Bordeaux is in crisis. It’s a slow, simmering crisis, but a crisis nevertheless. Climate change is altering the region and can’t be ignored.
Its ocean climate mitigated the warming and kept things stable for a while. But since 2010, the pace has quickened, and now Bordeaux must adapt.
At first, the effects seemed positive. Vintages became more regular, with fewer disasters (the last was 2013). A golden age, perhaps? But change has also manifested itself in less beneficial ways. At the same time, violent weather events—frost, hail, storms, rain at harvest, dry summers—have become more frequent.
“These events cause enormous pressure on the vines with mildew and stress, while growers struggle to keep pace,” says Stéphane Derenoncourt, a consultant who works with chateaus across Bordeaux.
“WE WANTED TO BRING THE SOIL BACK TO LIFE, AND WE ALSO WANTED TO CREATE COOL AREAS—PIERRE-OLIVIER CLOUET
