Bock Ermitage

January was milder this year than in 2017, and while there was snow as well as sleet, the record cold was to come in March. Vines were among the latest plants (fruit trees) to flower, and so the frozen outset of the spring in early March (-14°C) only resulted in a lack of produce in the flatter vineyards. Temperatures of around 20°C were quick to follow the cold start, and so, despite the cold, spring was to start early. Temperatures of up to 30°C were not rare in April, and May was also a warm month. As a result, the vines began to develop a good week or two earlier than usual.

Summer also began hot, with values of around 30°C, and so the two-week advantage over the previous year continued. The slight drop in temperature in mid-June did nothing to retract the advantage, and so everyone began to prepare for an early August harvest. The year’s weather raised no problems as regards the year’s vintage, and pest control was also at its satisfactory level. The hot weather continued through August, frequently reaching 34°C. Although August was rather dry, the precipitation evened out at a monthly 60-80 mm, meaning that the grapes ripened early and that the harvest could begin on August 22.

2018 promises to be an exceptional year, the sugars forming satisfactorily as a result of the sunlight and heat and the wines being built upon healthy grapes.