Yesterday brought hail to Beaujolais. You can look through Jerome’s images above. This is already the third time that Beaujolais has experienced hail – (almost) always in different places…
You can also see from Jerome’s comments, that the hail followed a narrow but long corridor. As is often the case, the storms start in or around the combe of Beaujeu, this time following a line through the top of Lantigné, Emeringes, through the higher part of Regnié then onwards above Morgon through Chiroubles and the rear hills of Fleurie. Chenas was hit a little but on the lower slopes of Moulin-à-Vent, there was only rain.
I asked a few vigneron(ne)s:
Richard Rottiers (Moulin à Vent): “The high parts of Beaujolais were touched but where I am in Romanèche it was only water!”
Paul Henri Thillardon (Chenas): “We lost 20% of the harvest a month ago but not yesterday!”
Anne-Sophie Dubois (Fleurie): “Indeed there was a storm with hail. The impacts are not very numerous but the vine has almost finished veraison. Open berries are now susceptible to rot. The problem is here. As usual, the weather will, or will not, clean up the situation.”
Grégoire Hoppenot (Fleurie): “It seems that there is heavy damage on the ridges from Lantignié to Emeringes. In particular the high parts of Regnié, St Joseph, Chiroubles and the top of Fleurie. I don’t know the limits.”
Domaine Desvignes (Morgon): “No damage to the parcels that I looked at – so no hail for us this time.”
Laurent Martray (Côte de Brouilly): “Apparently no damage for me – I don’t know about the other areas…”
So, it seems that the Beaujolais Crus have fared well versus the hyphen-Beaujolais villages. The 10-day forecast seems mainly thunderstorm free in the Beaujolais, the same can’t be said of Chablis or the Côte d’Or, nor the Côte Chalonnaise or Mâconnais – I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!