2015 Cos d'Estournel Blanc

Like many of his colleagues, technical director Dominique Arangoits spoke about the challenges of heat stress and blocked ripening in younger, lower-lying vineyards. Rain at the end of August was a significant challenge. Gravel-rich soils and older vineyards were the most successful in dealing with the weather conditions. The combination of heat early on and rain towards the end of the season resulted in an especially stringent selection. Only 39% of the crop went into the Grand Vin, as opposed to the more typical 50% or so. Most of the Cabernets were in by October 2, ahead of the rains that followed shortly thereafter, while the harvest wrapped up on the 5th.