2023 En-Primeur Offer

Dear Customers, Dear Friends,

In 2021, I told you that many winemakers considered that vintage to be the most difficult of their careers. And then we had 2023, which gave us much, much more trouble.

At first glance, it was a deceptive vintage, as there wasn't all that much rain. In organic farming, we only treat with contact products, copper and sulfur, which only cover the surface of the leaves and grapes, without penetrating them. If it rains more than 20 millimeters, the products are washed away, leaving the field open to diseases, and we have to re-treat. But in a vintage like 2023, even if it didn't rain that much, the pressure came from constant ambient humidity, morning dew, every day, coupled with temperatures well above seasonal norms. This hot and humid climate created an ideal environment for the development of diseases, especially downy mildew.

In 2023, production was historically low. In several plots, we harvested nothing at all, as downy mildew had done the work before us. Nevertheless, on those that survived, with temperatures allowing the grapes to ripen well, ideal conditions during flowering, and a beautiful late season, it is a very qualitative vintage.

Above all, we decided to look on the bright side, and take advantage of this small harvest to implement trials on certain cuvées, trials we had been wanting to do for a long time.

Here is the profile you can expect from each wine in this 2023 vintage:

• Petit Renouil: since 2019, I had started to orient Petit Renouil towards a profile very marked by Cabernet Franc, with the desire to eventually make it a 100% Cabernet Franc. This has been achieved with this 2023, which truly shows the expression of Cabernet Franc on our clay-limestone hillsides. Very aromatic, floral, elegant, Petit Renouil is aged in vats to preserve its fruity side.
• Château du Pavillon: a vintage profile that suits Château du Pavillon very well, with a round, fleshy 2023, but also very aromatic and refined. Aged entirely in 5-hectoliter barrels.
• Château Grand Renouil: the small production allowed us to isolate the limestone plateau plots for Grand Renouil to produce a wine that truly highlights the minerality and limestone character of our terroirs. A wine with a lot of tension, class, precision, and finesse. Only one 6-hectoliter barrel.
• Our White: unfortunately this year downy mildew prevented us from producing any white wine.

Due to the small production, we can only offer 500 bottles of Petit Renouil and 600 bottles of Château Grand Renouil for sale. Orders will be honored in order of receipt. We are truly sorry for these constraints due to the peculiarities of this difficult vintage. Believe me, I wish I had more wine to sell.

You can return your orders before August 31, 2024, by mail, email, or directly on our website. And for any questions, we remain reachable by email, or at 0557512957.

Best regards,

Hélène Ponty