The difficult growing season has led to the reduced yields, particularly in the Premier and Grand Crus.
At Domaine des Malandes yields are down by 15-20% in their Premier Cru vineyards, whereas in nearby Domaine Louis Michel & Fils they are down twice this amount. Guillaume Gicqueau-Michel, winemaker at Louis Michel said, ‘2012 has been a very complicated vintage in the vineyards. Yields are unsurprisingly down, up to 40% in places.’
The 2012 growing season was challenging from the outset.