As far as 2022 harvest and quality is concerned… When I was there in August a beaming Nikos walked up to me with his usual ear to ear smile and put his heavy hand on my shoulder and said “Brandon, this is the best vintage I think I’ve seen in over 10 years”. When I asked why, his answer was more or less simple – wind. We had 50 more days of northern wind than is typical. It is normally 20-25 days of northern winds. Obviously the warm weather plays a role but everyone, including Myriam, was very optimistic. She’s always the reserved one. Lyrarakis isn’t a tiny winery and they work with 130 farmers so the real art, the real magic trick there, is maintaining the same level of quality from vintage to vintage. The overflowing confidence I am getting from Bart and the winery is palpable.
Brandon Krebs
Lyrarakis, Crete
November 11, 2022
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Goodness me, that was hot and dry! A record low of 126mm of rainfall for the first half of the year at Unang – about one third of what we would expect – and then about the same again during August and September (no rain in July, total of 250mm by end of September). And this is on the back of dry finish to 2021. And the temperatures remained stubbornly high too – it was fiendishly hot during May, June and July, with temperatures consistently 36-39°C. But that heat didn’t spark the usual summer thunder storms with us.
The weather station at Orange showed that the growing year was hotter and drier than the heatwave year of 2003 – with the harvest dates the earliest on record (which start in 1970). And that is even with a slightly later than average bud break due to a frosty start to April. Again, in Orange the there were 34 nights above 20°C – again a record (and compares to an average of 5 in the 1970s). Nature was suffering. The weaker trees died, our natural springs (a key reason why the château is located where it is) were under great strain for months, with all but one of them drying out. This limited availability made for a wildlife watching bonanza – as all creatures crowded round the ‘water hole’. The biodiversity surprise of the year at Unang was a Civet, the runner-up a large black woodpecker (which can be up to 55cm tall) and its red crest.
Commercially, the heat meant that we ran out of white and rosé in early August as people reached for the cooler options. But there were exceptions from the dry conditions, as there were many very localised extreme weather events. Even if the Languedoc had plenty of domaines finishing harvest in mid-August, the nearby Gard departement (the other side of the Rhone from us in the Vaucluse) had +160mm of rain in one day in July. And there were multiple visits from the unwelcome hail around the region. The positives of the dry weather were that there was no moisture to bring disease pressure, so fewer treatments in the vines and less tractor work as even grass and weeds didn’t grow with their usual vigour. And unsurprisingly, yields took a hit for those like Unang who are ‘dry farmed’. (AOC grapes can’t be watered unless the appellation gives the authorisation due to lack of rainfall – but this authorisation is happening nearly every year now).
The harvest proved to be around two-weeks earlier than usual. We were finished on the 30th of September (rather than the more normal mid-October). That has not happened before – although we finished on the 1st October in 2015. The individual grapes were small as were the bunches. So even though there was minimal ‘shatter’ (or coulure in French – or poor ‘fruit set’ at flowering), the yields were well down, particularly on the old vine Grenache (by 20-30%). With the dry weather meant for a good fruit set not just for grapes but for many other fruits (melons, cherries, etc.) as well. This has led to large yields on the fruit that has been watered (which is ever more common). The result has been good prices for the first weeks of the harvest season, and then prices falling dramatically after a few weeks. Yet as I rode about locally on my bicycle during the growing season, I could hear the watering systems going full tilt. Even worse, could see the water cannons broadcasting the water during the afternoon heat. So, in the year of significant water penury, many farmers have been watering their crops which are then not even being picked due to glut and there being no market. This makes me extremely frustrated.
Picked after the rain in September, which helped to give balance, and after we had had a run of nights where the night time low was 5°C. This helps signal to nature that the season is ending and that it’s time to wrap up the ripening for the vines and wider nature. This is a phenolic ripeness beyond that of sugar levels (which came very early). That is when you see the acorns starting to come down, and leaves starting to change.
The extreme heat this year was enough to challenge our own orthodoxy and the hierarchy of the parcels at Unang. Some parcels of vines that were considered among the best, with good sun exposure, did not enjoy the extra heat. Other parcels, less exposed and previously not considered our best, managed the heat better and had our most balanced fruit in 2022. The grenache highest up on the hill suffered the most with the lack of water, and managed only very low yields.
Should this heat and dry continue (which seems a likely direction of travel at present, although not in a linear way) then less grenache will be planted in the future. Grenache has a high natural sugar content, and so the hotter years are producing higher alcohol levels in the wine. Some producers claim that the southern Rhone valley pre-phylloxera (c.1880) vineyards boasted a wider selection of grape varieties. And it was the re-planting after phylloxera that brought on the dominance of grenache as it provided good volume and high sugar levels – the two measures the co-operatives (it was all co-operatives then) paid for. We are pleased to have planted Cinsault and Mourvedre over the past decade. They bring diversity of flavours and profiles as well as reduced sugar levels.
A common result of this hot year is a lack of acidity in the wines, particularly the (legally required) measure of total acidity. Thankfully the other measure of acidity (pH) has often compensated for this, and we have maintained our freshness, but this is far from the case everywhere.
We continue to monitor the ever-evolving biodiversity at Unang, this year we have been taking part in vineyard bat surveys (conclusions to follow) and are watching the development of a project being trialled here that is trying to attach a tiny electronic sensor to Asian hornets that can then be followed by a drone to pin-point their nests. With a view to then destroying the nest of this recent, non-native, bee-eating arrival.
As the last of the sugars are fermenting in the tanks, and the malo-lactic fermentations are getting underway, we have – happily – had more than 100mm of rain in the first days of November. Let’s hope there is more to come this winter and that the aquifers will be replenished for next year.
James King
Château Unang, Ventoux, Rhone
November 8, 2022
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2022: What a crazy wine year. Early bud break, early bloom, a lot of sun, that makes the vintners heart smile. That we could have too much sun happened really very rarely.
Actually it was the lack of rain that made the sun seem relentlessly hot. Small berries were the result of this, way into September. And then came the long-awaited rain. No excessive thunderstorms or hail, that was our biggest fear. But days of gentle rain, that was just wonderful. Should this catch up with everything that the berries and the vines had missed and that had weakened them? Should the vines still be able to save themselves from drying out and above all, bring juice into the berries? There was a bit of all of this: Slight berry growth, boost in quality and recovery of the vines for the next season. Conclusion before the harvest: The sun is in the grapes, although with very little juice in the berries.
The weather for the grape harvest could not have been better. A swarm of harvest hands moved over the individual vineyards, depending on the ripeness of the grapes. After the harvest of the best Riesling parcels in the Niederberg-Helden, we went back to the Pauls Valley for the Qualitätswein and Kabinett.
Three pre-pickings of our best and oldest Riesling vineyards in our grand cru site Niederberg-Helden where only the fully ripe botrytis grapes were harvested, gave us time to let the golden yellow top Riesling grapes continue to mature until the main harvest. The grand finale of the 2022 vintage on October 15th is called Riesling Spätlese Lieser Niederberg-Helden.
The juice is very concentrated and will produce a great Riesling wine. The fermentation of the Rieslings 2022 is in full swing.
Video of Harvest 2022 at Sybille Kuntz Weingut.
Sybille Kuntz and Team
Sybille Kuntz Weingut, Mosel, Germany
October 21, 2022
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Here we are finishing the harvest slowly. We had a big rush at the beginning, where everything had to be harvested at the same time: red, rosé, dry, sweet. Then finally the cabernets took more time to mature (they were waiting for rain. Like us…).
It was a special vintage. We had everything: frost, hail and drought. Finally, the production will be only 50%, but the quality will be there. Especially in white.
Béryl Saget
Château Marie Plaisance, Bergerac, Southwest France
October 12, 2022
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Harvest was very good, enough quantity, good quality. I was afraid we would have a lack of acidity, but at the end acidities seem to be a little bit higher than expected…
Too early to be sure–malolactic fermentation is currently in progress, but it’ll be certainly a good vintage. Not a powerful one, like 1999 or 2006, but a nice vintage. We have to be patient to be sure!
Bertrand Lilbert
Champagne Lilbert-Fils, Cramant
October 7, 2022
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I will finish pressing my last tank tomorrow. I have two feelings about this vintage. I am very happy because the juices are dense, fruity, crunchy and already so charming that I have no doubts about the quality of 2022. The tannins are not aggressive and I think our customers will be tempted to drink quickly or maybe even too quickly these wines.
On the other hand, the very dry and hot season that we experienced left its mark on this vintage. The juice yields are not good and as a result the quantities will not be at all as high as we hoped for in the spring. Fortunately, the rains of August 15th the following week saved us.
The whites, even if the acidity is low (we are used to it here) are very fruity and the alcohol level is not very high, which gives them a nice balance.
Pierre Jean Villa
Domaine Pierre Jean Villa, Saint Joseph
October 4, 2022
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We just finished harvesting the Cabernet Franc this week and now just have the late harvest Chenin/Coteaux du Layon left. Things will finally start getting a bit calmer now that most of the harvest is finished.
Our Cabernet Franc unfortunately suffered a bit more from the drought and heat than we would’ve liked- the rainfall didn’t plump up the grapes as much as we had hoped. The yield is lower than an ideal season but they were in good health like the rest of the varieties so we’re very reassured by that.
All is well on our end and despite the smaller Cabernet yield (not catastrophic) we’re happy with the 2022 harvest.
Kimberly Lecointre
Domaine Lecointre, Anjou, Loire Valley
October 2, 2022
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We’re marching through an unusual harvest, weather patterns I’ve never experienced during September in the 18 vintages I’ve had here on the Central Coast. I’m confident we’re making great passes and the cellar work has been spot on, but odd ripening patterns for sure.
Ryan Deovlet
Deovlet Wines, California
September 29, 2022
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The harvest is almost over. We completed the harvest of the reds three weeks ago and the devatting ended yesterday. There is only a little Loin de l’Oeil left in the vineyard for our sweet white Les Gravels.
The quality is good: the grapes were in perfect sanitary condition! In the whites we will have the expected volumes; on the other hand, in the reds there is a lack of juice! Between 35 and 40% loss of volume. But the red wines will be quite powerful even though we limited the extraction of tannins. We have to wait a little longer for the assemblages to have a more precise idea. The whites are finished and assembled, they present themselves very well with a good freshness despite everything and very beautiful fruity aromas.
That is a brief summary of our situation.
Alain Rotier
Domaine Rotier, Gaillac, Southwest France
September 28, 2022
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We surely had a good surprise on this vintage. Whites are very balanced with nice acidity but good material, and reds will be deep and very balanced too.
Clémence Dubrulle
Domaine de la Folie, Rully, Burgundy
September 27, 2022
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We are extremely happy with the harvest, because the quality as well as the quantity is amazing! The vines have given us their best and now it’s up to us to honor her efforts in the cellar.
Janneke
Domaine de la Roche Bleue, Jasnières, Loire Valley
September 27, 2022
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We finished the harvest with great happiness on September 3, and since this morning everything has been put in barrels (white and red). The news of the “exceptional” 2022 vintage has already crossed the Atlantic and reached you 😉. We are no exception to the rule. Therefore Jérôme and I are really delighted to say that we had a very good harvest! Well, not everything is finished (we can’t forget the aging 🙄) but the quality was there not to mention the quantity.
A few details about the 2022 harvest:
We started on August 23 with a few crémants and immediately thereafter we brought in the Puligny and Puligny 1er cru. This is not our usual custom: the Côte d’Or grapes arrived in the cellar before the others because we were afraid the acidity would drop. We chose well because the analyses are “perfect” with degrees between 12.5 and 13 and acidities around 4g.
We continued with the white Côtes Chalonnaises and then the reds and ended with the Bourgogne Aligoté. Regarding the quantities….a little hint: now that everything is in barrels we can barely turn around in the winery….😏
Gaëlle Meunier
Domaine Gaëlle et Jérôme Meunier, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
September 26, 2022
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Everything went well. We are super content with the quality but also with the quantity:)
Agathe Merlin
Domaine Merlin-Cherrier, Sancerre
September 23, 2022
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The harvest was magnificent this year!
Françoise Le Calvez
Château Coupe Roses, Languedoc
September 22, 2022
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THIS IS DONE…..Superb harvest! We finished devatting yesterday. This vintage is really going to be superb!
Clémence Dubrulle
Domaine de la Folie, Rully, Burgundy
September 22, 2022
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We have finished harvesting all the white grape varieties (Chardonnay, Viognier, Loin de l’Oeil and Vermentino). We have not yet attacked the reds and the Malbec.
For us the summer was very dry, but fortunately we had rain at the end of June and then about 20mm after August 15 and then another 15mm the second week of September. It is not enough but appreciable. We dealt with the vines as best we could: leaf stripping only on the rising side of the sun in particular. The roots of the majority of our vines know how to go deep and we still see healthy foliage!
We have decided to wait until next week to start the harvest of the reds, hoping to gain even more grape skin texture. The goal is to have supple skins. We are already seeing very nice juices on all the plots with beautiful fruit, which is encouraging! The quantity is present on the stump; we will see when harvesting what it really is. Now we can’t wait to start!
Mathilde, Cathy & Daniel Fournié
Château Haut-Monplaisir, Cahors, Southwest France
September 22, 2022
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A great success!… The 2022 vintage has entered the vat room and fermentation is already underway. We were expecting an early harvest, but we did have trouble finding the right date! After a lot of follow-up, we started on September 1 and ended on September 10. In view of the
grapes harvested, we chose the best niche for the perfect balance of juices across the whole domaine. Indeed, alcoholic degrees at an average of 12.5oC and PH from 3.10 to 3.20 are magnificent!
A very healthy harvest and already very promising fermentation aromas for yields according to the parcels completed, but without exceeding the ceiling of the appellation, which should allow us (if our suppliers stop constantly applying price increases…) to maintain stable prices for the 2021 and 2022 vintages.
Didier and Pascal Picq
Gilbert Picq & ses Fils, Chablis, Burgundy
September 19, 2022
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Harvest Is starting: this week from Tuesday until Sunday we will pick up. Some areas are really full and beautiful! Not all unfortunately because of dry or deers/boars. Anyway looks like will be a good harvest!
Here’s a picture from Bramaterra!
Pietro Mascazini
Cantina Gattinara, Alto Piemonte, Italy
September 12, 2022
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Harvest is going well, much much better than we expected! Actually looking very good! Nature is a wonder when it bounces back from that awful heat during June/July. It feels like spring time again, everything is so green, spring flowers are starting to come and even the vines have started to develop new shoots.
We have now picked about 50% of the grapes. About 10/15 days earlier than usual and so far I can’t taste any green tannins or unbalanced Sangiovese batches. We do microfermentations, we ferment each vineyard and preferably each clone by itself so we can keep track on the vineyards and how they develop before blending them together for further ageing. The only batch that I’ve noticed has a little bit of reaction to the heat is on a plot of Merlot planted in the early 90s on a very sandy plot of land…. I don’t use it in our Chianti Classico so don’t worry 🙂 but still interesting to follow the development of each batch after this very strange year. Attaching a photo from yesterday where you can see our microfermentations and my colleague Giacomo.
Sofia Ruhne
Terreno, Greve in Chianti, Italy
September 19, 2022
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Yes the dust is settling–we finished the harvest last Friday. A good quality year with good yields. We had some rain after August 15, which was very beneficial for the grapes.
Annie and Jean-Luc Mouillard
Domaine Jean-Luc Mouillard, Jura
September 15, 2022
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The harvest is not finished. We had some rain on Tuesday evening and also a little this morning. Still 4 or 5 days we think. But, yes we are happy with the harvest this year, good quantity and quality!
Annick Roblin
Matthias et Emile Roblin, Sancerre
September 15, 2022
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The harvest went very well with a troop that we set up at the house. We started harvesting on August 29 under a magnificent sun. The harvest is healthy, and despite the heat there was juice. I spent my time in the vineyard and in the cuvage.
2022 is going to be a great vintage. Despite the high temperatures, the grapes did not suffer from heat stroke and the degrees are well controlled for our Côte de Brouilly. Now the wine will rest (and so will I!).
Overall, the dry matter market has not improved for glass (for bottles), which is still tight in France. Fortunately I am not bottling immediately but prices are rising sharply (+20/ 25%) , in addition to the lack of glass.
You’ll see in the photo, I even put myself in the press to bring in the grapes… unheard of!
Laure Jambon-Mareau
Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes, Côte de Brouilly, Burgundy
September 15, 2022
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All is well here. The harvest is finished; it was really good!
Isabelle Delatour
Champagne Pierre Moncuit, Mesnil-sur-Oger
September 15, 2022
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The 2022 harvest was indeed a good harvest. We had quantity, important after a complicated 2021, but especially QUALITY! We will wait for the end of the fermentations to know the overall potential, but the tasting of the berries and the musts was very encouraging. We are excited!
With this good harvest, we isolated new parcels for a new project: a cuvée 100% Meunier (“Sermiers” in Sermiers–parcel just behind the farm), as well as a Blanc de Blancs (“Les Noues” in Sermiers).
Perrine Fresne
Champagne Perrigne Fresne, Epernay
September 15, 2022
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We finished picking yesterday. The harvest has been a good one. Great quality fruit and good yields except the Grenache which had poor fruit-set. It’s been a bit hot work picking but also nice to have all the wines in the cellar by the middle of September before any storms arrive.
Jonathan Hesford
Domaine Treloar, Roussillon
September 14, 2022
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Everything is good and the harvest is beautiful. We are in full harvest with a day off today because it is raining.
Anne Marie Tempé
Domaine Marc Tempé, Haut Rhin, Alsace
September 14, 2022
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We just harvested the Croix Boissée on Thursday (very good maturity, homogeneous and very promising) and yesterday (Monday) we harvested the great Bournais in Brizay (very good quality and very generous). Beautiful wines in sight.
We are waiting for Monday, September 19, to start the Cabernet Franc harvest in order to reach the peak of maturity.
Francis Jourdan
Domaine Jourdan, Chinon, Loire Valley
September 13, 2022
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Harvest is going super well. The grapes are magnificent and the sanitary condition excellent. Photo is of three generations working during harvest. Ten more days and vintage 2022 will be in the cellar.
Françoise Ollier
Domaine Ollier-Taillefer, Languedoc
September 13, 2022
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Harvest is going well- we still haven’t harvested any Cabernet Franc or Pineau d’Aunis, though we will likely start on the Pineau d’Aunis in the second half of this week! So far, we’ve harvested Chardonnay, Sauvignon, a bit of Chenin but not all, Gamay, and Grolleau Gris, all of which have been fantastic. The Gamay and Grolleau Gris are going to undergo carbonic maceration and will be vinified just like the Rue du Pineau d’Aunis. Hopefully these two new cuvées will both render great results! The Gamay suffered from the hot summer with some sun burn so there was just a bit of loss there, but overall we’re happy with the harvest.
Now we’re just trying to get everything going within the right timing since we’re getting more rainfall mixed with some heat and extreme humidity. Should clear up and cool down by the end of this week though.
Kimberly Lecointre
Domaine Lecointre, Anjou, Loire Valley
September 13, 2022
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We started picking, sorting and foot-treading our estate grapes earlier this week, on Monday, August 29th. This 2022 harvest began nearly two weeks earlier than usual. A hot and dry summer with record temperatures in Douro Valley, as in most of mainland Europe, has resulted in Quinta do Tedo’s early harvest start date. Mother Nature’s temperatures at times were challenging but Tedo’s microclimates are hot during the day with a cool evening breeze that slows grape maturation.
We harvested for a solid week and then waited a solid week as several parcels had stopped ripening due to the heat–photosynthesis stops when it is so hot. Our last day of harvest was 12 September. With fewer grapes to harvest due to replanted parcels from last year, the grapes, already heat and drought resistant varieties, came in healthy and beautiful. Foot treading is back in full swing, thank goodness!
Kay Bouchard
Quinta do Tedo, Douro Valley, Portugal
September 13, 2022
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The Champagne harvest is well and truly over with magnificent juices which are fermenting in our vats. The sanitary condition of the grapes was near perfect with no visible rot or disease.
Our maturity checks carried out twice a week allowed us to properly calibrate the harvest dates for each plot. In fact, this solar year was marked by a real gap between the phenolic maturity (sugar / acid balance) and the aromatic maturity, which could have led to herbaceous aromas if we had not been careful to taste our samples during this period of control. We therefore opted for a good maturity of the grapes with sugars sometimes going up to 11.8 VAP for the Montaigu plot in Chouilly but more frequently around 11 – 11.2 VAP. The aromas of the grapes filled the press room and now their fermentation perfumes our cellar.
We will be able to taste these first wines within two or three weeks in order to determine if a malolactic is necessary for some or if this hot year deserves to preserve the acidity.
Julien Lancelot
Champagne Lancelot-Pienne
September 12, 2022
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Finally we got some rain and some threat of hail too. Nothing dangerous and no damages for now. Plants turned green again and leaves look quite better and “fat”. Grapes look and taste great but we better wait: High acidity and not enough sugar.
If we start harvesting now we’ll surely produce crap🤣🤣🤣. During the last hot/dry summer many plants on rocky, poor, porfiric soil got stressed and stopped maturation. Now they are catching up but we still probably have 10 days more to wait. Only grapes and analysis will tell us “the truth”🤣
My birdies tells me that Roberto “big fish” Conterno will harvest on 24/25 September his Gattinara… We’ll probably start before that weekend but we’ll see! Will keep you posted on the harvest with pics.
Pietro Mascazini
Cantina Gattinara, Alto Piemonte, Italy
September 12, 2022
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The harvest and vinification are in full swing. We just finished the harvest yesterday at Estézargues, and at Combe-Queycaire I am more or less halfway through. The fear of redoing 2019 is forgotten. The wines are more balanced with more convincing fermentation kinetics. The structure is there but without being excessive. The wines are evolving well under marc, which makes it possible to soften the structure.
Denis Deschamps
Les Vins d’Estézargues and Domaine Combe-Queyzaire, Côtes du Rhône
September 11, 2022
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The harvest has not started yet, probably around 22 September. We have had rain for 3 days… the grapes and we are so happy
Laurie Caslot
Domaine de la Chevalerie, Bourgueil, Loire Valley
September 9, 2022
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We had hail, last evening….Cold sweat, and a bad night. But it came with a big rainfall and this morning grapes and vines were fine. I guess we had well over 40mm in some plots in like 1H30.
The weather was splendid today. Nerve wracking vintage. We have the Grenache in. And we’ll crush the Syrah tomorrow. Still running. [Picture at the top is of the Mas d’Amile harvest. The picture on this post is of the last bucket of Mourvèdre on the last day of the ’22 harvest, September 23rd.]
Jérôme d’Hurlaborde
Mas d’Amile, Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc
September 9, 2022
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We started harvesting yesterday . It’s a little bit complicated with the rain, but if the weather calms down we’ll be able to make a beautiful vintage.
Sébastien Cornille
Domaine de la Roche Bleue, Jasnières, Loire Valley
September 9, 2022
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It’s a peculiar year to say the least. After a really hot summer, even by Southern France standards, we had a super welcome rain third week of August on three days, the first day with 5mm and then two days later nearly 40mm. The soil was decompacted and acted as a sponge and the leaves started to green back.
Harvest started on the 29th of August with ripe Syrah but diverse alcohol potential from 13.5 to 15!!! Really small berries but all in all one of the best in volume we ever had. The discrepancy in terms of alcohol ripeness led us to fully destem and we kept the fermentation at a slightly colder T° than usual, seldom above 25C°; but fermentation went full force straight on and only stopped yesterday.
Bizarrely we harvested the white on September the 2nd– therefore after the first red, with storm lightning and heavy rains all around us but close to none in Montpeyroux. Again the fermentation started right after crushing, and we kept really low T°. It’s still going on at the moment and Amelie stirs the lies every day.
We’ll get the Grenache in this Friday, providing we are not eventually hit by the storms (yesterday north of Montpellier, next door to us, had 160mm in like 2 hours) again small berries for Grenache but the load seems to be quite large. Potential alcohol varies from 14.5% in front of the Mas to 13.5% on the Causse at our l’Yeuse vineyards at the foot of the Pic Baudille. It’s ripe and nice in color, pipins are dry and we may leave some stems–let’s see how it is in two days.
Carignan and Mourvèdre will wait until the end of next week or the beginning of the following one. If it rains as long as it comes slowly everything will be ok and maybe even far better than ok.
Our harvest will have extended nearly over a month. It should be ok in volume, and good to great in quality, but it won’t be big wines, which is not our aim anyway. For now we can only say the Syrah is subtle, colored (for that matter it’s inky) and will play a great role in the blend.
As usual, we would like the harvesting period to be over, but we are really curious to see what the following two weeks have for us. So far so good.
Take care,
Jérôme and Amélie d’Hurlaborde
Mas d’Amile, Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc
September 7, 2022
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Wow, we’ve been flat out! It’s really a hot and fast paced harvest! So far so good, we’re getting the fruit off in manageable, efficient, qualitative way…. but, no doubting that this will go down as a notable heat wave. Acids are holding, considering how much the sugar has jumped. Drought year for sure, great concentration and intensity of color, just wish the heat would subside and let us get the fruit off more slowly.
Ryan Deovlet
Deovlet Wines, California
September 6, 2022
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After bud break occurring on-time to perhaps a week early depending on site, frost damage in select sites, and widespread shatter due to a very extended flowering and poor nutrient availability exacerbated by drought, yields are very very low. The extremely low yields and a warm-ish summer sped up ripening, causing harvest to commence three weeks earlier than last year- on August 17th with Pinot Noir from Rodnick Vineyard in Chalone. Two days later I brought in Chardonnay from Coastview Vineyard… cropped at one ton to the acre (normal here is three to four tons/acre)! And now, the heatwave! Thanks to a little introspection, experience, and the ability to irrigate (in most vineyards) before an intense heatwave, I know that it’s generally not quite as rough as it seems. There are some stunning wines that were produced in 2017, when we had a similarly scorching Labor Day weekend.
As of last Thursday, this is what has been harvested, all with impeccable flavors and chemistries:
Rodnick pinot noir, Chalone/Gabilan Mountains
Coastview chardonnay, Gabilan Mountains
Pelio chardonnay, Monterey
Spear chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills
Coastview syrah, Gabilan Mountains
What’s left?
Escolle gamay noir, Santa Lucia Highlands (tomorrow)
Double L pinot noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Nelson syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains
Gali syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains
Sam Smith
Samuel Louis Smith, Central Coast, California
September 6, 2022
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I have to say that this harvest is looking better than I could have imagined. We had a terrible summer with temperatures far too high. We could see that especially the younger vines suffered a lot. But then end of July a rain came and the temperatures dropped. Mid-August two big storms came through Chianti Classico and did terrible damage due to hail. Some our neighbors have hardly anything left. By some miracle we didn’t get any hail, just water. So the grapes are looking good! We start to pick Sangiovese tomorrow which is earlier than usual but I believe that it’s better to pick the grapes early than to wait, especially after this summer. So at the moment we are very positive!
Sofia Ruhne
Terreno, Greve in Chianti, Italy
September 6, 2022
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We finished the harvest on Thursday September 1, after six days of harvesting. We were a maximum of 36 cutters on Saturday and Sunday, which allowed us to harvest all the premier crus over the weekend. Then a team of 27 cutters for the other days.
The objective was to harvest the premier crus of Volnay quickly so that they would not suffer too much from the high temperatures, especially on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August, but also not to tire the kitchen team, important for the smooth running of the harvest, for too long a period. We were a total of 65 people at the table for lunch during the weekend and around fifty the other days.
On the harvest side, there are some nice surprises, especially in the villages of Pommard, and in the Beaune 1er cru aux Coucherias appellation, which had nevertheless suffered from hail. The other plots gave us rather generous yields given the climatic conditions of the vintage. My disappointment is the parcel of Volnay 1er cru les Fremiets. The old lady certainly suffered more than the other appellations and had difficulty offering a volume at the same level as the other plots. I questioned neighbors of the plot about this, and they seem to have made the same observation as me.
We were lucky to have those 17mm of providential precipitation on August 16 brought by thunderstorms, which allowed us to stay on the right side of the wire. Thank Mother Nature for having spared us frost, hail and for having brought us some precipitation at the end of the season.
The musts began their fermentation this weekend, in particular the Volnay appellation and the Premiers Crus of Pommard. The enologist will come and taste tomorrow morning to guide us on the level of extraction that we can expect for this vintage. I think and hope that we are going to have a good vintage, even a very good one, maybe even better than 2019, but I don’t want to talk too quickly.
Etienne Chaix
Domaine Joseph Voillot, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
September 5, 2022
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We are experiencing a very trying vintage here!!! After the spring frost, the hail of June and finally an unprecedented period of drought, our job as winegrowers is put to the test and morale is not always at the top.
Christine Dupuy
Domaine Labranche Laffont, Madiran, Southwest France
September 5, 2022
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We have been in full fire. We brought in the grapes from August 11 to 30! The wines are fermenting well so far, but above all: we were expecting a small and unbalanced harvest due to the intense and long heat wave, but a good surprise–the very fine grapes still give fresh juice. Concentrated, gourmet and balanced. We recognize each terroir well in its expression. Some plots are even incredibly delicate. In short, apart from the macabeus, for which it is not a great year (very small, not very heavy bunches), we are quite happy and are considering slightly longer gentle macerations.
Lucile Meunier
Domaine Paul Meunier, Centernach, Roussillon
September 5, 2022
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We started the harvest on Thursday, August 25th and expect to finish next week. For the moment a good even very good quality with yields a little below what we were hoping for but overall satisfactory.
Baptiste Meyniel
Domaine Claude Branger, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Loire Valley
September 2, 2022
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And now 3 days behind us of harvesting. We did a little pause this Wednesday–it rained the whole Tuesday night! This was just perfect, grapes will like it. We will continue next week, always only mornings to avoid peaks of temperature. So far it looks great: easy to pick, almost no sorting. So different from last year!
Next week, we have one more Crémant plot to pick and will start the pinots varietals.
So long for now.
Mélanie Pfister
Domaine Mélanie Pfister, Haut Rhin, Alsace
September 1, 2022
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We started the harvest this morning!!! La cuvée Allégro to start with Roussanne et Rolle grapes. The harvest is small but concentrated with beautiful acidity for the moment (curious because with the heat we would not have expected that). The wild boars have taken their share as well as the drought.
Thankfully we had 90 mm of rain on the 14th and 17th of August, and I confess that that did a lot of good for the vines. We have our fingers crossed that the storms predicted at the end of the week and next week will be less violent than expected. Thanks to light some candles.
We’ll keep in touch.
Françoise Ollier
Domaine Ollier-Taillefer, Languedoc
September 1, 2022
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We have harvested all the 1er crus, Volnay and Pommard Villages. We still have the Bourgognes and the Meursaults to do. The harvest is very pretty in quality and the volume is correct without being excessive. Alcohol degrees are from 12 to 13.4% and the acidity is good in spite of the heat this summer. We will finish Thursday night. More information later.
Jean-Pierre Charlot
Domaine Joseph Voillot, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
August 30, 2022
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We started the harvest yesterday but it is a bit early to have feedback from Isabelle, Charles or Paul. It is fresh and rainy today which is good for the vineyard and Nature in general.
Hugues Romagnan
Les Parcellaires de Saulx, Meursault, Burgundy
August 30, 2022
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Harvest started on August 11th with the Muscat. Then we stopped a week, and now we have restarted nonstop. For the moment, the grapes are very pretty in spite of the drought. Mathias and David have once again done super work in the vines.
Sarah Frissant
Château Coupe Roses, Minervois, Languedoc
August 30, 2022
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We started the harvest last Wednesday (Chardonnay for the Crémant) and this week we’re finishing the Chardonnay and Grolleau Gris for the Crémant rosé. So far the grapes are in beautiful shape (which is very encouraging) despite the drought and wildfires this summer (we had 2 forest fires in Anjou at the beginning of this month!) but have since gotten some heavy rain that dissipated the heat waves. The rest of this week/next week will be on and off rain as well which will be helpful. Cyrille is in great spirits with how the grapes are turning out. We’d like to think our baby on the way plays a good luck role 🙂
Kimberly Lecointre
Domaine Lecointre, Anjou, Loire Valley
August 30, 2022
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Harvest starts tomorrow! We have been bottling on Friday and Saturday, 2021 and 2020 wines (RendezVous en Blanc soon available!).
The weather is still warm and dry. It’s really ripe for Crémant, and there will be much less sorting than last year – grapes look good.
Champagne is probably the winning region this year – they had just the right amount of rain. Here berries stay small, especially on Riesling. Rain is announced for Tuesday evening, but I don’t know if any effect on the size will still be possible. We’ll see!
In all cases our team is ready, rendezvous is at 6:30 tomorrow morning.
Mélanie Pfister
Domaine Mélanie Pfister, Alsace
August 28, 2022
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The harvest should be very good, but I am probably not the first one to tell you that. A nice sugar/acid balance and an aromatic maturity that is beginning to be felt. We are going to continue our maturity samples to fine-tune the harvest at each plot, but theoretically we’ll start harvesting on August 31!
Julien Lancelot
Champagne Lancelot Pienne
August 25, 2022
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About the harvest, the vineyard looks good. It’s quite dry, a bit of rain would be good but that’s how it is! We had a lot of rain in June so we have a good reserve in the soils!
I’m sure it will be a great vintage (not as the last one)! I think we will start harvesting between the 5th and 10th of September.
Emile Roblin
Matthias et Emile Roblin, Sancerre
August 24, 2022
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We’re planning to harvest the whites this Saturday. It looks like it’s been greatly beneficial to prune in late March; the 45ish mm of rain we had ten days ago helped a lot. We worked the oldest plot of Carignan last Saturday and it looks like we still have at least 3 weeks before it’s fully ripe (that will still be +/- 10 days in advance compared to previous years).
All in all, it’s quite difficult to say what sort of volume we’ll have in 2022 but one thing for sure is that there’s 1 hectare more (and most probably a new cuvée given the fact that Mas d’Amile will be certified organic in 2022 and this new plot is only in its 1st year). Qualitatively speaking it’s very healthy and again potential Alc levels are still to be assessed.
Amélie and Jérôme d’Hurlaborde
Mas d’Amile, Terrasses du Larzac
August 24, 2022
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Winter 2022 was relatively cold and dry just behind the winters of 2019 and 2013.
The bud burst was once again early, and occurred at the beginning of April, at the same time as the 2021 vintage with the tragic outcome we know. The green tip stage was observed as early as April 3. We were once again very concerned in the spring with two episodes of frost.
On the nights of Saturday 2 April to Sunday 3 April, temperatures approached 0°C, mainly in the Burgundy and village appellations with snowflakes. Then on the nights of Sunday 3 April to Monday 4 April, the situation became more complex with values ranging from -1°c to -6°c, but much less catastrophic than the forecasted scenario. The frost set in late at night, and the most critical period was from 6:30 to 8:00 at sunrise. So we suffered a white frost, but no black frost as we thought.
The means of combating this type of gel, which are candles, wind turbines and heating cables, are in this case more effective and allow us to secure the young shoots. The most advanced plots and the most sensitive to the impact of frost were the Chardonnay of Meursault les Chevalières and Meursault 1er cru les Cras, and the Pinot Noir of Beaune 1er cru Aux Coucherias. The physiological stages of the stocks that make up these plots were spread from buds in cotton, green tip, green young shoots, to young leaves for the earliest vine, usually young vine. The sensitivity to frost is different depending on the stages encountered: buds in cotton -6 to -8°c, green tip -2°c, young shoots -1°c and leaves around -0.5°c. Luckily, these two freeze episodes did not cause significant trauma.
Of course, there were losses, but I think we were lucky to have temperatures that were less cold than we had predicted, for a shorter period of time than we expected, low humidity and a lower physiological stage of the vine than last year.
The spring was without major problems. We were able to follow the rhythm of the vine during our green work. The month of May was ideal with mild weather and some weekly rainfall. Full flowering was observed around May 22 and was disturbed by precipitation causing some dripping and offsets between early and late sectors.
The main fears focused on disease pressure and in particular on powdery mildew. In a context favorable to its development, we could not avoid its presence on certain parts of plots, and the effectiveness of the products used allows us at best to stop the disease and at worst to slow down its progress while waiting for conditions less favorable to its development.
At the end of June, nature offered us a rainy episode bringing a total of 70mm of rain. Following this precipitation, we were able to observe the expression of the first mildew symptoms, mainly localized on the young leaves. The following climatic conditions proved unfavorable to the development of this disease, and we were not worried by its development during the rest of the season.
During the month of July, we suffered a few days of very intense heat, mainly on Sunday 17 July, Monday 18 July and Tuesday 19 July. The maximum temperatures reached 41°C in places and we were able to observe the first symptoms of sunburnt grapes. Thus, we lost a few more harvest volumes as a result of this heat wave. Luckily, we had a storm on July 21, bringing 10mm of rain on the whole côte; there were sometimes big drops, certainly some hail but fortunately more water than anything else. It is also on this date that the first véraisons were observed. At the end of July, the accumulation of water we had over the months of May, June, and July allowed the vine not to suffer significantly from the drought.
The month of August was marked by a high average temperature. Véraison was penalized by this strong heat by blockages of maturity. It ended around 10 August under average daily temperatures of 28°c and peaks of 38°c. A second heat wave lasted until August 15, and we observed the first symptoms of water stress with defoliations of the vine at the area of the clusters, as well as a wilting of the berries.
During the week following August 15, the vineyard benefited from less traumatic weather, temperatures became more acceptable for everyone and precipitation brought us a total of 18mm. Despite this change that allowed us to avoid disaster, nature suffered at the beginning of this month, and the precipitation of these last days will not erase the trauma. The following week will allow the vine to complete its maturity cycle under ideal conditions.
We have decided to start the harvest on Saturday, August 27. It’s not going to be a full crop, but we’re hoping for at least a normal yield, and we’ll be happy with that. Grapes burned and dried by the sun in recent weeks will be discarded by sorting at harvest. The clusters show no symptoms of disease, and the grapes wilted by the water stress of the beginning of the month will regain a little freshness after these last rains, thus presaging a good quality for the harvest.
We cross our fingers for the rest.
Etienne Chaix
Domaine Joseph Voillot, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
August 23, 2022
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We have had scorching heat and then storms with lots of water…which accelerated the movement in some plots while others remained blocked in maturity.
So we started harvesting today….!
We are bringing in the crémants for the moment and only every other day with a small team of young people.
We should start cutting the grapes for the vintages on Saturday or Sunday. Storms and rain are announced for Friday or Saturday, so we will adapt so that the grapes swell a little….WE WANT JUICE!!!!
Today was a good day because we did the yields…and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen that…we’re all messed up😁 We cross our fingers that this is a good omen and that everything else is the same 🤞🤞🤞
So much for the “news” of the “team” Meunier…. The harvest princess is on the way to being totally saved 😉 but let’s stay on our guard… a lot of things can still happen by next week.
Gaëlle Meunier
Domaine Gaëlle et Jérôme Meunier, Côte Châlonnaise, Burgundy
August 23, 2022
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Effectively it was raining 10 days ago but with ice cubes. Not very good actually but it is like that. I hope it was the last one before this winter.
Jérôme Mathieu
Domaine de Saje, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
August 23, 2022