Winter 2001-2002 has been a REAL winter: the last three or four have been mild with very few days with freezing temperatures (for example, in the year 2000, only one week with temperatures between 0 and –3 C). In December 2001, it was often freezing, with lows around –10 to –12 C here in Montagnieu. For a winemaker, that’s a good sign: the vines are able to go into a truly dormant state and one can be certain that diseases and insects will be less virulent.
On the other hand, there was little snow and rain. The spring was also dry (in the period January to June 2002, there was a serious rain deficit compared to the same period in 2001). Actually, one could say that the spring was very dry : we waited until the end of April to plant. In mid-April, there was a cold period (0-1 C at night) which almost froze the new shoots. There was no damage in Montagnieu, but other areas in Bugey were hurt. A pretty rainy month of May gave the new plantings a good watering : it was about time. June brought hot temperatures which sped up our springtime work i.e. debudding and training the vines on wires. The vines grew very fast with temperatures exceeding 30 C several days in a row : an unusual occurrence for June (those temperatures are more characteristic of the the July 15 – Aug 15 period).
The rest of the summer has been pretty odd also: no periods of intense heat, a lot of humidity and dampness, but no really good rains and, above all, no violent storms. Montagnieu was spared the hail that hit other sections of Bugey.
The vines have been doing well all year, no stress from too much heat, very little mildew and oidium and only a few problems with insects and spiders. The foliage is very healthy which in turn has been beneficial for the grapes: a cool week at the end May when the vines were flowering had reduced the crop, with aborting flowers and millerandage on some of the Altesse and Mondeuse grapes.
The team of seasonal workers (myself included!) were very efficient: the grapes were aerated and exposed to sunlight, the new shoots near the grapes were cut back, all in all, a job well done.
As of today, 9/9/02, ripening progresses: the Altesse grapes have reached 11% and the acidity levels are still sufficiently high. Unfortunately, it has been raining one or two days a week and with the air temperatures being pretty hot (17 to 22 C), we are starting to get concerned about rot.
Now, (once again!), it’s a matter of choosing the best moment to pick the grapes: well-ripened, but without too much rot or too little acidity. The years follow each other, but they don’t resemble each other… But, of course, that’s what makes this interesting work: trying to understand the vintage, so that one can bring out the best in the crop. Reproducing what one did in previous years would be a mistake, especially this year. In any case, I remain watchful, imaginative and a scriptwriter (as is my wont), ready for action when I think the time has come to begin the harvest.