Spring in the vineyards

Buds in May find their way

When the first tender green leaves sprout from the trunks of our 70-year-old Cabernet vines in April and the poppies are in bloom, the signs of spring become visible. Now, at the start of May, you can watch our climbing vines grow day by day. In extreme cases, a single shoot can grow up to 10 cm a day during this period.

The main task in the vineyard in May is therefore ‘ébourgeonnage’ – the removal of excess shoots – to ensure a high-quality harvest. When pruning is carried out professionally, surplus shoots in the fruit-bearing canes and wild shoots on the trunk are ‘snapped off’ by hand to prevent cuts and the cessation of sap flow in the shoots. By deliberately leaving certain shoots in place, the trained winegrower also has the opportunity to plan ahead for the fruit-bearing canes and the pruning for the following year.

So far, the year has been quite promising for us. We have weathered the frost periods well. During a critical week in April with late night-time frosts, our new team placed around a hundred straw bales and plenty of horse manure in the right spots night after night and – in a concerted effort with our neighbour – set them alight in good time.

The water supply has also been good. Our weather station has recorded 427mm of rainfall so far this year. In Paris, the figure for the same period was 120mm. We would therefore prefer to do without the heavy rainfall in May and June, which, combined with rising temperatures, brings with it the risk of mildew.

Keep your fingers crossed for us – this could be a good year!