News from the Vineyard - a devastating frost hammers much of France

by Max Goldberg Liu
Wednesday April 14, 2021

It has been a rough couple of weeks for vignerons throughout France - not just in regions where frost is not uncommon like Champagne and Burgundy, but also in the Loire, Bordeaux, the Northern Rhône, and even parts of the Southern Rhône.

In Burgundy, the problem was exacerbated by the warm and sunny weather the previous week, which meant more advanced - and vulnerable - buds on the vines. Also, some growers even saw the more dangerous “gelée noir” or “Black Frost” that is different from the more common hoarfrost. Black frost is not technically frost at all, but rather a situation when it is so cold that the plant tissue itself freezes and dies (hence the black necrotic vegetation…). Indeed, it was so cold in many parts of Burgundy and elsewhere that the candles that growers had painstakingly stocked (there was a major shortage across the country) were sometimes completely ineffective in raising the temperatures in certain vineyards above freezing.

As the Côte de Beaune is usually a week or so more advanced than the Côte de Nuits, the damage seems to be greater there, but perhaps not by much.

It is still early to confirm the extent of the damage, and there is always hope that the vines will rebound with a secondary bud-break, although that will also mean a much more complicated growing season - frost-damaged vines often have a tough time with flowering and secondary buds are often more susceptible to funguses and other diseases.

Other winegrowing regions were not spared - Guillaume Clusel in Côte-Rôtie estimates 60% of his Côte-Rôtie vines’ buds are damaged, and 40% in the Coteaux du Lyonnais. In Sancerre, Franck Bailly of Domaine Bailly-Reverdy says that all the villages saw some frost and that he estimates that he lost at least 50% of his crop.

This is clearly the worst frost in recent memory - certainly worse than 2016, with many growers having to ask their parents to comb the distant past for a comparison. Apparently some older winemakers in Burgundy remember 1956 as one such year…

The situation in the Côte de Beaune and Chalonnaise is very grave. And I don’t know if it’s much better in the Côte de Nuits. In sum, it’s much worse than 2016.

- Jean Soubeyrand, Maison Olivier Leflaive

We have indeed been severely affected, particularly with the whites. We spent multiple nights in a row fighting with candles but they were only very slightly effective…

- Jacques Devauges, Domaine des Lambrays

Still, the vigneron spirit will triumph, and so many growers have responded with a positive attitude. They have gone through tough times before and emerged stronger.

This will be tough to get through, but rest assured that we will never give up and that we will do everything we can to make a GREAT but small 2021 vintage.

- Benjamin Leroux

Complicated years happen, but we will continue our work.

- Nathalie Tollot, Domaine Tollot-Beaut

These three freezing nights were indeed a violent ordeal. We fought, but the conditions were too extreme. Even if it is too early to make a realistic assessment, the losses can be quantified from 50 to 100% depending on the sector.

But the vine will endure… and life is beautiful!

- Aubert de Villaine, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti