Beaujolais

The winter and beginning of spring were mild with very low rainfall. The rains in March, accompanied by a great deal of sunshine, encouraged a very early bud break at the beginning of April and just as early a flowering at the end of May (three weeks earlier than normal).
The cool weather at the beginning of June was conducive to a very satisfactory condition in the vineyard and a good potential harvest.
In July and August, the high temperatures and occasional stormy rainfall led to a shortage of water that made the vines suffer, which considerably reduced the potential harvest that had been anticipated a few months earlier.
The grape harvest began on 20 August for the earliest sectors and on 29 August for the second zone that had suffered less from the heat with balanced ripeness and nicely pigmented juice. Lastly, the harvest in the third zone which is at a higher altitude started on 5 September with grapes that had had the benefit of more favourable weather conditions (cooler nights).