The climate in 2006 and, in particular, the sum of average daily temperatures, strongly influenced vine growth and grape ripening. Periods of above-average temperatures alternated with periods of below-average temperatures throughout the year.

Vines suffered the effects of these temperature swings by alternating periods of rapid growth with others in which phenol development seemed "frozen."

Vines were also influenced by water levels: after some scarcity in the spring, reserves reached warning levels (especially in July and August 2006), and growth stopped in many vineyards, especially in younger vineyards and those on loose ground.

Relief from the drought arrived in August, with cooler temperatures and modest rainfall, but we had to wait for the rains in the second half of September to see any real effect on the grapes: first, significantly increased yield per hectare, then a progressive decrease in grape quality.

In short, there were enormous differences between ripe grapes picked before and those picked after the rains in the second half of September. Once again, pruning was required in order to lighten the yield of vines suffering from water stress and to limit production on high-yield vines. Where this technique was used, we obtained a very high sugar level accompanied by pronounced but not excessive acidity.