Provence | 2012 vintage
Provençal vineyards produced a rather good 2012 vintage, but results vary between appellations and domaines. As ever, Provence mostly produced good quality rosé wines in this year (over 85%!), but overall volumes were down by approximately 10% compared to the previous year.
The risk for reds was harvesting too early as the extremely dry summer sometimes arrested ripening. By contrast, rain in September kick-started ripening. Many reds therefore are rather light on substance, with supple tannins. These are pleasant, flavoursome wines when young, but are not really worth laying down. In Bandol, the wines are fresher than the sumptuous 2011 reds. These subtle, pleasant wines have slightly less ageing potential than usual, but some blends will nevertheless develop nicely over ten or fifteen years. It should be noted that Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah in Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence have also been very successful.
In Corsica, heavy rainfall from 4 September onwards slightly compromised red wine quality, which had looked set to be excellent. The best vineyards, mostly organic or biodynamic, were more resilient to the effects of this rain, but stringent selection was required to produce concentrated, very well-balanced reds. White wines and rosés are a cut above the reds - pure, fragrant and well balanced by an elegant acidity.
