What to wish for our vines and wines this year to always delight your palates?
The key: favorable weather conditions for a successful 2022 vintage, avoiding climatic accidents such as frost or hail.
A mild and sunny spring ☀️
This year, we hope that the spring season will bring mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine to the Libournais region so that our vines can enjoy optimal growth!
⚠️ 🌨 Just like frost, if hail falls after flowering (when the flowers appear) or after fruit set (when the grapes start to form) and destroys the future grape clusters, they will not regrow within the year, and the vine will therefore not produce anything. This is what we explained in July 2020 when the climatic conditions were particularly unkind that spring.
After bud break – when the buds appear once winter is over – the young shoots are very vulnerable to frost damage if the temperature drops below freezing 🌡. Flowering can start as early as May, but if the weather is too bad – cold, wind, and rain ⛈🌬 – the vine will not be able to flower properly. In June, during fruit set, low humidity, high temperatures, and water stress can significantly reduce the number of fertilized flowers…
💦 Indeed, the vine needs water. However, we should not wish for too much rain, as excessive precipitation promotes the appearance of diseases (such as downy mildew or powdery mildew, fungi that develop in humid climates). It also complicates work in the fields, especially on our clay soils, and the treatment of the vines. We prefer “contact” treatments that are more environmentally friendly than penetrating treatments, but they are washable by rain and require several days without precipitation to be applied.
A hot, dry, and festive summer 😎
What would be ideal next is a hot and dry summer, since during the summer period, it is mainly the sunlight and water balance that influence the composition of the grape berries by promoting the synthesis of sugars, and thus the quality of the harvest. Ultimately, we hope for a balanced amount of precipitation, as both drought and excess water negatively affect the ripening of the berries. 🍇
On the winery side, let’s avoid significant temperature fluctuations to ensure the best aging conditions for our older vintages already in bottle. From 2010 to 2019, these vintages available for sale – “ready to drink” or “keep” for the younger ones as indicated in our tasting notes – are stored in optimal conditions. In response to various heatwaves in recent years, we have installed air conditioning for safety, to prevent any potential heat damage.
Let’s also wish for many weddings and other celebrations in 2022! 🎉
After two years that were not conducive to parties, we can only hope to see more opportunities to open great bottles of wine 🍷😉 If you wish, you can order directly from our website our Châteaux de Musset and Chêne-Vieux by clicking here.
Finally, we wish you a happy new year, full of good wine ✨
