Bud Break!

Finally, the crucial moment I have been studying, reading about, and anticipating with bated breath has arrived.  Bud break!  And it’s beautiful.  Now I understand my mother’s excitement when the first flowers in her garden start to bloom.

Débourrement in Meursault...

...and Chambolle Musigny...

...and woah!  Too much on this parcel in Savigny.  It's wildness is pretty, but also illegal in Burgundy.  Too much product makes for watered-down grapes.  In vine training, less is definitely more.

It’s fascinating to notice the differences in the development of the vine from one appellation to the next, one parcel to the next, and even between two neighboring plants!  Again, these visual disparities are proof of the individuality of each vine foot based on the factors of age, health, energy, nutrition, and exposure to environmental factors.  And then there are those inexplicable natural forces.  Just like you and I are different because of tangible reasons, but also because of certain personal qualities and experiences that are more difficult to explain... 

In both cases, mysterious Mother Nature is at work again.