2013 Southern Rhône Vintage

The southern Rhone spring of 2013 was unusually cold, wet and prolonged. The weather when Grenache flowered was cold, wet and windy, so fruit set was very uneven and many young berries simply fell: coulure. On average the southern Rhone Grenache crop was down about 30 percent, and some vineyards lost up to 90 percent of their potential production. In Vinsobres, Pascal Jaume of Domaine Jaume described an exceptionally cold spring that delayed the start of the growth cycle; the vines kept growing until August and did not start concentrating on fruit until September. Across the Rhone as a whole, mildew pressure was heavy in early June, then drier, warmer weather over the second half of the season let producers bring in healthy grapes. The valley's naturally dry, windy climate kept the vineyards in perfect health, and a few localised spells of rain did nothing to spoil grape quality. Harvest was spread from the first days of September to the very end of October, an average of three weeks later than over the previous decade and a return to what was the norm in the 1970s. In the south, the much-reduced Grenache was picked much later than usual, well into October, in a benign autumn, and there was no shortage of rain in 2013. An early October rain triggered most of the picking. Across the valley, 2013 was one of the smaller harvests; the south was more variable than the north, with quantities low everywhere.

• Unusually cold, wet, prolonged spring; cold, wet, windy flowering brought coulure on Grenache
• Southern Grenache crop down about 30 percent on average, up to 90 percent in some vineyards
• Valley-wide harvest from early September to the end of October, three weeks later than the previous decade
• Southern Grenache picked well into October in a benign autumn

In Gigondas, Louis Barruol of Chateau Sainte-Cosme described the losses as 'apocalyptic', with the youngest vines worst hit: one young vineyard that usually gives him 6,000 kilos of grapes yielded just 700. In Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Marc Perrin of Chateau de Beaucastel called it a very strange year: "We picked our Mourvedre before Grenache and that rarely happens. Yields are really low, but if you did a good selection you brought in very healthy fruit." Alain Aubert of Domaine du Grand Retour, at the heart of the Cotes du Rhone, called 2013 "the vintage of patience rewarded", with patience needed in the winery too as fermentations took a long time. In Beaumes-de-Venise, Guy Sarton du Jonchay of Vidal Fleury described a good harvest with excellent Muscat grapes and sweet wines that promised to be of high quality. Frederic Chaudiere of Chateau Pesquie in Ventoux called the Syrahs superb, and in Costieres de Nimes, appellation president Bernard Angelras described harvesting by parcel rather than by variety.

• Gigondas: youngest vines hit worst; one young plot fell from a usual 6,000 kilos to 700
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Beaucastel picked Mourvedre before Grenache; yields really low
• Beaumes-de-Venise: a good harvest with excellent Muscat grapes
• Costieres de Nimes: harvesting by parcel rather than by variety

Jancis Robinson found the southern wines generally much lighter and fresher than usual, with good, deep colours and tannins that were attractively ripe or merely moderate, and none of the drying, drought-induced tannins that can mark young southern reds. Grenache, usually a good 80 percent of the blend in a typical vintage, was often less than half of it in 2013. In her assessment, Syrah and Mourvedre from the most favoured sites were of generally very high quality. In Chateauneuf-du-Pape the average alcohol was closer to 14 percent, and the Clos des Papes 2013 came in at 14.5 percent; Vincent Avril commented, "2013 is not a lesser vintage, just small in volume." In her view Gigondas was one of the more successful southern appellations, better than Vacqueyras and more harmonious than most Cotes du Rhone-Villages, and the southern whites she tasted seemed to have benefited from less Grenache Blanc and relatively high acidities. Across the valley, sugar levels were moderate, so alcohol levels were expected to be lower than in previous years.

• Jancis Robinson: much lighter and fresher than usual, with deep colour and ripe or moderate tannins
• Grenache often under half the blend, against a usual 80 percent
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape: average alcohol closer to 14 percent
• Wine Spectator: Mourvedre and Syrah promising in the south, Grenache the most variable