Bordeaux Vineyards — Live Satellite Health Report

About this region

Bordeaux is the world’s most studied wine region, and the Médoc — the gravel peninsula north of the city — is its most famous stretch. This area covers the classic appellations of Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Saint-Estèphe, where Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend and Merlot fills it out. The vines sit on deep gravel soils left by ancient rivers, which drain freely and force roots deep — stress that, in the right measure, produces the structured, age-worthy reds Bordeaux is known for.

Climate & growing cycle

The climate is maritime and mild, with the Atlantic and the Gironde estuary moderating temperature swings. Vintage variation is real here — the same vineyard can make a great wine one year and a merely good one the next. Flowering falls in early June, véraison (colour change) in early August, and harvest from mid-September into October. The growing season is long and the vines are trellised on vertical wires with rows kept open to manage disease pressure in the humid maritime air.

Satellite monitoring insights

NDVI on a Bordeaux vineyard typically peaks around 0.5–0.6 at full canopy — lower than a row crop, because the vines are trellised and inter-row spacing is deliberate. What matters here is the trajectory: a slow climb through spring signals a healthy, well-timed development; a plateau or early decline in July or August signals stress during the critical ripening window. NDMI is essential for monitoring water status in the free-draining gravels, where too much stress too early can shut down ripening. SAVI is useful for vineyards on gravel and sand soils where bare-soil reflection can distort standard NDVI readings.

Key metrics

Index	Peak range	Vintage signal
NDVI	0.5–0.6	Canopy development trajectory = vintage quality
NDMI	0.0–0.2	Water stress in gravels during ripening
SAVI	0.3–0.5	Corrects for bare gravel between rows

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