Bock 70+ 2018
Bock 70+ 2020About the year
The year started with a relatively mild and dry winter (January-February). Nights were typically -1-5°C, with rather pleasant temperatures during the day.
March started off warm, followed by a few weeks of cooling in the middle of the month, but by the end of the month we had several 20°C spells. This warming continued into April, with the grapes starting to fade in the first week of April. Then the 2-week cool spell in mid-April brought nature to a standstill and shoot development became sluggish. Practically from the beginning of September 2018 until April 2018, there was no significant rainfall (100-120 mm), with the first major showers in April.
May was colder than in previous years, so flowering did not start until June, even for early varieties. However, at flowering (June), it unexpectedly became very hot, with temperatures of around 30°C, so there were varieties with less than perfect attachment.
Setting was in mid-July, which suggested that harvesting would not start in August this year.
By the end of July the summer heat arrived with temperatures of 30-35°C, followed by a slight cooling in the first decade of August. The rest of August was extremely hot, with highs of 40°C, and even the usual cooling after 20 August did not arrive, continuing until mid-September with temperatures of 25-30°C. After mid-September, 20-25°C was the norm, with occasional showers of a few days refreshing the warm, dry days. By October, the weather was in the 20°C range until the end of October, when the cold weather arrived unexpectedly with lots of rain.
We started the harvest with the earliest variety, Irsai Olivér, on 22.08, and then, due to a few days of heavy rain, we continued with the early white varieties (Chardonnay, Rizlingszilváni) and the blue grapes (Pinot Noir) for sparkling wine at the beginning of September. We continued with the blue grapes and were able to carry on with the harvest almost uninterrupted, which we successfully completed on 28 October, before the cold and rainy weather arrived.
In 2019, we harvested healthy grapes of good quality and we expect a good vintage.
