Riesling, vintage 2023: We are enthusiastic! The 2023 vintage was over like in a flash and much to our liking. With beautiful weather, fog in the morning, sunshine in the afternoon.
The grape harvest team rushed through the vineyards. Later, during the main harvest, we sorted out the different qualities. There were plenty of raisins.
The magical botrytis was powerfully at work and turned ripe Riesling grapes into Riesling Auslese grapes with lots of dried raisins. The result is 230° Oechsle and is called: 2023 SYBILLE KUNTZ Mosel-Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, noble sweet. This Trockenbeerenauslese is currently still fermenting, as are the Riesling Spätlese and Auslese.
The cellar is well filled. It roars and pops from every barrel. We already have a first impression of what the 2023 vintage will taste like and we are thrilled. 2023 will be a super good vintage. We are happy with the result.
Sybille Kuntz, Weingut Sybille Kuntz
Mosel, Germany
November 24, 2023
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Some news about the 2023 harvest which this year was again rather exceptional whether it’s from the point of view of quality and especially quantity. All the vats are full and the wines are tasting already wonderfully well; and something rare for us is that the fermentations are almost all totally finished.
The alcohol was not very high, but I think that was good because it allowed us to keep very good acidity with PH of 3.20 to 3.30. The vines were really pretty and the grapes were magnificent and healthy–Pascal really managed the season well. Unlike some of our colleagues, we did not have major disease attacks such as mildew or powdery mildew.
Didier Picq, Gilbert Picq & ses Fils
Chablis, Burgundy
November 8, 2023
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The 2023 harvest isn’t ideal- there’s good news and bad news. This year is what is called an “année de vigneron” meaning those who kept their vines in as best shape as possible with pruning, weed maintenance, ‘effeuillage,’ etc. have fruits of labor whereas those who didn’t basically have nothing but vinegar. This year’s harvest was incredibly abundant, which unfortunately was harmful to certain cuvées due to the climate conditions we had in September (far too much rainfall, humidity, and a heatwave that struck us out of nowhere in the first few weeks). Overall, the potential alcohol/sugar content in the grapes was very low and the abundance of grapes on the vines made it difficult for the grapes to ripen and concentrate the way they normally would have. This means very little Côteaux du Layon in general all over our region. For us, this was also the case with Pineau d’Aunis- the grapes just didn’t get to where we had hoped–so much to our dismay we won’t be doing a Pineau d’Aunis cuvée this year. The concentration is just far too low due to very high yield. It’s a bit unfair how too much of a good thing ends up being bad, huh? Such is life sometimes I suppose.
We are grateful to have had an abundant harvest however, and all of the work put into the vines definitely paid off because we have wine (and a lot of it) to show for it. We’ll just have to make certain decisions based on how vinification moves along. It is unfortunately a no-go for Rue du Pineau d’Aunis this year- first time since its creation.
Kimberly Lecointre, Domaine Lecointre
Anjou, Loire Valley
October 27, 2023
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Yes, ’23 harvest was quite challenging for winegrowers in Champagne. Until the 20th of July, I think that everyone would have had a very big smile – « another year which will be amazing » was in all the minds:
• firstly this amazing and extraordinary grapes weight -an average of 200g
• Secondly this huge amount of grapes per vines
• Thirdly, a good sanitary state without any high pressure
Then the 20th of July happened. And until mid-August, it was only rain and heat which are perfect conditions for mildew and powdery mildew at this stage. Then we had suzuki fly – not fly on motobike but small drosophilae which sting the berry allowing bacteria and yeast to enter into it and begin a fermentation which is quite oxydative enducing a vinegar taste and smell.. Black grapes were far more touched than Chardonnay by all these diseases.
So yes, after the 20th of August, we were cautious about our plots. When I first began my maturity control on several of our plots I noticed that our Chardonnay was quite safe except some plots of Grand Cru with historical powdery mildew but some of our plots were touched by these suzuki flies and also by some oncoming Botrytis – not so much by mildew.
We are not magicians or better than anyone else, we had bad things too. But the good thing about being small and passionate is that you can go in your plots whenever you want doing whatever you want – or mostly. That’s the reason why we went with dad at first and then with the employees when they came back from holidays to cut everything which didn’t please us. We had some loss in some plots but at least we knew that everything which was going to be pressed would be good grapes.
We had luck again, because the weeks after our diseases management, we had lots of sun and heat, no rain at all! So everything that was cut just dry and nothing spread again on our grapes! Thank mother nature for that! By doing so we had a very good sanitary state, we also allowed our vines to have less grapes so to have better maturity since this year maturity was quite hard to reach due to grapes’ weight ! It truly was a win-win situation. The only disadvantage was that we began the harvest season already exhausted!! But now everything is in the tank and some experiments are going, and honestly I am very excited about what I am tasting.
Julien Lancelot, Champagne Lancelot Pienne
Cramant, Champagne
October 26, 2023
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A beautiful harvest, small volume but very good quality, rewards our daily work in the vineyard. The summer, less hot than 2022, allowed us to maintain good balance. The lack of water has had an impact on the weight of the berries, of course, but we remain positive and calm. This 2023 vintage is truly astonishing!!!
Françoise Ollier, Domaine Ollier-Taillefer
Faugères, Languedoc
October 20, 2023
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The Sangiovese is looking great! I am so happy with the job that we have done in the fields this year. And the results so far are great. Still waiting for the last ones to finish fermentation but so far so good 🙂
Sofia Ruhne, Terreno
Greve in Chianti, Italy
October 11, 2023
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So regarding the harvest, it’s been a strange year. Lots of differences in ripeness from plot to plot, huge grapes like we’ve rarely seen, with a lack of sunshine, rain and then very hot weather just a few days before harvest that blocked the end of ripening, coupled with rot… complicated! A truly magnificent year for the Chardonnays, a little less so for Meunier & Pinot Noir. We’ll see how it turns out, a big challenge to get the best out of this vintage despite the obstacles. It’s the first year that we’ve used the traditional Coquard presses in our new site. It’s hard work, but it’s a great experience that’s only just begun!
Justine Chevrier, Champagne Thierry Fournier
Festigny, Champagne
October 4, 2023
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Harvest (finally) ended yesterday and we are very happy about the quality, although it has been a really weird vintage, as always, I guess. The rains made it complicated to reach maturity without rot but thanks to the sorting table we purchased recently we managed to get only the best grapes in the tank.
Antoine Jabot, Domaine Jourdan
Chinon, Loire Valley
October 4, 2023
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Harvest is finished and all the fermentations were well done without any problem. The wines are good, but the quantity is not so high. We lost around 20 % of volume.
Françoise Le Calvez, Château Coupe Roses
Minervois, Languedoc
October 3, 2023
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We finished harvest the 20th September and we are happy because we had the quantity and quality. Alcoholic fermentations are almost finished. I kept the same vines for Petit Chablis and Chablis; I just kept in more of my family’s oldest vines to see what they do.
Léa Schaller, Domaine Orion
Chablis, Burgundy
October 3, 2023
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Vintage 2023 is completed chez Meunier! We began on the 30th of August with a very small team to bring in the crémants. Two days of picking with properly pierced crates. The real festivities began on September 4th, and hand picking continued until the 12th.
The harvest was really beautiful and a real pleasure to collect. It didn’t take us long to fill our buckets; very quickly the bins were full and therefore the vats too 😁. [You can see a video of the harvest chez Meunier here.]
As usual we decided to bring in the reds rather early in order to preserve the maximum freshness of the fruit. It was very, very hot the first weeks of September which caused a rapid drop in acidity and a sharp rise in alcohol levels (all of which I detest😉).
Everything is now devatted and put in barrels–there is no more room in the cuverie and that’s great!
Now I am working on getting out the 2022s. The last bottlings are scheduled for the end of October. Santa Claus will have something to put under the tree this year!
Gaëlle Meunier , Domaine Gaëlle et Jérôme Meunier
Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
October 2, 2023
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We will finish decuvage today!! This is the end!! What a great vintage with beautiful quality and maturity.
Harvest was complicated because of the weather: very hot first then rain… Hard to take off the boxes from the vines, mud…But finally a very qualitative vintage.
Clémence Dubrulle, Domaine de la Folie
Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
October 2, 2023
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The harvest went well. We have good quality and quantity. The vinification is going well. We should be able to make quite rich wines again this year because the summer was very hot.
Marie-Laure Serrigny, Domaine Serrigny
Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
September 29, 2023
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We have finally finished the harvest. 2023 will be a very good vintage in terms of quality and quantity. Great news!
Béatrice Philippon, Château de Fleys
Chablis, Burgundy
September 28, 2023
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Once again we are thrilled to only have Chardonnay because the result of the harvest of black grapes will be less good, especially Meunier. Otherwise the harvest went well!
Bertrand Lilbert, Champagne Lilbert-Fils
Cramant, Champagne
September 27, 2023
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My Harvest 2023 is less generous than expected–we had the potential in the bunches to do a little better but the heatwave a little before and during the harvest made the raisins less plump and diminished the volume. Another hazard!
Sophie Chardon, Domaine de l’Aumonier
Touraine, Loire Valley
September 26, 2023
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Greetings from the 2023 Riesling harvest!
The 2023 vintage is going very well so far. After a great summer with lots of sunshine and followed by one soft rain shower after another, which just came in time before a water stress period began. The thirsty vines were able to recover amazingly and picked up the moisture to stay healthy and thrive on again.
As in previous years, the harvest began this year in mid-September. At first we began with a pre picking of the vineyards. The ripest Riesling grapes were harvested, the green and yellow grapes remained on the vines for a further ripening over the next weeks.
The harvest weather is helping with perfect weather conditions. The first week was pure sunshine – holiday weather. In the second week the day started with fog, which is what we need. The mist softens the berry skin and allows further ripeness and the development of botrytis. Later in the morning the sun came out and pushed the fog away for further dehydration of the berries. The weather forecast promises a golden September into mid-October.
The juice from the Riesling grapes tastes clear, fresh and aromatic. This promises a super good Riesling vintage 2023.
We’ll keep you posted.
Sybille Kuntz, Weingut Sybille Kuntz
Mosel, Germany
September 26, 2023
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Harvest has been a mad dash as of the last week or so- we had some unexpected weather (hail in particular) and about a week or so of tropical weather earlier this month (very humid and hot) so we’ve been having to harvest as fast as possible. All while being understaffed. Unfortunately the labor shortage is nationwide and only getting worse each year. Cyrille invested in a second press this summer though, and thankfully so. That has allowed us to save quite a bit of time by running two presses at the same time instead of having to wait for one cycle to finish before starting the next, etc. It has also allowed Cyrille to finish around 8-9pm instead of midnight like he used to every year during this time! Overall though, harvest is very abundant which is great. Nature has a way of compensating after years of frost!
Kimberly Lecointre, Domaine Lecointre
Anjou, Loire Valley
September 25, 2023
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Great organic vintage 2023! Harvest started on September 5th and finished Friday, September 22nd. This vintage is of good quality and a very generous quantity, which will allow us to make good cuvées. We had really hot weather at the beginning of the harvest, but the temperatures returned to cooler at the end of the harvest.
Jean-Luc Mouillard, Domaine Jean-Luc Mouillard
Jura
September 24, 2023
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We are mid harvest and next week will be all focused on Sangiovese. So far so good I have to say. We have grapes (a lot of neighbors lost almost everything during the wet spring). The batches that have already finished fermenting I am very happy about. We had some rain over the weekend and that I think will make a change for the better. The vines needed some water now after a long warm period. I thought that the wet spring would have more of an effect but it’s like they say, grapes are made in August:).
Sofia Ruhne, Terreno
Greve in Chianti, Italy
September 24, 2023
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Grapes are nice, big and we finally found a way to prevent animal damages with electric fences and hunters. Now we have very bad and rainy weeks after too many warm days … result is that grapes are not ripe yet and mold is running fast!!! We have to hold on a couple of weeks more to reach good values… probably 10 October will be our “D-Day”.
There will be 3 passages: First one for Rosato grapes (Vespolina, Croatina and Uva Rara mostly); second one for Coste Leandro and Sandrin; and the last one for Gattinara and Bramaterra. A hell of a lot of work… but hey… “we want the bicycle and now we have to ride!!!”
Anyway we expect to harvest 200 quintals (around 18.000 btls)!!!
Ciao!
Pietro Mascazini, Cantina Gaggiano
Alto Piemonte, Italy
September 23, 2023
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We have harvested the Syrah but the Grenache still lacked maturity. We just had some rain the last few days, so I think we will be able to start harvesting again on Sunday or Monday if it is dry and if the maturity is there.
Cécile Perez, Domaine du Grand Bourjassot
Gigondas, Southern Rhône
September 22, 2023
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Our 30th harvest and what an adventure! The first one with our son Thomas [pictured with his parents], what happiness to share with him our knowledge and to transfer to him slowly the keys to the boat.
Mother Nature did not spare us with a temperature of 40° the week before the harvest, hail during the harvest, and storms with more than 50ml of rain in some spots. But the vintage looks like it will be exceptional. [Picture on top is the Normand grandchildren helping with the harvest.]
Sylvaine Normand, Domaine Sylvaine & Alain Normand
Mâconnais, Burgundy
September 22, 2023
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Harvest took place in very hot conditions necessitating a rhythm to our work in favor of long mornings and short afternoons. It took 6 days in contrast to 5 1/2 days in 2022. We finished on Monday, September 11th and luckily just before the rainstorm of Tuesday, September 12th which brought a significant amount of precipitation.
We are fortunate to have in our parcels a majority of old vines which produce quality grapes in a moderate fashion. We brought in a good volume but not an excessive amount. First analysis shows a yield in juice and per hectare similar to 2018 as well as, I hope, a quality on the same order as that vintage. It’s a good harvest where we are approaching the yields authorized without surpassing them, that is 42 to 45 hl/ha, suggesting a good quality.
The important job of sorting allowed us to carry out healthy macerations. The fermentations took place naturally in a few days. Without the need to chaptalize, the final alcohol level will be 12.9 to 13.5%, and the first must tasted offered very good balance.
Etienne Chaix, Domaine Joseph Voillot
Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
September 21, 2023
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The harvest is going very well: it seems to be back to 15-20 years ago with scented and less strong wines, as the market requires!
Moreno, Podere Ruggeri Corsini
Barolo, Italy
September 20, 2023
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We finished harvest 10 days ago. It was very fast this year because we had no rain to stop us and it was very hot, every grape was ripe at the same moment. This vintage is fruity and good, we are happy, and M. Serres [enologist] is very very enthousiast (it’s funny because he is not an enthusiastic person).
Sarah Frissant, Château Coupe Roses
Minervois, Languedoc
September 20, 2023
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About the 2023 harvest: we’ve got lovely aromatic expression, beautiful and ripe Chardonnays (average 11° potential alcohol). I only have one Pinot Noir vine [plot], but I hear that many Pinots suffered from the heat at the end of August and had to be sorted a lot (acid rot). 2023 seems to be a Chardonnay year in Champagne… We’ll know more after the still wine tastings.
Delphine Laborde, Champagne Laborde
Nogent l’Abbesse, Champagne
September 19, 2023
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As far as the rain, 60 mm fell on Saturday and Sunday and now there is beautiful blue sky which allows us to continue harvesting. It is superb!!!
Françoise Ollier, Domaine Ollier-Taillefer
Faugères, Languedoc
September 19, 2023
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We started the harvest on Thursday 31st August and finished last Monday, 11th September. One word: HEAT, especially between 4th and 8th September where it was quite a ride with all the team (almost 50 persons this year for the harvest!).
One big issue this year: mildew in the spring, and this was confirmed during the harvest. Not all the parcels were hit but around the estate, on la Févrie, it was quite a thing. We are going to average around 30 hL/ha this year so nothing to brag about.
Besides that, we managed to do all 30 hectares in 9 days, the team was great for the most part and it allows us to relax a lot more after all the harvest things. 😉
Baptiste Meyniel, Claude Branger
Muscadet, Loire Valley
September 18, 2023
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The harvest was beautiful! We finished last Friday and I am beginning the pressing. We brought in magnificent grapes in perfect condition. I think I harvested at a good time even though the weather complicated things! In 6 days, we started in a heat wave and finished in the rain.
I am for the moment disappointed by the yields. There was substance but less juice than expected when I pressed. But you will tell me that a winegrower is never totally satisfied!
Laure Jambon, Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes
Beaujolais, Burgundy
September 18, 2023
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We finished harvest last Friday. We are quite happy about the quality and the volume. It feels very good to see the cellar a bit more full than the last 3 years!!
Xavier de Boissieu, Château de Lavernette
Beaujolais, Burgundy
September 18, 2023
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Harvest wasn’t great but the vineyards destroyed by the hail were the ones most affected by the winter drought, probably because they had so little leaf-cover. The good news is that the wines we did manage to make are looking fine and I will have a rosé for next summer.
Jonathan Hesford, Domaine Treloar
Côtes du Roussillon, Roussillon
September 18, 2023
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All is well here. The first week of harvest was super. We brought in all of our “southern” vines for the young cuvées…magnificent quality of the grapes. We also collected a part of Condrieu. The two big weeks begin this morning, but it is raining so we are staying under shelter.
Pierre Jean Villa, Domaine Pierre Jean Villa
Saint Joseph, Rhône
September 18, 2023
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Here another week to go before we finish harvesting. It rained all weekend and we are very happy!
Françoise Ollier, Domaine Ollier-Taillefer
Faugères, Languedoc
September 18, 2023
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The 2023 vintage is surprising for Syrah : the aromas are very fresh and typical of this grape (violette, blackcurrant, pepper). The tannins are also very ripe and very round. It seems the warmness and the dryness didn’t affect the vines too much. The whites have also very fresh aromas (exotic fruits, citrus, peach, pear). It seems the situation should be more difficult for the Grenache Noir. The color is low but the tannins are very round too.
Denis Deschamps, Domaine Combe-Queyzaire
Côtes du Rhône, Southern Rhône
September 17, 2023
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The harvest is going very well. We started on Monday with some very nice, ripe Chardonnays. It’s already been 5 days and we’re halfway through. It’s a harvest with high temperatures. We’re picking mostly in the morning.
The musts are fermenting. We bought 2 new barrels in Burgundy, which I filled yesterday! The fermenting aromas smell very good in the winery, it’s a smell I really like.
Delphine Laborde, Champagne Laborde
Nogent l’Abbesse, Champagne
September 15, 2023
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Watch a video of the harvest at Château Coupe Roses here.
Sarah Frissant, Château Coupe Roses
Minervois, Languedoc
September 14, 2023
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We begin harvesting this weekend. We are excited! And we are crossing our fingers that all will go well till the end.
Mathilde Natter, Domaine Henry Natter
Sancerre, Loire Valley
September 14, 2023
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Sparkling Nebbiolo, Langhe Bianco, Riesling and Alta Langa are all fermenting and they all show beautiful! It’s been incredibly hot but we are having some rain right now and temperatures are expected to lower which is just perfect.
Enrico Nada, Azienda Agricola Nada Giuseppe
Barbaresco,Italy
September 13, 2023
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The 2023 harvest is starting off well in terms of quantity and quality. We started last Thursday because the maturity was already there in certain precocious parcels. Since it is so hot in the daytime, we are harvesting at night. The grapes are in a very good sanitary condition, and the juice we are getting at least right now has a good balance of sugar, acidity and alcohol. Fermentations have already started for the first juice.
Sophie Chardon, Domaine de l’Aumonier
Touraine, Loire Valley
September 11, 2023
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Very hot here. We have to stop the harvesters at 3 pm. [Picture from yesterday as the sun rose over Cramant.]
Bertrand Lilbert, Champagne Lilbert-Fils
Cramant, Champagne
September 10, 2023
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Harvesting started 3 days ago. The degradation because of botrytis seems to have stopped, and the great quantity allows us to sort correctly without incident. The activity has been insane, which is why I am responding late.
Philippe Secondé, Champagne Barnaut
Bouzy, Champagne
September 9, 2023
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We brought in the first juice yesterday morning at Bisseul, but we stopped afterwards because the other parcels do not have sufficient maturity. We will continue our maturity sampling to check on the evolution of each one.
Julien Lancelot, Champagne Lancelot Pienne
Cramant, Champagne
September 9, 2023
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Regarding the harvest, we will start in about 1 week! The grapes looks good in terms of quality and quantity as well, but we have very hot temperatures since one week (35°C at least)–too hot for the vines (and us). It should go down early next week and perhaps some rain, we will see…
Emile Roblin, Domaine Matthias & Emile Roblin
Sancerre, Loire Valley
September 8, 2023
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We started harvesting today, the first Auxerrois grapes for Breit. The weather is unexpected for the season: 30-32°C in the afternoon. So we only pick in the morning, to preserve grapes… and our retired pickers, haha! [The domaine has a long-standing practice of working with the local retirement home for the harvest–a practice those retirees absolutely adore!] The good thing is that sugar is not going up like crazy.
Mélanie Pfister, Domaine Mélanie Pfister
Bas Rhin, Alsace
September 7, 2023
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We begin harvesting Sunday morning. It’s very hot here, which is good news for the quality of the grapes. Vintage 2023 should be good. We are looking for harvesters, which is the most difficult. [Pictured is the harvest after it began at Château de Fleys.]
Béatrice Philippon, Château de Fleys
Chablis, Burgundy
September 6, 2023
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The harvest 2023 will be the worst I have ever known. We should start in about ten days. With a ladle, there might remain 5% of a normal harvest on the reds and 40% on the whites….
Christine Dupuy, Domaine Labranche-Laffont
Madiran, Southwest France
September 5, 2023
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Man, what a rough harvest with downy mildew. I can’t tell you how rough it was. We harvested Liatiko Aggelis, Bart’s vineyard, in one hour. We got 20 crates of grapes and one barrel of wine from it when we typically get 5,000 – 6,000 bottles from Aggelis. [One 228L barrel equals ~300 bottles.]
Brandon Krebs, Lyrarakis
Crete
September 5, 2023
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Harvest seems very good. We luckily got very small damages by hail storms in late July, mildews have been stopped and defeated well by our man Paolino and grapes look real nice (here’s a pic from yesterday in lower parts of Gattinara).
We hired 3 hunters to prevent damages from deer and boars. Friday night I was out with them to go and see what happens in the night time… well, we caught a boar but we saw clearly traces of wolves … fortunately wolves do not like grapes and love to hunt boars and deer, and this is a good and natural help.. anyway better avoid them… they love to eat winegrowers too!!!!!
We really hope to reach the goal of 20,000 bottles produced this year with a focus on Gattinara (around 6000 btls) and Rosato (3500 btls).
Pietro Mascazini, Cantina Gaggiano
Alto Piemonte, Italy
September 5, 2023
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We are harvesting now. The grapes are very pretty, ripe, juicy and generous!! Looks like a great year!!
Xavier de Boissieu, Château de Lavernette
Beaujolais, Burgundy
September 5, 2023
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The quality will be there at Monplaisir even if we lost some grapes due to coulure and then a super aggressive mildiou. Hard to evaluate the loss and an approximative yield right now, but all the vines near our cellars are super healthy. Hopefully, the potential of grapes is big this year–it should be more or less a “normal” year for Monplaisir. The yield depends also on the amount of rain we will have until the harvest and today, we have some annoying warm winds here in Monplaisir. It rained 22mm last Friday and Saturday (which was nice) but now it is windy and they forecast high temperatures for the week so the soils dry really quickly…
We plan to harvest Chardonnay and Viognier in the next few days 😊
Mathilde Fournié, Château Haut Monplaisir
Cahors, Southwest France
September 4, 2023
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The Côte is waking up timidly. A few domaines started the harvest last week, mainly on the crémants. Others started this weekend on red in Volnay in particular, and on Meursault and Puligny things are starting to pick up.
On our side, it was difficult to determine the right harvest date. We went through all the scenarios, with a vintage that seemed early at the start, we had a relatively good spring, ideal flowering, a promise of a generous harvest with significant disease pressure, but few symptoms.
The weather this summer was more capricious, bringing some complications. We were impacted by hail following the storm that occurred on the night of July 11. It is mainly the Burgundy appellations in Lombois and Volnay in Pasquiers and Lurets that were affected with damage ranging between 10% and 20%. It was also difficult to maintain quality phytosanitary protection and we had to redouble our efforts with very uncertain and changing weather.
Botrytis has also made a comeback for this vintage, present on the Côte with a few outbreaks since the cluster closure stage, following very compact clusters, the bursting of certain berries and favorable weather conditions for its appearance.
We worked intensely until veraison to keep the soil clean and the foliage as healthy as possible. These efforts are paying off today because they will allow us to harvest in good conditions, on soils with limited weeds, and not very competitive for the vines. These efforts in August also enabled us not to have to rework the soil after veraison and before the harvest and thus not to favor the development of botrytis by the rise in humidity resulting from scratching and the mineralization of bad grasses following their destruction.
The month of August was the month of extremes, after a cold and wet first fortnight, we suffered a major episode of heat wave, lasting about ten days. This heat wave is remarkable for the length of the event as well as for the temperature records. We suffered losses caused by the burns present on the grapes exposed to the setting sun. These losses range from 10 to 15% depending on the appellation. We then had colder weather for about ten days with several stormy periods bringing significant accumulations of water and favoring the reactivation of botrytis.
Today, the weather is much milder, the sun is back, with a light daily and regular wind. We have decided to start the harvest on Tuesday September 5th and we hope to find grapes in the vines at optimum maturity. Botrytis is present but has not spread. We will have a lot of sorting work to do between the hailed, burnt, dried out grapes and those affected by botrytis, but we were able to afford to wait for the best possible maturity before starting the harvest. We should hopefully bring in a good volume, but not necessarily abundant. The first analysis announces a juice yield similar to 2018, and I hope that we will have a yield per hectare and a quality of the same order as that vintage. We are fortunate to have old vines, producing moderately, so it was not necessary to remove any grapes to reach, I hope, ideal maturity.
I can’t wait to discover this vintage.
Etienne Chaix, Domaine Joseph Voillot
Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
September 4, 2023
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We began harvesting yesterday: very pretty but not a lot of juice. And this morning it is raining, so back to the office.
Françoise Ollier, Domaine Ollier-Taillefer
Faugères, Languedoc
September 2, 2023
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The rain [there was a big rainstorm in the third week of August in Barbaresco that broke the heatwave] was perfect! The grapes are now ripening faster than before the rain, Alta Langa is done and beautiful, Dolcetto, Sauvignon, Arneis, Riesling, Nebbiolo for sparkling.. all next week. Then in 2 weeks Barbera and I think at the end of September, Nebbiolo!
Enrico Nada, Azienda Agricola Nada Giuseppe
Barbaresco, Italy
September 1, 2023
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We began harvesting today. With the Sauvignons. An agreeable supprise about the quantity, and the juice seems good as well. Mildew played tricks on us this year. We will have to see what we can harvest of the Merlot, because that is the grape that suffered the most.
Béryl Saget, Château Marie Plaisance
Bergerac, Southwest France
September 1, 2023
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Sawtooth weather (météo en dents de scie) is hard to manage. We harvested the Sauvignons de la Mazerolle this morning. That was good because it was cool. The juice is very green, which is a good sign.
Olivier Cailleux, Château Haut-La Péreyre
Bordeaux
August 31, 2023
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We think we will finish the harvest tomorrow. It’s an intense and complicated harvest, but exciting and tasty thus far….
Paul and Lucile Meunier, Domaine Paul Meunier
Roussillon
August 31, 2023
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Here we started harvest August 11, and we still are in harvest. Vintage ’23 looks good and fruity, and degrees of alcohol are very reasonable. More news later!
Sarah Frissant, Château Coupe Roses
Minervois, Languedoc
August 31, 2023
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A week of heavy rains in May, followed by warm weather, resulted in vines that absorbed the water and underwent photosynthesis in a balanced and thorough manner. Grape maturation this year is more balanced, due to cooler nights and days that were not as hot as in the record-breaking heat of 2022. Last year the grapes had higher alcohol %, this year’s lower alcohol % will permit more balanced Douro DOC wines and Ports.
Harvest, or vindimas, started 28 August – earlier each year – where in the past it was a week or even 2 weeks later in early- to mid-September. Beautiful grape clusters!
Angelo Ribeiro, Quinta do Tedo
Douro, Portugal
August 29, 2023
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Harvest looks promising but nothing is definite yet…I expect to start around September 15th. I have a great team of pickers with experienced people who have come to help me. I am quite happy……more to come.
Benjamin Serer
Vouvray, Loire Valley
August 27, 2023
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Here it’s going well, today the temperature went down and we are having some rain hopefully with no hail🤞
We should start the harvest next week 🙂
Vittoria Agramante, Podere Ruggeri Corsini
Barolo, Italy
August 27, 2023
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The Côte begins to get rough. We have not yet set a date for the harvest but the start will probably be around September 7th. The weather is not helping us to determine easily an ideal date. Between the beginning of August worthy of wine sales and a warm end of the month, the vines are having trouble knowing where they are and we are a bit lost. The weather the next few days should permit us to regain a little freshness and better visibility.
Etienne Chaix, Domaine Joseph Voillot
Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
August 26, 2023
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The grapes are ripening very well. Acidity, on the other hand, has just dropped due to the hot weather. Thunderstorms are forecast. The bunches are large and compact (more than usual), which could encourage botrytis. Today, the harvest is very beautiful and abundant. But we have to be very vigilant. Weather conditions will be crucial. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!
Delphine Laborde, Champagne Laborde
Nogent l’Abbesse, Champagne
August 24, 2023
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About harvest, things are looking good but not great.. We have a very good potential but the recent weather is … bad. A lot of showers since July and the botrytis is around the corner. We need some cold and dry weather now, that would be great.
Jean-Marc Sélèque, Champagne JM Sélèque
Pierry, Champagne
August 24, 2023
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We will start harvesting on Friday, September 1, for the Roussanne and the Vermentino. That’s one week earlier than usual, but the vines are thirsty and we will not gain anything by waiting any longer. It is better to save the little bit of acidity that this torrid week will have left us.
Françoise Ollier, Domaine Ollier-Taillefer
Faugères, Languedoc
August 24, 2023
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As far as the vines are concerned, we had a difficult beginning to the month of August with frequent rain: that first of all delayed the veraison cycle and secondly gave us some concern about the presence of botrytis. Beyond that, the grapes are good quality, healthy and voluminous with very large bunch sizes. It all leads us to believe that this will be a good harvest; we are keeping our fingers crossed for this last straight line before the harvest which will be crucial and revealing.
We estimate that harvest will begin around September 12….to be confirmed.
Julien Fournier, Champagne Thierry Fournier
Festigny, Champagne
August 23, 2023
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Here we are preparing for harvest which we originally expected to be on September 13th but we are now planning on September 4th; in 13 days the shot will be fired. In effect the heat this last week has ripened the grapes.
Sylvaine Normand, Domaine Sylvaine & Alain Normand
Mâconnais, Burgundy
August 22, 2023
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In the Fenouillèdes, we are a handful of lucky winegrowers: we had two or three significant rains in May and June which saved the output of the grapes. And we are lucky enough to still have water in several underground rivers.
We harvested the whites last week and it was time: the maturity levels are bizarre this year with very low alcohol content and acidities which have a tendency to collapse quickly. For the moment we are content: the tasting is good and we are having a good harvest.
We will begin harvesting our reds this week with the Syrahs and the first Carignans. It’s very pretty, but we have to hurry because the bunches have a tendency to wither with the heatwave we are having.
Lucile Meunier, Domaine Paul Meunier
Roussillon
August 22, 2023
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Harvest is looking good this year despite a tiny bit of frost and a tiny bit of mildew. We were able to get ahead of vine illnesses so overall we managed well. We’re looking at an average yield in terms of quantity so that’s good news. Nowadays an average yield is considered good..! We’re getting a small heat wave here (Anjou was somehow spared from all of the intense heat this summer) so it should help ripen up the grapes quite nicely before we start harvest in a couple of weeks. All in all we had a nice, mild, true-to-Anjou climate this past year.
Kimberly Lecointre, Domaine Lecointre
Anjou, Loire Valley
August 18, 2023
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For the next harvest, the news is excellent: very beautiful grapes, very large quantities. Unfortunately, we will not be harvesting them since we have put all our vines on rent. The new producers are preparing their vats to welcome this promising juice.
Anne-Marie Tempé, Domaine Marc Tempé
Haut Rhin, Alsace
August 18, 2023
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About the harvest : quite a complicated spring with a lot of pressure from mildew ☹. Always difficult to estimate the real damages, but we prepare the harvest for the 28/08 or 04/09 approximately 😉
Baptiste Meyniel & Sébastien Branger, Claude Branger
Muscadet, Loire Valley
August 18, 2023
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Here we alternate between very hot, storms, and sometimes hail. 2023 is going again to be one of those vintages you remember and not in the good sense of the term. We have already lost 30-40% of the Mercurey Blancs, and the Mercurey 1er Cru Rouges which were strongly affected are having trouble ripening.
For the moment it is very complicated to predict a harvest date. It will certainly be necessary to start and then stop and then resume, which from a logistical and labor point of view is not easy to manage. And that’s my job, youpi🤨
Gaëlle Meunier , Domaine Gaëlle et Jérôme Meunier
Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
August 18, 2023
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All is going well for the moment. We avoided a hailstorm in July but the storms are persistent and threatening.
There’s talk in France of a heat wave and while it is true that it is hot we have very strong storms. There was hail this week in the south of Beaujolais.
We will begin harvest on September 10th; the harvest looks like it will be abundant and the grapes are maturing.
Laure Jambon, Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes
Beaujolais, Burgundy
August 17, 2023
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Regarding the harvest I’ll get back to you next week when we are all in place again. But as you know, the grapes are made in August and we have two weeks to go so keeping all fingers crossed. As for now it’s looking good. We never got the really bad heat….
Sofia Ruhne, Terreno
Greve in Chianti, Italy
August 17, 2023
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Nothing planned for the harvest yet as far as dates, but so far everything is going well except that the weather forecast announces very high temperatures next week which is not necessarily very good for the vines. We risk burns on the grapes and at the same time big risks of storms!… Let’s wait and see.
Didier Picq, Gilbert Picq & ses Fils
Chablis, Burgundy
August 16, 2023
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The vines look good although mildew hit especially hard this year. If the weather keeps on its good current tracks, vintage should be absolutely great.
Antoine Jabot, Domaine Jourdan
Chinon, Loire Valley
August 16, 2023
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Sadly, I think this year is going to be a small harvest for us because of the severe winter drought I wrote about on Jancis’ website. We have a few vineyards that just never grew big enough shoots in spring to ripen the fruit they have. Even fruit-thinning may not improve things, and it’s now too late for rain to help. It’s a pretty localised problem. I’ve cycled around many other parts of the Roussillon where the crop-load is good and the dry weather advantageous but in and around our village seems to be the worst hit. Rains have passed us by and our terrain has no access to water from rivers or nearby hills.
Our Syrah looks great but the Grenache must be about 25% of a normal year.
Jonathan Hesford & Rachel Treloar, Domaine Treloar
Côtes du Roussillon, Roussillon
August 15, 2023
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The village of Volnay is quiet. The teams are on vacation, and Nathalie has closed the restaurant for two weeks. We had a small thunderstorm tonight bringing 8mm of rain. The weather over the past few days has not been very favorable for ideal ripening of the grapes for the future vintage. After not having enough water, we will end up having too much. We hope for warm and dry weather for the next few weeks, which would allow us to maintain a satisfactory sanitary condition.
We were confident in July about the quality of the future harvest, but today I do not have the same certainty. We left on the wall, we are now on the wire, and we hope not to fall to the foot of the wall. Few winegrowers talk about it, but I think that concern is growing.
We will have to determine the best possible harvest date and be very rigorous about the sorting of the harvest. I hope that the maturities will be reached between September 5 and 10 and that we will be able to start the harvest as calmly as possible.
Etienne Chaix, Domaine Joseph Voillot
Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
August 14, 2023
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Regarding the rain, we have been more than spoiled for the past three weeks–the good weather seems to be coming back a bit. We hope that the sun will be able to show itself if we want to be able to avoid the Botrytis which seems to settle in certain Champagne plots from what we hear.
Julien Lancelot, Champagne Lancelot Pienne
Cramant, Champagne
August 11, 2023
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The rain doesn’t stop.
Perrine Fresne, Champagne Perrine Fresne
Sermiers, Champagne
July 25, 2023
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I think we will be harvesting on September 15th. The raisins are huge this year; I hope they hold up. The weather is capricious–we often have thunderstorms.
Léa Schaller, Domaine Orion
Chablis, Burgundy
July 31, 2023
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