One thing’s for sure: the start of the season looks nothing like 2024 - and so far, everything is off to a promising start.

The pace in the vineyards has already been intense for two months. With alternating stormy rains and bright sunshine, the vines are growing vigorously - forcing winegrowers to carry out green work at a fast clip.

And flowering arrived early - very early! Budburst came in early April, right in line with the 31-year average, but mid-flowering was already observed on May 31, making it one of the five earliest vintages ever. In later-ripening areas, however, flowering progressed more slowly.

The very first flowers were seen as early as May 26. Summerlike temperatures during Ascension weekend (May 29-31) triggered a rapid bloom in the earliest sectors and helped get flowering started elsewhere. By mid-June, flowering had wrapped up in the Hautes Côtes and latest-developing sites.

It typically takes 95 to 100 days for flowers to become ripe grapes, ready to harvest… If all goes well, harvests for Crémant de Bourgogne could begin around August 20. Still wines would follow 8 to 10 days later, from late August to early September.

That said, a great deal remains to be done before then - notably protecting the vines from disease and helping them express their full potential. 

Source: BIVB