Château Fonroque 2021

2021 began with a mild but extremely rainy winter, much like 2020. Budbreak was uniform, steady, and early. This was followed by a cold, dry spring with sub-freezing temperatures, resulting in extensive frost damage. It wasn’t until the end of May that mild weather conditions returned. However, stormy weather between mid-June and mid-July led to high downy mildew pressure. The four weeks of dry weather in late August were crucial for the ripening of the berries. The tannin and anthocyanin levels in the skins are promising. The harvest began with the early-ripening Merlot plots. The adverse weather conditions since budbreak reduced yields to a greater or lesser extent, but produced balanced, well-structured wines with a beautiful aromatic profile.