Débourrement is the French word for budburst or budbreak. It occurs when the vines come out of dormancy after the winter period, the sap has risen and the buds start to show a hint of green. The ‘bourre’ which is the downy part of the bud, reveals the first signs of growth as tiny green leaves try to make their appearance. This is a big moment in the vineyard year as it signals the start of the new season. Vines start to wake up when the temperature reaches 10° and its common to see the pruning cuts weeping as the sap rises. Budburst will normally be around 20-35 days after the vines start weeping but this is also determined by air and soil temperature and when the vines were pruned.
The first shot shows a dormant bud or a bourgeon d’hiver (a winter bud in French). The second is what we call in English a ‘woolly bud’ (in French this is called un bourgeon coton). The bud has opened up and the texture resembles wool or fuzzy cotton. The third photo is when the bud has burst and we can clearly see the first tender leaves appearing on the left hand bud (in French pointe verte) and the right hand bud is a little further on in its development (sortie des feuilles in French).
Here in the Loire vines are very vulnerable to frost damage early in the growing season. This is because budburst normally occurs at the end of March or beginning of April and the risk of frost is not over in this part of the country until the end of May. In 2016 and 2017 we had severe frosts on the 27th April which for some growers, cut their volumes in half.
