The consequences of the frosts

The consequences of the frosts on the Brionnais

You may be wondering about the consequences of the current frosts on the Brionnais... Climate change is definitely an additional challenge for the winegrowers, who really didn't need it in this period of health crisis.

As far as the Domaine is concerned, it is our Chardonnay (the earliest variety) that has suffered the most, and we have noted about 30% to 50% bud loss depending on the plots. As for the other grape varieties, there was about 10% loss. The Gamay and Pinot noir are almost unaffected. Our damage is significant overall but we are avoiding the worst....

The Brionnais terroir does indeed have a few advantages, such as its altitude (350/400 metres) which delays ripening and also allows us to limit excess heat during heat waves, as @larvf_mag described in their article of 17 February. Our last advantage is also the location of our plots. We have 6 different groups of plots, which allows us to "divide" the risks. Frost hits on the left and 50 metres to the right, it doesn't hit anymore. Go and understand....

All our friendly and supportive thoughts go to the winegrowers and their families going through 2021, the "annus horribilis"!