THE 2018 VINTAGE : A DECISIVE MONTH OF JUNE IN THE VINES
Although the 2018 vintage is well advanced in Burgundy, and more particularly in the Madame Veuve Point vineyards, it is still too early to declare this an early ripening vintage. At this stage, evolution in the vines is closely linked to temperatures. The hotter it is, the faster the growth develops. And inversely, as soon as it becomes cooler, the vegetation slows down. And let us not forget the work of the winegrower, which is vital.
Following a hot, dry spring, there was a rapid and homogenous spurt in vine growth, with very healthy shoots. But recurrent rain and storms, combined with the heat of recent weeks, have created a high risk of mildew. Rigorous canopy management and certain treatments have been, and are still, necessary, creating stressful moments for the winegrowers.
The vines need to be carefully tended and protected to give of their best. Already today, on the white parcels of Madame Veuve Point such as the Pouilly Fuissé, we must trim this climbing vine that naturally wants to reach for the sky, or “top it off” as we say, so that it doesn’t exhaust itself, and help it concentrate on the grapes…
Little bunches have already formed and give us aa first idea of what the future harvest might look like. But there’s a long way to go yet before we pick them!
FLOWERING AND BERRY SET DETERMINE THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF THE FUTURE GRAPES
Flowering takes place over a period of ten to fifteen days. Flower quality gives the winemaker an indication of the size of the crop, for these tiny flowers will later form the grape berries. The vine has no need of insects as it is self-pollinating. Around one third of the flowers will successfully pollinate, and when they have finished their work they will evolve into lots of tiny bunches. We call this berry set. These newly formed berries are just appearing, and will slowly swell up and concentrate before changing colour to start their final sprint that will take them to perfect maturity.
