It has been an extremely warm and dry spring in some parts of France, especially the northern and north-eastern parts. We asked Philippe Bernard at Clos Saint Louis in Fixin (Côte de Nuits) how the vines are doing.
“This is another ‘année de folie’, a crazy year”, he says. “It has been hot and very dry, too dry. We have only had 5 mm of water in over a month.”
The vines grow at an incredible speed. 2020 has great chances of becoming the earliest harvest ever in Burgundy. The work that Philippe and his co-workers are now doing, ebourgeonnage (removing unwanted buds) and relevage (fixing the branches between the wires), he normally does in mid or late May. Because it has been hot and dry, he currently has no problems with downy mildew, but he needs to be vigilant about any development of powdery mildew.
Clos Saint Louis is Terra Vitis certified, one of the most stringent sustainability labels.
