(Winespectator) - Hail cut a path of destruction through the Bordeaux region on May 26, just days after two small storms struck the Médoc on May 21. Blaye and Bourg, the Médoc and Entre-Deux-Mers were the most seriously impacted. The overall damage is substantial: 17,544 acres of vines were impacted. More than 8,400 acres suffered a crippling 80 percent damage, according to the CIVB, Bordeaux's wine trade group.

"The leaves were torn off, the [flower buds] torn off and the wood suffered a major impact, which means the sap won't circulate well through the vine this year," said Roman Tourdias, a viticulture consultant and director of the Chamber of Agriculture's Médoc bureau.

Earlier in the week, the first two storms were relatively small. The first moved from Moulis south through the Médoc, stopping just before the town of Cussac; the second through Bégadan, Couquèques and St.-Christoly. In the Médoc, vineyards in the zone around Macau, Ludon and Parempuyre, including those owned by Châteaus d'Agassac, Cantemerle, La Lagune, Maucamps and Ségur, all suffered considerable damage.