– with the weather!
The vines are only about 10 days ahead of the average – so-far – this year. The year has been incredibly dry too – you can walk in all the vineyards – the clay is hard and/or powder – or, more like pottery as one vigneron described it! But tonight it’s changing – rain is already falling – and the temperature will also do so. Today was 20°C – tomorrow may be below 10°C. There’s also the possibility of frost on Thursday evening.
So-far, apart from particular clones – 99% of leaves are held tightly within their buds – they won’t unduly be bothered by -2°C – but the precocious ones will be more borderline, particularly if it’s wet beforehand. In preparation, I saw candles already deployed in two young-vines sections in Puligny – climat Rue Rousseau (Just below Bienvenues but villages-rated) and 1er cru Clos de la Mouchère. Of-course, you could also go Hi-Tech with your own wind machine – it’s probably more environmentally friendly too!
