Page 3 - Lettre 70 EN

plot to propel the hot air from the fire and warm the nights, nocturnal outings, offset days thanks to the
atmosphere. This was a rather spectacular scene! 500, culminating in a fortnight of hand picking!
We also lit candles along the river Vouge in the Clos ♦
du Prieuré, a humid and delicate location. We had no At this point (24 April) the development of the vines
regrets considering the tiny and growing local flora is very heterogeneous: some are still in bud, others
covered in white frost the following morning! This have already sprouted small leaves, with the Char-
was a close call and left us fearing a repeat of April 7, donnays being consistently more precocious than
2021, two years ago almost to the day, when despite the Pinot Noirs.
our best efforts we lost half the harvest. ♦
Spring frosts may still occur… Let’s hope that the Ice
♦
But with the return of fine weather, on April 12, 13 Saints in mid-May will prove wrong the belief that it
and 14, we produced our spring preparation 500P, can freeze until then!
the foundation of biodynamic mixtures, which ♦
stimulates the recovery of life in the soil. A lengthy Still, this spring is very cool, the sun is interspersed
and arduous task undertaken by the entire team and with clouds, and the frequent wind plays an active
applied to the vineyard in ideal weather conditions. role in either accentuating the frost or drying out
Naturally, we prioritised the grands crus and the the soil… We are looking forward to the return of
monopoles. (see insert) higher seasonal temperatures. But doesn’t the Italian
proverb ‘qui va piano va sano’ mean ‘whoever goes
♦
In a nutshell, it was a gruelling week of frost alert slowly, goes safely’…

Installation of a wind turbine and candles to shield the buds from frost