This end of May 2022, the Burgundy vine greens and exudes sweet scents: it is flowering, a crucial period that will largely determine the quantity and quality of burgundy of this vintage. And there is rather something to celebrate. Without looking as closely as possible at the vines, we do not distinguish them. Millions of small pale yellow flowers adorn the vineyards of Burgundy at the end of May. They are beautiful, fragrant, but above all stressful for the more than 4000 winegrowers of Burgundy. Indeed, it takes ideal conditions for each of these flowers to one day become pretty ripe berries. A lack of water, extreme temperatures or diseases could lead to accidents with well-known names for winemakers. The coulure on the one hand, that is to say the absence of fertilization, and therefore of fruit. And millerandage, this incomplete fertilization that gives small berries (the "millerands"). So less abundant harvests, more concentrated and more tannic wines. This last phenomenon can sometimes be appreciated, especially to make wines for ageing, as long as it remains in reasonable proportions. Life-saving rains Fortunately, this flowering 2022 looks positive. After above-normal heat in mid-May in Burgundy, the mercury dropped a notch in the third week, as life-saving rains moistened the soil. Conditions a priori ideal, especially since the April frosts did not, in the end, affect the harvest potential too much. Soon formed, the small grapes will then grow throughout the summer. The only dangers to fear now: drought and hail. If nature proves to be lenient at this level, then it is a safe bet that 2022 will give Burgundy a qualitative vintage and, something rarer in recent years, abundant. See you in August or September to find out.
