Carruades De Lafite Pauillac 2019

The vintage got off to a fine start with a mild and dry winter. The good weather continued through to the beginning of spring, leading to an early start to the growing cycle. In April and May, the unusually cold and above all dry weather slowed down growth, and the head start was quickly lost. The first flowers appeared in our Pauillac vineyards on 28 May. This key stage of the cycle saw rather capricious weather, with rainy episodes in the second part of flowering leading to some poor fruit set and uneven ripening. June saw a change of direction after a rainy and cool start, with the onset of a heatwave in early summer such as we had not seen since 2003. Fortunately, it was only short-lived and the vines quickly caught up, seeming better armed than in previous years to withstand this heat. Rain came miraculously on 26 July: 45 millimetres fell in Pauillac, perfect for triggering véraison. August temperatures then remained very moderate, without any peaks but with a few scattered showers, making us briefly fear the arrival of botrytis. But the drier weather at the end of the month, which continued until mid-September, allowed us to start the harvest under calm conditions.