In My View: After the Rain

Yesterday, September 12, Burgundy experienced a serious thunderstorm lasting, in some areas, three hours. It sent buckets of water down on the vineyards; 30-50 mm fell, so quite a bit. While not a disaster, this was a setback for quality nevertheless.

This downpour will set the conditions for the rest of the harvest, and I expect the wines harvested from September 13 onwards to be somewhat different, with less depth and intensity in the fruit.

We came close to a worst-case scenario: heavy rain on a large crop that’s already seeing rapidly declining acidity can be quite devastating. Add to this the potential for different sanitary issues (rot), and we have a dangerous cocktail.

This is, however, Burgundy. The new situation will be adapted to, and there will still be good wines made if care is taken and prudence observed.

Consequences of the heavy rain – recap

The abundant crop will most likely soak up the water like cool Champagne on a hot day. The result could be inflated, somewhat diluted grapes, potentially open to botrytis and other bad things. Concentration will go down, and the scenarios for unharvested grapes are sometimes dire.

Quick action needed

The decreasing acidities are an issue and will be a problem. Botrytis and volatile-acidity-related problems from the Suzukii fruit fly (Drosophila Suzukii) are additional problems that started before the rain, even in well-managed vineyards.

The trick now is to be quick. Cooling the picked grapes is important if the temperature is higher, and prioritising harvesting the vineyards with greater sanitary issues is a must: These need to be picked asap!

In my opinion, it’s still possible to make good – even very good – wines in the second part of this now-diverse vintage. This is a complex year for reds, while the whites show fine promise – if they were harvested in time.