Unbelievable…
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This has to be really horrible for the harvest.
First report is very bad:
https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2018/05/26/les-vignobles-de-bordeaux-et-cognac-durement-touches-par-la-grele_5305219_3244.html?_sp=4acb4cec-fc0a-4d8c-bf03-f4c9bb9b66ea.1527411181708 (in French)
yikes. I know around here we were just getting into fruit set, anyone know where they are in bordeaux right now?
Looks very bad, but very localized. Thanks for posting
By the look of the shoot length in the article it looks like they must have been past the flowering stage.
My kids mom is in St Emilion now and, for what it is worth, she is telling me that St. Emilion/Pomerol are fine but the Medoc and Blaye were pounded big time. Not sure about the other areas. Like everything else, time will tell…
A very nice map showing the path of the May 2018 hailstorm overlaid on the area of 2017 frost damage in the link below. Article (and map) also confirm that Bourg and Blaye were hardest hit.
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/05/bordeaux-hail-damage-terrible-but-localised/
From what I read, there’s some serious damage to some estates. Only good thing is that it’s relatively early in the season and those who got hit may be able to save some of their fruit. Tough break though.
If that had hit Napa the same day, my guess is it would have resulted in the following losses to production in 2018…
Calistoga/St Helena 60-70% loss
Rutherford/Oakville 30-50% loss
Yountville/Coombsville 10-20% loss
Mountains 0-10% loss
My aunt in Castillon told me this morning that the papers around them are reporting about 4-5% of vineyards were effected by the hail, and that Medoc, Pomerol, and St Emilion proper were spared the worst of it. She seemed much more concerned with the overall weather that they have had in Bordeaux this spring (a ton of rain) being a problem for bud break and flowering.
Poor Cotes de Bourg though. frost last year, hail this year.
I read that the Duoro area got hit yesterday as well . . .