Loire 2021: Summer
The frost period would eventually pass, and the vignerons began looking ahead to what would inevitably be a small harvest. Sadly, while this was mostly down to the frost, it was in some cases exacerbated by further losses, specifically mildew and for an unlucky few, hail. In addition, the weather after the frosts remained cold, and the vines were slow to get back on track. The fact that this was going to be a late harvest was clear by the end of May when everybody could see the vines were between three and four weeks behind schedule. This was especially true for those who pruned long (to protect against frost damage), as this inevitably necessitates a second round of pruning, and it is only after this second pruning the vines finally get going (and for the vignerons it is followed by a requirement to move rapidly into debudding – it’s a lot of work!).
Summer Mildew
After the frost, the second blight on the 2021 vintage was mildew (if you have read my 2021 Bordeaux report, this story will of course be familiar; the Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions are not a million miles apart). There was plenty of rain during the ensuring months, and the humidity levels resulted in a significant mildew pressure in the vines.
Vignerons in the Loire are accustomed to dealing with mildew (whereas I think in 2018, in Bordeaux, its ferocity took them by surprise), and although some recent vintages have seen higher mildew pressure than ever before, the concept is the same; you need to treat proactively, and if necessary regularly. Mildew usually means more work, and not usually significant losses (although there are exceptions, such as the 60% loss taken by Eddy Oosterlinck in the 2018 vintage). “The mildew I could deal with”, said Kathleen Mareels Van de Berghe of Château de Minière and Château de Suronde, “the frost was the worst thing”.
