Bordeaux 2014 vintage

willywng · 發表於 2015-2-6 18:22:08

From Bordeaux wine council

ULTIMATELY, THE GODS SHONE ON BORDEAUX THIS FALL.

Bordeaux grape growers took a rollercoaster ride on 2014's weather. It started out easy: through much of May, June and July, temperatures held fairly steady, even pleasantly warmer, leading to earlier than usual flowering. While a few stormy episodes caused localized damage from hail in Libourne, Médoc and Entre-Deux-Mers, for the most part, all progressed nicely until August.

August! With a shortage of sun (33 hours less than normal), frequent and abundant rainfall, wind too often from the northwest, and below normal temperatures, August 2014 was dismal. The weather conditions slowed the veraison, shifted the vine’s growth cycle and challenged the vine growers’ resiliency and expertise in their efforts to compensate for Mother Nature.

And then came September, with its outstanding sunshine. The weather made up for the preceding month and brought the grapes to optimal maturity. Just before harvest, Bordeaux enjoyed:

several weeks in a row without rainfall, inducing a drop in berry weight and favoring concentration

significant alteration from very cool night-time temperatures to high daytime temperatures, conducive to faster maturation and synthesis of sugars, aromatic and phenolic compounds

a constant, light wind which limited dew and promoted good aeration of the grape clusters.

The weather conditions ultimately enabled each grape variety to express its qualities best, announcing a fine vintage. In terms of volume, while below the ten-year average, the harvest of the 2014 vintage is expected to be on the rise compared to the very low 2013 harvest (the lowest harvest since 1991). We will have final numbers come March 2015.

But in the meantime, we're looking forward to an exceptional Bordeaux 2014, having landed the wild weather rollercoaster safely.