Tardieu-Laurent Côtes-du-Rhône Guy Louis

2014 has been a demanding vintage which has required our constant presence in the vineyards, with work needing the utmost care, experience, know-how and intuition. It has been a year when the vine grower has proved essential and one in which only those who have invested considerable effort in the vineyard have reaped rewards. To put it another way, a vigneron's vintage.

A winter of mild temperatures (in fact, the mildest in a decade) and very copious rainfall (the highest amounts for a long time too) gave way to a spring with little rain which boded well for an early and most satisfactory harvest in terms of quality and quantity. However, the arrival of an atypical summer, with cool temperatures and abundant rainfall, put the vine growers' proficiency to the test, especially in dealing with diseases.

In the northern part, less affected by this quite unusual summer thanks to the north wind, the grapes attained excellent maturity which has now been transformed into whites whose balance brings to mind that of the Burgundy whites; the reds have turned out particularly characteristic, with plenty of colour and silky, ready to be enjoyed right from their youth.

In the southern part, although the phenolic maturation reached was not uniform throughout the whole area, the reds are very fruity, elegant and refined, perhaps less intoxicating than usual yet with a seductive freshness. The white wines, as in the preceding vintage, continue to be of a very high standard.