— Kwame Yamgnane
Vintage 2025: Between Heatwave and Rainfall Salvation
An extraordinary season at Domaine d'Aubigny: from frost to intense sun, through salvific autumn rains that concentrated the grapes and forged exceptionally powerful tannins.
A promising 2025 season
The 2025 season looked quite promising. After weathering the devastating frosts without damage, we prepared for a season under abundant sunshine. No need for the usual treatments — powdery mildew and downy mildew simply could not develop.
But the sun persisted. And persisted further still.
The heatwave: a trial for the vines
We entered a severe heatwave, challenging for the vineyard. The prolonged summer imposed ripening arrests — berries froze in their development, refusing to progress. pH climbed dangerously (acidity dropped in the wines), while grape skins thickened abnormally — skins yielding little juice, but extraordinary concentration.
A situation both promising and concerning. Concentrated, yes. But at the cost of structural fragility.
August salvation
Late August brought rain.
It saved us. Berries gorged with water and everything accelerated. We had to harvest the 1st Crus quickly — their south-facing exposure had charged them with intense sun, and this timely rain was salvation. Water gave the grapes the momentum they needed while preserving the concentration already achieved.
The cellar decision: gentle extraction
Though I suspected we risked very concentrated juices, I undertook a gentle extraction of anthocyanins and tannins — delicate winemaking designed to preserve finesse despite power.
It was not enough.
Powerful tannins: 24 months minimum in oak
The 1st Cru 2025 tannins are exceptionally powerful. They demand time. Considerable time.
The vintage will spend at least 24 months in barrel. Perhaps longer — we'll see in 2027 whether aging justifies extension. It's a weighty decision, but the right one. Raw tannins serve no purpose; they must be allowed to refine, polish themselves, find their equilibrium.
Hope for 2027
I hope this 2025 1st Cru will be exceptional — a powerful, elegant wine, a testament to this wild season between heatwave and rainfall salvation. And I hope you'll have the chance to enjoy it when it emerges from the cellar, likely in 2027 or 2028.
For now, we wait. Patiently.
Kwame Yamgnane, owner of Domaine d'Aubigny since 2021