 | | | |
 |
2011, another excellent vintage for Castillo Perelada
At Castillo Perelada, 2011 was considered an Excellent vintage, both in terms of quality and quantity, a combination that is rarely seen.
The vintage began with a chilly winter (on average, 1ºC lower than the previous year) and high rainfall (501 l/m2 from October to March), which kept water reserves in the soil and subsoil, thus giving rise to a perfect and uniform sprouting of the vine.
What’s more, flowering and setting were excellent in all varieties, resulting in a very good grape harvest which was 40% higher than the previous year.
Good, constant rainfall throughout spring and into early summer (especially in July -56 l/m2- and August-33 l/m2), and mild north winds, yielded vigorous vines and a very good ratio of kilos of grape to leaf area.
In some grape varieties, like Garnatxa negra, Macabeu and Syrah, the grape load was too heavy and had to be lightened by 30% in order to achieve a good balance between quality and quantity. The grape yield of the other varieties was higher than in previous years, but nevertheless very good and balanced.
Low rainfall and intense heat at the end of August and throughout September provided the perfect conditions for optimal ripening of the grape. The weather was kind to us and we did not have to interrupt harvesting for even one day due to rain.
The unusual spring and early summer weather (an ideal amount of rainfall, mild temperatures during the day and low temperatures at night) led to slow ripening of the grape and produced a mature fruit that was aromatic, with very good acidity (especially malic acid) and a perfect pH of 3.2-3.4, which is ideal for the production of high quality wines that age well.
Harvesting took 57 days, starting on August 18th (five days earlier than in 2010) with the Chardonnay variety, and finishing on October 13th (five days later than the previous year) with Cabernet Sauvignon.
The average output of Castillo Perelada’s vineyards was 6,000 Kg/ha. It should be pointed out that the medium to large size of the grapes, with lots of must, yielded a high output of good quality wine per kilo of grape, both in the white and red varieties: specifically, 57% in the former and 63% in the latter.
From a viticultural perspective, we could say that the 2011 vintage was very healthy, with a much higher grape yield than in the previous three seasons (around 30% more), but of excellent quality.
With regard to the production of white wines, fermentation was slow but very steady, thanks to a healthy grape and a controlled fermentation temperature (14-15ºC). Special mention must also be given to the good aromatic intensity of the wines, their perfect alcohol-acidity balance, and the varietal character of our white wines this year. The average alcohol content was 12-12.5% vol., the acidity 3.8 g/l, and the pH 3.2-3.3; all ideal for the production of aromatic, fresh and enveloping wines with varietal character.
In red wines, the average alcohol content was 14-14.5% vol. with a very good balance of acidity (3.6-3.8 g/l), a perfect varietal aroma and good malic acid content (1.5-2 g/l). Mention must also be made of the colour intensity and the good polyphenol concentration (DO280 65-80); the tannins are very ripe and rounded on the palate, which is ideal for a good aging of the wines.
|
|
|
|
