Out of the Cellar...

Spring Weather is Critical to the '97 Vintage

The effect of the early season's weather ...

Peter Smith's Weather Report (You know these Brits, it's all they talk about!)

Drought, heat, frost and now rain! Yet another "strange" season in the vineyards of Europe. I hear the claim of "abnormal" weather so often these days that I wonder if there is such a thing as normal any more!

At any rate, the European spring of 1997 was definitely weird, by anyone's standards. There was a serious drought here in the early spring which lasted in some parts for two or three months. March and early April were so warm that the vines started bud-break up to three weeks before normal.

Now this is great news, as it means that the vines get an early start and very likely en early harvest, with less chance of rain for the "crush". Unless you get a late frost. Which of course is almost inevitable.

On Friday, April 18 we awoke in Chateauneuf du Pape to sub-zero temperatures. In many of the lower lying vineyards of the "Vins de Pays" of the Southern Rhone 80-100% of the buds were killed. The Grands Crus vineyards on higher land escaped with relatively minor losses, but there was enough damage in the lesser properties for the government to declare it a disaster area. Other parts of France were also affected to varying degrees, both this day and again about a week or so later.

In Bordeaux, Burgundy and Chablis there was only significant frost in isolated parts, but this cold snap signaled the end of the mild weather. On our late April and May tours in Bordeaux we made good use of umbrellas and coats, though there were a few nice days too. So the weather makes a liar of me! I always tell people how lovely the long, warm spring evenings are ….

For the vines, however this weather is perfect. With the rain comes warmer weather, and the moisture the plants need. So far (which is way, way too early to predict, of course) 97 looks OK, maybe very good, maybe excellent … those of you who come over this fall will learn the final truth first hand!

So what have we been doing apart from gazing skyward? Tasting wine of course! And the 96s we've seen so far are enough to cheer you up on even the frostiest morning or the most dismal rainy "spring" afternoon. A little spotty here and there, as the rain danced around during last year's harvest, but the left bank of Bordeaux by and large looks pretty darned good. Several chateaux are predicting as good or better than 95, and in many cases at this early stage I tend to agree. The right bank (St. Emilion and Pomerol) had a harder time last year, with more rain, but careful selection and good timing allowed the better producers to excel here also.

Now we're getting ready to enjoy the spring flowering festival in St. Emilion (our June 8 tour) and whether we get rained on like last year or baked like the year before, we won't be complaining as we idle away the afternoon eating and drinking with the right bank's top winemakers.

Hope to see you out here soon - we're having too much fun and we don't mind sharing!