On 6, 7 and 8 April 2021, almost the entire Burgundy vineyard was affected by an exceptional frost episode. While it is difficult to quantify the damage accurately today, we already know that a small harvest is looming. In a context already marked by Covid and American taxes, a new scourge is hitting Burgundy winegrowers in the spring of 2021. From April 6 to 8, as the vine began to grow back, three nights of frost destroyed many buds. The mercury has dropped below -4° in many villages, reaching -7° in places. The fault is a polar wind from the north. Under these conditions, the means of control put in place, such as the lighting of candles to warm the air, proved insufficient. https://twitter.com/HISTOIRE_DU_VIN/status/1380774557032779776 Almost three weeks after this episode, it is still impossible to quantify the damage. It is indeed necessary to wait for the first inflorescences (the future clusters) to appear to estimate the yields. But for the interprofession, one thing is certain, "the observation is quite serious".. In the opinion of most winegrowers, the situation would be much worse than in 2016, another year marked by black frosts. To find similar damage, it would be necessary to go back to 1991. 
Preserved Pinot? Because unlike other vintages, this time it is all burgundy that is affected. Chablis, Nuits, Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais: almost no vines have been spared, on the plain or on the hillside. Depending on the plot, "20 to 80%, or even 100%" of the buds would be destroyed, estimates the interprofession. With a nuance of size: Pinot Noir, less advanced than Chardonnay or Aligoté, could do relatively well. Now slaughtered, the winegrowers still hope to see fruiting regrowths in May. They will then be able to estimate more precisely the magnitude of the losses.
