"The year 2012 is punctuated by the whims of the weather. Winter is Sec. It begins with a very dry period over the first three months of the year. January temperatures were very mild, while February was particularly cold.
Spring is rainy. Cool, damp weather conditions slowed vine growth. Flowering was slow and spread over the first three weeks of June, causing some heterogeneity on the vines. The vignerons' work in the vineyard will enable us to put the vines in the best possible conditions for the grapes to develop. At the end of July, summer finally set in.
August was particularly sunny and very Sec warm, with several very hot days. Mid-veraison was a little late, around August 17. This very fine weather continued into September, leading to fears that berry ripening would stall. The hoped-for rain finally arrived on September 22. The ripening cycle is relaunched, and it is with the utmost attention that everyone watches over the slow, gentle process until the end of the season.
The uneven ripeness of the grapes in the different plots means that each plot has to be cut up particularly precisely and meticulously at harvest time. Harvesting begins on September 24 with the Merlot. The Cabernet-Sauvignon grapes were not harvested until October 13, when they ripened serenely and fully until the 20th, without any deterioration in the health of the grapes and despite the rainy weather. The berries were very ripe, and the musts were extremely rich, with lovely fruit and very intense color.
Maceration was exceptionally long, 26 to 28 days, as the very thick skins of the Merlot and Cabernet grapes required more time to Extra extract the quintessence of this vintage. At the price of a great deal of effort and a certain amount of risk-taking in the harvest, 2012 ranks among the estate's excellent vintages of recent years."
- Château Montrose
