“We don’t inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I’m not going to give a list of good and bad years, which may disappoint some people. You must understand that the wine-grower puts their whole heart into obtaining their wines, and they cannot be such harsh judges of their own vintages which, like children, each have their own qualities and faults; they are sometimes the memory of a Summer that was too hot, or a rainy season; sometimes they have a difficult youth or an uncertain future — but the wine-grower will never disown them. Of course, there are some they will be more proud of than others, but those are also the ones that will stay the shortest time on the estate, victims of an impassioned popularity among lovers of great vintages.
That’s why I won’t judge them, but you’ll certainly find this information from the critics, who don’t usually fail to sing the praises of the great vintages, in order to better relegate the more discreet years to oblivion.
You will nonetheless find in this section a description that we make at the end of each wine-growing year.
A year marked by a cool Summer but a mild Autumn, which allowed us to start picking very late; the 5 October for Château Thivin. (only seen before in 1980 for the 4 October)
“out of all this results a wine that is serious, tannic, and finely-crafted.” Claude V. Geoffray
A complicated year in the vineyard
A great deal of pressure from diseases (mildew, black rot) and three episodes of hail!
Strict sorting when picking and the use of a vibrating sorting table, together with complete destemming, allowed us to bring in a fine quality of grapes in spite of everything.
A balanced, fairly rich wine, good fullness, fresh fruits, floral; good length and a spicy finish. (Zaccharie 2012, tasted in 2016)
The noble vintage
A balanced year with a fine, dry Spring, a damp start to the Summer, and a very sunny, hot August. The grape harvesting started very early (28 August) and the conditions were fantastic.
A very elegant vintage, close to 2009 but with greater finesse
“The dark colour announces a rich, fine, noble bouquet of black cherry and spices; the palate is concentrated, juicy, spicy, with magnificent length; a refined wine, long, the archetype of the great Gamays.»
Zaccharie 2011, tasted in September 2018 by Gilles Tromaille (Beaujolais Aujourd’hui no. 22)
A fairly classic year
An elegant, light wine, with a bouquet of burlat cherries and fine tannins… Rather overshadowed by the 2009
“The perfect year” worthy of 1949, 1947, 1929
A perfect year weather-wise, with no excesses and no stress for the vines have produced this great vintage “…between a ‘Richebourg’ and a ‘Côte Rotie’...” according to Jacques Dupont
A powerful, rich wine with an exuberant bouquet of black fruits, cherries, blueberries, very ripe tannins and a long finish on crunchy fruit. Still very young! (Zaccharie 2009, tasted in 2016)
A rather austere, closed wine when young, due to a year with little sun, marked by great freshness. This vintage can be enjoy now.
