Denis Jamain in his Pinot Noir vines September 2010
Sad news this evening from Denis Jamain (Domaine de Reuilly), an excellent producer in Reuilly:
'Tonight I am really down, because yes, we have been very severely hit by
the frost last night and I consider that I have lost probably 80% of the Pinot
noir and it is yet too early to guess for the Sauvignon. This is truly a very
bad day, Jim....'
Just a few weeks ago we dropped into see Denis and Anne on the way back from Sancerre on Thursday 29th March. It was a ridiculously hot afternoon – not far short of 25˚C like a good June day and this wasn't a one off it had been like this for over a week and would last longer. Spring exploded and with it the danger of a destructive spring frost. Denis was very positive and excited at starting his first year to conversion to biodynamics. He makes brilliant Pinot Noir – so good you would never think it came from Reuilly!
If I feel sick for Denis this evening and all other vignerons who have been hit, it is difficult to imagine how he and others feel with their hopes for this year snatched away by a few hours of bitter cold. Apparently further east in Nevers the temperature fell to -5˚C, so I fear there may be damage in in Sancerre and Pouilly as well.
That is sad - and unlucky. We had frost here in Preuilly, but there was none only a few kilometres away in Charnizay for example, and friends up on the Cher near Saint-Aignan had none.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan. Sorry to hear you were frosted.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like apart from Reuilly it was the communes to the north of the Cher who were hit hard and into the Sologne.