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Get to know your Languedoc wine vintages with this brief guide to the past few years, compiled by Decanter experts.
Languedoc wine vintages at a glance:
2005
Warmth and rain during spring resulted in a healthy flowering, while a dry, cool summer ensured a good balance of phenolic ripeness and acidity. The best wines are still drinking well.
2006
Intermittent rains towards the end of the ripening season resulted in a vintage of relatively supple wines lacking the concentration to age well.
2007
The Languedoc fared better than most of France, despite a dull spring and a dry summer. Quantities were low, but concentration was high. The best wines are ageing gracefully.
2008
While most of France was deluged with rain, the Languedoc had a dry summer. The harvest was small but very healthy; reds showed firm structure and deep colours.
2009
Warm, dry conditions resulted in an exemplary harvest of concentrated, ageworthy wines.
2010
Dry, windy conditions, especially towards the end of summer, created low yields but healthy grapes. A ripe and concentrated vintage.
2011
High rainfall resulted in some dilution and rot. Not a vintage for laying down.
2012
A tricky vintage. The weather was cold and damp early in the season, then hot and dry towards the end of summer. Many of the resulting wines are relatively lean bodied.
2013
Despite a cold, damp start to the year, an Indian summer rescued much of the harvest. Syrah and the late-ripening Carignan and Mourvèdre fared particularly well.
2014
In some areas, notably the Minervois and the northwest, a dry winter followed by violent hailstorms and a cool, rainy summer compromised yields. Mourvèdre, on the other hand, benefited from the summer rains.
2015
Warm, dry conditions prevailed, promising a high-quality vintage of ripe grapes.
This content originally appeared in the free Languedoc supplement with Decanter magazine’s June issue. This content was sponsored by the Conseil Interprofessionel des Vins AOC du Languedoc (CIVL) and the IGP wines of Sud de France.
