Although it is still too early to gauge the quality of the 2015 harvest in Burgundy, it is interesting to get a status report from a prominent wine estate, in our case, Domaine Hubert Lignier in Morey St Denis . Laurent Lignier answers our questions:
Can you give us an indication of how the vines are doing thus far?
Laurent Lignier: “The vines are currently suffering heavily from hydric stress having received just 11mm of water in July, compared to 48mm in 2003. The leaves are still nice and green; it’s just that the grapes are having difficulty in ripening. At least they seem to be making progress after the 20 to 25mm of rain that fell at the beginning of August followed by another rainy episode around the 10th. We have been exposed to a high risk of powdery mildew this year, especially in the Côte de Nuits; we’ve had to be extremely attentive in treating the vines to prevent it developing. At the beginning of August we see the majority of the vines in the Côte de Nuits are in excellent health and the harvest looks like being normal. The grapes will probably be a little low in juice, but for now the quality is there. There has been little scorching and if we don’t experience any incidents such as hail during the course of the month we can expect a great vintage, with superb structure and concentration.”
So for the moment are there any similarities with other recent vintages?
Laurent Lignier: “This 2015 vintage could be compared to 2003 weather-wise from the month of April. In fact, the cumulative water levels over the past four months in 2015 are identical to those recorded in 2003. Nevertheless, in spite of the heat we have been experiencing this summer, we have had lower maximum temperatures this year. Let’s not forget that in 2003 it stayed at 40°C sometimes for up to 10 days (at the beginning of August 2003), whereas in 2015 that temperature hasn’t been maintained for more than a few days!”
If everything goes well, when might the harvest start?
Laurent Lignier: “We’re heading for an early harvest, with the secateurs coming out between the 1st and the 12th of September for the first time depending on whether it’s Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. At Domaine Hubert Lignier we’ll probably start around the 10th September.”
