The 2024 vintage of Mas Llossanes

Our Harvest Journal on the 2024 vintage in Roussillon

As 2024 draws to a close and all the grapes of the year have been returned to the cellar, we would like to share with you our impressions of the vintage and the future of our terroir. Despite the exceptional altitude at which our vineyard is located and the demanding way in which we work our land in organic farming, the weather conditions of recent years have presented us with unprecedented challenges.

Panorama from our Carignan Dolmen plot. Photo taken one morning during the harvest. We start harvesting at dawn to bring the grapes back into the cellar.

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A climate of extreme contrasts

This year, Roussillon stood out for its intense drought, for the third consecutive year . Classifying our climate as sub-desert . While our vineyard is perched at altitude, we benefit from a little freshness, but no significant rain. Our old vines, rooted since the 1940s, have been able to draw their resilience from this tested land. Thanks to the few rainfalls in May and rare storms, we were able to accompany our grape varieties to a harmonious maturation . However, these extreme conditions are not without consequences : after a harvest down 15% in 2023, that of 2024 is reduced by 60%, with yields of only 12 hl/ha.

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Actions for the future of our soils

We continue to invest all our attention to the health of our soils, an essential element to our environmental approach and their sustainability. To overcome this drought, We work every season to create and maintain humus, which helps our soils to store the precious water that the vines need so much. We add organic cow manure to enrich the soil, and sow plants (mixture of triticale, field bean and white mustard) after the harvest between the rows of vines in order to promote infiltration and combat erosion. Biodynamics helps us allows us to inoculate our soils with micro-organisms thanks to the 500 preparations and 500P. This intensifies the transformation of organic matter into humus and thus improves the quality of our soils. Despite these efforts, for the moment the soils remain dry in depth due to lack of rain . Maintain our soils living, dealing with the impossibility of irrigation at our altitude, is a challenge that we are striving to meet.

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"The grapes were in superb health. We harvest by hand to sort the grapes, but this year we have hardly discarded anything."
- Solenn

The promise of a great vintage of guard

Although 2024 was a year harsh climate , the quality of our berries is exceptional. Not very full of water, they offer a concentration which promises wines of great intensity, in perfect harmony with the identity of our estate. This 2024 vintage will undoubtedly be a vintage for laying down , marked by freshness. natural and an intensity that will delight patient wine lovers. And since the quantities are extremely small, We are already thinking about some changes among the vintages that we will produce. To be continued.

Patience before tasting this vintage...

These days we continue winemaking with the precious patience that a great wine requires keep. This vintage deserves to be refined with care and will take several years before finding its place in your cellars, but the wait will be worth it the trouble, rest assured. Until then, we will have the pleasure of offering you new vintages to taste, so that you can continue to enjoy a little of our land and our work.

The juices taste very good in the vat. It's promising. On the other hand, given the concentration and intensity, I will pay particular attention to breeding
- Dominique

After the press is finished, we empty the press and collect the skins. and seeds. They will become an excellent compost for our vines.

Immediately after the harvest, the grapes arrive at the cellar in small crates that respect the integrity of the bunches. We empty them manually into the destemmer, carrying out a final check.

Dominique broke his ankle at the start of the harvest. For a small team like ours, losing the key man in the middle of the harvest, that was a hell of a blow challenge. What a vintage this 2024 is!

Thank you for your trust and loyalty. We are happy to count you among the friends of Mas Llossanes and to share with you the passion that drives us! See you soon for news discoveries,

Dominique and Solenn Génot Winemakers of Mas Llossanes