The chaotic 2012 growing season in Champagne may have been a nightmare for vignerons, but it was a dream for blenders, according to Odilon de Varine. Speaking at the London launch of the latest iteration of Gosset’s flagship wine, Gosset Celebris Vintage 2012, cellarmaster Odilon de Varine said: “I think 2012 is close to 2002 – in my opinion, it is at the moment the most interesting, the most balanced year in the 2010s decade.” Challenges in the vineyard included frosts in early May and hail in June, creating significant variations in flowering times between grape varieties and locations. “I am very sorry for the vine growers, but we have to thank nature for giving us so many differences in 2012, giving us so many things to work with,” said de Varine. “The harvest lasted for more than one month, and the yield was not huge, but with wonderful alcohol potential and excellent acidity… I love working on the lees, and we had plenty of time to do that, because it was a very long winemaking process.” Because of the drawn-out harvest, de Varine was able to ferment the Pinot Noir must on the Chardonnay lees – as he did, for example, in 2007. “I like doing it because I think it takes some phenolics and colour from the Pinots and makes them more elegant and fine. But we need to have the time to be able to do it – for the Chardonnay to ripen early enough and
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Champagne
