Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

Castelnau reports ‘exceptional potential’ for 2017 vintage

Published:  25 September, 2017

Champagne Castelnau has revealed the berries picked during the 2017 harvest at the Reims-based winery were “excellent”, with the wines of potentially “exceptional quality”.

In particular, Champagne Castelnau pointed to the quality of the Chardonnay, which Chef de Cave Elizabeth Sarcelet referred to as “perfect” and would “almost certainly” be a vintage year for Castelnau’s Blanc de Blancs.

Describing the harvest as one of the most nerve-wrecking and exciting of her career, Sarcelet said the winery was now looking forward to working with the fruit harvested after “some twists and turns” in conditions, which had the winery at "the edge of our seats” in recent weeks.

“We have had to be very selective in the vineyards, especially with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, but with careful bunch selection we have harvested a good volume of wonderful fruit and the potential of our wines is exceptional,” said Sarcelet.

Until the beginning of August everything had been perfect, she added, with the right amount of sunshine and rain to keep the fruit clean and healthy, but a dramatic start to vintage on 26th August had been triggered by sudden humidity and resultant on-set of some fungus in certain vineyards across the region, she said.

The agreed maximum yield for 2017 in Champagne was 10,300 kg per hectare plus 500kg for reserve wines. At Castelnau the yield was around 10,000 kg per hectare.

Known for its extensive lees aging, Champagne Castelnau portfolio includes Brut Réserve (six years on lees), Brut Rosé (four years on lees), Blanc de Blancs (twelve years on lees) and Brut Vintage (twelve years on lees).

Earlier this year Champagne Castelnau launched radical new packaging and a new communications strategy in a bid to engage with a wider range of Champagne consumers.