Château Cartier 2018

2018 was a warm year, rainy in the spring and dry during the summer. After a rather cool and wet winter, the vines budded late, as an abundance of water in the soils delayed their warming. Precipitation remained very high in the spring, accompanied by above-average temperatures. Unfortunately, these conditions favored downy mildew, resulting in harvest losses that were partially managed yet very real. The summer of 2018 was the warmest since 2003. Veraison was early, and ripening took place under ideal conditions—namely, dry weather with significant nighttime temperature swings. This promoted polyphenol development and yielded grapes with high tannic potential and a southern character, which it was essential not to accentuate during vinification. The challenge with this vintage was to preserve all the wine's freshness.