Wines from 2008 had a high level of acidity and great aging potential – the Rieslings from this vintage were exceptional as were the desert wines.

•    January was mild with daytime temperatures of around 15°C. February too was mild and dry
•    March and April were cool – the orchards were in bloom by March 23rd but night-time temperatures plummeted to -7°C over the Easter weekend with the frost killing the possibility of fruit this year. The vines started to shoot on April 15th
•    May was mild and dry, turning thundery by the end of the month. The weather then became cooler dropping to 10°C – 12°C at night.
•    The vines were in flower from June 2nd through to the 20th helped by weather conditions that were mild and with little rain fall
•    July saw lots of sunshine again with little rain
•    The start of August was dry and relatively warm. After August 10th, more rain started to fall and the climate became cooler. August 12th saw 60mm rain and by 15th, the temperature had dropped to 15°C. Ripening took place late this year beginning only on August 14th but there were no “vendanges tardives” possible for this vintage  

•  •    At the beginning of September, the Botyris fungus began to appear (particularly on the Auxerrois varietal which were sparse in number) but the chilly night-time temperatures slowed the development of the disease.
  •    September 17th saw the start of the grape harvest for the Crémants. As 80% of the Pinot Noir vines around Colmar had been impacted by Botyris, this necessitated a rigorous selection process to ensure the quality of the grapes used in the production of our wines.
  •    Most the grapes were harvested between October 6th to 19th. By this stage, the fruit displayed an excellent maturity, typified by fine aromatic characteristics, a high level of acidity and a very good sugar concentration. The Gewürztraminer “vendanges tardives” were picked on November 21st with a selection of “grains nobles” from this varietal carried out in two stages.