Key dates:

Budbreak: 28 April

Flowering: 10 June

Cluster thinning: Week 27 

Veraison: 04 August

Harvesting 21 September

 

Overview

The main feature of this vintage was the serious lack of water that began in June and was most severely felt in the Côte d'Or and Saône-et-Loire "départements" and less so in the Yonne and Nièvre.

 

Dormancy

From October to November, temperatures were near or above normal. December was colder, although warmer weather set in from the end of December to mid-January. However, winter was not over yet and returned with a vengeance until the end of January, with temperatures very much below normal and numerous snowfalls. Average temperatures in February remained below zero.

 

Growing season

In the same vein, March began with temperatures 5 to 6 °C below the seasonal averages. From the end of March to the end of April, the fine weather arrived; temperatures were close to normal and rainfall often higher than the average for the time of year. May's temperatures were virtually normal for the first ten days and,

 

During the last ten days of the month, they were 3°C higher than usual. From 26 to 29 May, they reached almost 30°C. Rainfall was practically normal.

In the first half of June, temperatures were normal for the first fortnight, then rose sharply from the middle of the month. From 18 to 28 June, there was already talk of a heatwave and the beginnings of water shortfalls began to be felt.

While June left us expecting a good start to the summer, conditions in early July cooled our spirits. Temperatures in the first two weeks barely exceeded 20°C. It wasn't until later in the month that temperatures could be said to be typical of summer. The weather in August was also mixed; after roughly three weeks of temperatures slightly below the average, conditions improved and temperatures rose again. August's rainfall was "worse" than that of July with 20 to 50 mm shortfalls being recorded throughout the region.

Temperatures remained at summer levels at the beginning of September. It rained, but only for a short period and in no great quantity. Globally, the month lacked rainfall and there was plenty of sunshine.

Taken from the bulletin of the plant protection service

 

The harvest:

Picking began on 21 September with the excessively dry conditions that had characterised the whole summer. The weather

 

was glorious and the conditions exceptional. The grapes were ripe and in absolutely perfect condition. As a result, vinification went smoothly although, as every year, care was needed at all times in order to bring out the best qualities of this vintage, which promises to be sensational.

 

Assessment of quality:

After three weeks of vinification, the wines are now in the cellar, where they are already showing enormous potential. Even at this stage, they are soft and aromatic, hinting at a fresh and elegant vintage that can be laid down or enjoyed a little earlier on. We will know more by the end of the maturing period.