The frost on 5 April has wiped out 60-70% of the whites in the Pessac-Leognan area of Bordeaux, according to James Ryland, sales director for Andre Lurton wines, one of the large producers in the area.May was also the second wettest on record since 1946 in Bordeaux, meaning producers all over the region have been contending with high levels of mildew. Lussac St-Emilion was hit hard by hail in June, totally ruining the vines in one of Chateau Barbe Blanche's vineyards.
Despite this doom and gloom, the 2008 vintage has not been written off yet. July and August have had good amounts of sun and by delaying the harvest until as late as early October, producers still hope to salvage a good crop. Indeed, the story is not dissimilar to the 2007 Bordeaux vintage, which was saved from a similarly inauspicious beginning by the combination of an Indian summer in September and late harvesting. Ryland claims that Andre Lurton's remaining unscathed grapes are of "exceptional" quality. Time will tell.
