Bordeaux 2015: The harvest for the white wines should start next week

Château Haut-Brion has announced that it will likely start harvesting Sauvignon Blanc and Gris for the 2015 Bordeaux at the end of next week, but the final decision has yet to be made.

A summer heat wave should result in relatively early 2015 harvests in many parts of the northern hemisphere, from Piedmont and Rioja to Napa Valley in California and British Columbia in Canada.

According to the Bordeaux Wine Interprofessional Council (CIVB), the first red grapes should be harvested in mid-September. Some 6,500 seasonal pickers will arrive in the region in the coming weeks.

In many Bordeaux vineyards, the grape has completed its véraison (the process of changing color) and maturity is well advanced for Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Merlot and Carbernet Franc, according to the local chamber of agriculture.

Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon, which take longer to ripen, would be halfway through the veraison process.

This wave of heat in the French vineyard is reminiscent of the 2003 vintage.

According to Jonathan Ducourt, whose family owns 16 properties in six different appellations, the vines are 15 days ahead of 2014. The Sauvignon should have an alcohol percentage of 10.8 % and be less acidic than the year. last. Its harvest should begin on the 1^er september. In Castillon, the first bunches of Merlot should be picked around September 15.

Compared to the averages of the last 30 years, Bordeaux experienced 61 hours of sunshine more in June, and 30 hours more in July. This month also received only 18 mm of rain compared to 80 mm in 2014, even if the data varies greatly from one appellation to another.

Nicolas Audebert, from the Canon castles in Saint-Émilion and Rauzan-Segla in Margaux, said: "The sanitary conditions are very good and [thanks to the recent rains] we have more water than four weeks ago, so the grape has a better size. »

José Sanfins, from Château Cantenac Brown (Margaux), told Decanter.com: “Winegrowers are always worried about one thing or another. But this year, hard to find anything to complain about. »

Jane Anson

August 20, 2015

Decanter