Extraprima Bordeaux 2018 Catalog english version

extraprima
Bordeaux2018
usual. The aromatic profile of the red grapes generally is largely
focused on the dark-berry range. Even the normally red-fruited and
cherry-scented Merlot grape remained in a dark spectrum of flavors.
Late-harvested Merlots additionally had a chocolaty note to it. The
loss of a Merlot-individuality is one of the reasons why the Cabernet-Style
dominates to a large extent. Because only occasionally
»typical«, red-fruited Merlots with a classic appearance were to be
found. Alcohol levels of the 2018s usually are above those of 2017,
but there were very few wines that could be described as »warm«
or tasting strong in alcohol. Overall, the aromatic profile of all
wines remained rather cool, voluminous, and powerful, with the
aforementioned dark-berry fruit approach, which in turn tends towards
massive, and they seem to be a little bit less expressive in
terms of complexity and eloquence. It may be that after a ripening
period in the bottle that the wines will tell more stories. But it
seems to be possible that they continue to live from their impressive
presence and remain less eloquent. Depending on stylistic
preferences, this can also be very appealing to Bordeaux-lovers.
A similarity of the 2018s to massive vintages such as 1945 or 1959
in their youth was reported by some longtime experienced tasters.
However, some wines at the first taste showed very full-bodied and
intense on the palate, but then they faded relatively quickly in the
aftertaste. Therefore, it was very important for all tasters to pay
attention to the length and sustainability of the taste impression to
detect these wines. Another important feature generally was the
internal density of the wines. Some of the top-wines showed scents
of oak in taste, even if the wine was aged in 50 % or 60 % new
barrels only. Other wines, such as Léoville Las Cases or Ducru-Beaucaillou,
didn’t show any wood-aromas even if they were aged in
100 % new barrels. These wines didn’t have the aromatic concentration
to cover the wooden aromatics. In general, most producers
from the start reduced the proportion of new wood for the 2018
vintage. As well, the extraction of the small berries during fermentation
was practiced rather gentle. Due to the low juice content in
the berries, the proportion of very thick grape skins was very high.
Too much extraction of tannins and flavors could have had rapidly
a negative impact on the balance of musts. The best wines of the
vintage show a perfect expression of terroir, great intensity, and
marvelous length with excellent depth and freshness.
VEGETATION CYCLE AND GROWTH
After the traumatic frost of 2017, the new vegetation cycle for the
vines began with permanent rainfall, which varied widely from
region to region as well as in quantity over the entire first half of
the year. As a result, the water reserves in the subsoils were replenished
after the 2017 drought. In January 2018, there was little sunshine
despite quite warm temperatures. February was cooler than
usual, and March already brought spring-like temperatures, with
20 rainy days and twice as high rainfall in the northern Médoc as
usual. April started rainy again, the first buds sprouted around
April 10, about 12 days later than 2017. From mid-April unusually
warm weather set in with up to 10 °C above the regular level, still
daily sunshine hours remained below average. By the end of April,
growth had risen sharply, but it slowed down again with the cool
start of May. On May 7 and again ten days later, it became warm,
with significant rainfall and two hailstorms. The first on May 20 in
Graves and Sauternes and further on May 26 in Bourg, Blaye, Entre-
Deux-Mers, and the Médoc. On 1,000 hectares, about 80 % of the
crop was destroyed.
At the end of May, the flowering began quickly in satisfactory
conditions with some rainfall on June 6 th and 7 th . Heavy rains between
June 9 to 18 gave a precipitation 2- to 4-times higher than
the average. With the last ten days of the month, warm and sunny
weather set in, boosting growth significantly. Up to this point, the
vegetation was actually optimal, except for the first mildew symptoms
on leaves and grapes, which had been found in mid-June. On
the last weekend of June, it was extremely important to spray
against fungal infection, says Count Stephan von Neipperg. His
team was tirelessly working in the vineyard, even on Sundays. At
harvest time, Neipperg was later able to bring in the highest yield
ever from La Mondotte, despite organic farming. Other organic
growers claimed it would have been almost impossible to successfully
combat the mildew. Apparently, each vineyard and each plot
had its own specific requirements forcing the vineyard management
to individual treatments. As mildew does not stop on the
weekend, the 35-hour week in France had to be managed more
flexible. Never before such a heavy mildew attack occurred in Bordeaux.
The losses were sometimes dramatic. Although there are
exceptions on both sides, conventional farming seems to have
coped better with mildew than ecological. Biodynamic growers
obviously had a harder time, as can be seen at Pontet-Canet and
Palmer. Several hailstorms ravaged southern Médoc on July 4, and
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