Bordeaux 2013: Summer & Autumn
After disappointing weather from March through to June it must have come as a great relief when July bucked the 2013 trend. The weather during this month was suddenly much more what the vineyard managers were looking for, with very warm and stable temperatures throughout the month. For the first time this year the maximum daily temperatures were above average, the figure for the month being 30.4ºC compared to a thirty-year average of 26.9ºC. The hours of sunshine were also way above the norm, setting a new record for July, with 330.6 hours of sunny weather to cheer up vines and vignerons alike. It was also a largely dry month, as although the total rainfall for the month was above average the rain was mostly concentrated in two days, brought by stormy weather on July 25th (27 mm) and 26th (48.7 mm), 92% of the entire month’s rainfall.
The storms brought more than just rain though; the first of several very significant storms to blight Bordeaux during 2013, the winds caused some significant damage, although it seems largely to have been trees, buildings and the like rather than the vines that were hit. Pauillac seems to have borne the brunt of it; the willow trees in front of Château Lafite-Rothschild were uprooted (since replanted, pictured), and other trees on nearby estates suffered some damage. The town’s clock tower was seriously damaged, and part of the roof of Château Pichon-Lalande was torn away. There was some small damage to exposed vines, perhaps contributing to reduced yields, but the effect was minor compared to the extensive coulure and millerandage seen in spring. Nevertheless, those affected rued their bad luck; but they didn’t realise that, for some at least, there was much worse yet to come.
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