From Bordeaux in the south-west to Jura in the east, French winemakers have faced a fresh fight against mildew in their vineyards this year, according to several media reports.
Heavy rain has contributed to conditions allowing mildew to pose a threat. National weather body Météo France said 2024 has seen the country’s wettest spring season since 2008, and the fourth wettest on record.
‘It rained a lot, and often, everywhere,’ it said, except for in some areas near the Mediterranean and Pyrenees.
It remains uncertain to what extent this will impact wine harvest size. The French agriculture ministry is due to report its early projections for wine production in the 2024 vintage on 9 August.
Bordeaux has again had mildew issues, following a fierce battle in the 2023 growing season.
‘From November last year, the Bordeaux region received a lot of rain,’ said Nicolas Poumeyrau, vineyard manager at Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan. A warm winter meant that mildew remained active in vineyards.
‘However, we anticipated well and triggered very early the organic protection on our vines,’ Poumeyrau told Decanter. ‘It was key to start early,’ he said, adding that Merlot was more affected than Cabernet Sauvignon or white wine varieties.
Biodynamic treatments helped vines to cope, he said, citing cow manure for the soils, quartz for vine leaves and sprays based on ingredients such as horsetail and buckthorn.
On Bordeaux’s Right Bank, Martin Krajewski said his Clos Cantenac property in St-Emilion had not been too badly affected in five out of six vineyard parcels. He expected to lose 60 to 70% of the 2024 crop in the remaining sixth parcel.
There has been a financial cost, though. ‘We’ve spent a fortune on extra manual workers in the vines and additional treatments,’ said Krajewski.
‘I’ve also had a good look around some other parts of St-Emilion, particularly up on the plateau and the results are mixed, but I think generally the top producers have coped well.’
He added that ‘things are really quite good’ at his Château Séraphine property in Pomerol, which was expecting a similar yield to last year.
He said some parts of Fronsac and Entre-Deux-Mers appeared to have suffered a bigger impact from a trio of mildew, hail and frost.
Producers are now hoping for summer weather to stick around. ‘Summer has finally turned up, and we hope for a dry period, with sensible temperatures,’ said Poumeyrau, at Smith Haut Lafitte.
‘The vines are coping very well,’ he said, adding véraison has started and the first white grapes should be picked around the end of August.
Elsewhere in France, media outlet Le Bien Public reported mildew pressure in the Châtillonais, known for Crémant de Bourgogne sparkling wines north-west of Dijon, and France 3 reported significant mildew impact for some winemakers in Jura, following on from late April frost.
Growers have also faced strong mildew pressure in Champagne, but have been able to control the situation thanks to a lot of hard work, said Maxime Toubart, president of the Champagne winegrowers’ union (SGV), last month.
