years: all picked in four weeks, erasing the maturity discrepancies between the whites of Collioure and Latour de France, among others. The Collioure vines took advantage of this sunny climate, without water stress, to produce pure, elegant wines. On Latour de France and Lesquerde, the water and summer heat contributed to very well-balanced, structured wines. The biodynamic wine-making process revealed silky tannins and a beautiful aromatic complexity. The harvest is carried out at night to protect the grapes from oxidation and thereby obtain richer yet fresher wines. The pressing is direct, without maceration, and alcoholic fermentation is carried out at low temperature. As soon as the alcoholic fermentation has ended, the wines are cooled and left to mature on fine lees so as to reinforce their minerality which is much appreciated here at M. CHAPOUTIER. Try with summer vegetable mini-crumbles, seafood kebabs or tagliatelle pasta and vegetables.
