Vineyard conditions 2007
After a very mild winter, budbreak occured a little earlier than usual but the vines were not affected by any frost. The vegetation prospered throughout April and May thanks to the mild, indeed almost summer-like weather which resulted in early flowering, some three weeks earlier than in 2006, from Mai 20th to the first few days of June in the latest plots. Unfortunately, these condtions were upset by thunderstorms which especially hit some parts of the vineyards at the end of both May and June, though wihtout affecting the potential quality of the crop. At this stage, the health of the vines became the prime concern but suitable treatment throughout the vineyards kept them in a satisfactory state. The weather conditions during the summer (cool and damp) put a brake on the year's earlier advance. Even so, the harvest has got off to an earlier start, with marked differences depending on plot and exposure highlighting the relevance of Chablis's hierarchy in its wines.
As always at Chablis, one vintage follows another without ever quite resembling each other. And with weather conditions over the forthcoming days of critical importance, the sunshine that has prevailed over Chablis for nearly a week now has come as a real blessing. So picking began early, with just a little of the crop brought to La Chablisienne from September 3rd on before the harvest got into full swing by the 10th. Given the disparity in the ripening rates at the moment, it looks like the vintage period will stretch out over a long time. So plot-by-plot monitoring will be more crucial than ever and La Chablisienne's operational programme, put into effect over the last few years, will be absolutely essential.