The weather was somewhat chaotic in 2006. Winter was cold with some snow, spring was quite mild although there were some violent storms in May, while summer began with extreme heat and little rain. August was cold and very wet which caused the grapes to swell and brought on grey rot. All our hard work in the vineyards meant that our yields were reasonable and botrytis was largely kept at bay except in certain areas which are particularly susceptible to it. Picking began on 11 September at our Aÿ Vauzelle Terme vineyard under sunny skies but the rain returned on 20 September forcing us to speed up our harvesting in order to avoid botrytis taking hold. Nevertheless, the must was well balanced with an average potential alcohol of slightly less than 10.5 deg and acidity of approximately 7.5 gr/l.
Vinification took place, as usual, in large oak barrels, on the lees and with weekly bâtonnage. The Chardonnays were soft but very fi ne, the Pinot Noirs fruity and vinous while the Pinot Meuniers were more variable in quality so we decided to reject any parcels that were less than successful. The blend is composed of 54% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir and 26% Pinot Meunier and the wines from the 2006 harvest were completed with reserve wines from 2005 (22%) and 2004 (5%).