Loire 2017: The Frost
Although many parts of the Loire Valley flirted with sub-zero-temperatures in the latter half of April, the devastation in most regions came very late in the month, pretty much a year to the day after the frost of 2016. But of course the Loire Valley is a broad and multifaceted region, one that runs all the way from the vineyards of the Massif Central down to the Atlantic, and unsurprisingly these many different vineyards were hit to varying degrees, and at varying times. The worst hit vineyards were down in Anjou and the Nantais, and April 26th was the day most damage was done.
I will provide some summary of the effect of the frost in each region below, although I will also present more specific details, relating to a broader array of appellations and domaines, in my region-by-region reports. To start, the events that occurred on April 26th are perhaps best introduced by Emmanuel Ogereau.
“It was a cold air mass that came down towards the Loire Valley from the direction of Normandy, advancing southwards across the Sarthe, continuing on until it reached Savennières, to the north of Rochefort-sur Loire. Then the air mass turned westwards, following the course of the Loire out towards the Atlantic, taking it across the vineyards of Anjou and then Muscadet”.
In just two sentences Emmanuel has summed up exactly why parts of Anjou and the Nantais were so badly hit in this vintage. Having said that, many other regions were not entirely spared, as my descriptions below should indicate.
