Just checking the weather in France and it appears that it’s been raining in Burgundy and predicted all week off and on (along with cooler temperatures). Also some rain predicted for Bordeaux and Champagne. Is it going to be enough to make a difference?
I guess vignerons in Burgundy will just be happy to get some moisture in their dry vineyards, but the situation in Bordeaux and Southwest seems more dire.
Any updates?
I don’t have an answer but when you say help, do you mean help put out the fire or do you mean help save the harvest in Bordeaux?
For Bordeaux and Burgundy at least, yes! Bordeaux got the better part of an inch on Sunday, and it’s raining in Burgundy as I write this. At this stage, the closest comparison for Burgundy might be 2015, which was warm and dry and blessed by rain in August. The crop is generally reasonably sized, with thick skins, and this rain will be critical to producing something great.
Any projections for harvest dates? I remember early August predicted a few months ago.
A few very advanced, low-yielding parcels are getting picked this weekend, but you can expect things to get underway around the middle of next week in the Beaujolais, and towards the end of next week and over the weekend for whites in the Côte d’Or.
It’d be curious to know more about these parcels if you can share an example! Are they fully ripe, and what do you expect their alcohol content to be?
On-topic: a source on the ground in cote de nuits tells me a good amount of rain fell yesterday and this morning. Good sign as it was very dry end of July when I was there.
Yes, they appear to be fully ripe and with a potential abv in the high 12s.