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| June of 2000 |
| February 2001 |
| May 2001 |
| July 2001 |
The growing season began with heavy rain in March and April, but May was dry which led to favorable conditions for the flowering (Côte de Beaune: June 11th for Chardonnay and June 13th for Pinot noir, Côte de Nuits: June 16th for Pinot noir). Early July was cool while the end of the month brought a heat wave. On August 2nd, winemakers in Volnay, Pommard, Rully, Mercurey and other villages experienced their worst nightmare. A violent hailstorm hit and destroyed the grapes in large blocks of vineyards. Eighty percent was lost in parts of Volnay while the village of Bouzéron lost 100% of its crop.  The weather in September was cool and rainy. With the official start date of September 17th in the Côte de Beaune and the 20th for the Côte de Nuits, the grapes brought back to the estates were in good condition - the slight advantage to the pinot of the Côte de Nuits. The Côte de Beaune Chardonnay, although starting to show some rot, came through well although the quality of pinot of that region suffered slightly due to the storms and hail. As it stands now, one month after the harvest, it looks to be a good year for Côte de Beaune reds, a great year for the whites of that region and for Côte de Nuits reds. Nevertheless, we should wait for some more solid tasting experiences in the barrels, and, particularly, in bottles. |
