In the magazine: Rich Pickings

After suffering in previous years, 2018’s harvest in France looks likely to produce a bumper crop. Rupert Millar finds out how the country’s key wine regions fared against Mother Nature this year.

AS MUCH as more sceptical Anglo- Saxons may like to roll their eyes at what is seen as Gallic hyperbole, the noises coming out of France as harvesting either continues, or comes to an end, in all regions is one of overwhelming positivity. Initial reports point to a 2018 vintage that is both generous in quality and quantity. If 2017 in Europe was a year marked by terrible frosts, heat, drought and sharp drops in volume, then 2018 look set to be remembered as a warm, sunny and near ‘perfect’ season.

Picking has been taking place historically early in some regions, and there has been mildew pressure in many areas, especially Bordeaux, the South West and the Languedoc, which has led to slight crop reductions, but overall, 2018 is a return to normal, healthy yields in the country. In late August, FranceAgriMer estimated that the final harvest would be 44.5 million hectolitres, 1.6m hl less than the 46.1m hl estimated by the French government body Agreste. Nonetheless, as Jérôme Despey, president of the wine council at FranceAgriMer, noted, even at the lower estimate this year’s crop would represent a rise of 20-25%, bringing the yield back in line with the five-year running average.

As mentioned above, the warm weather brought on an uncharacteristically early harvest in several places, with Champagne and white grapes in Alsace, Burgundy and elsewhere being picked in mid- to late August.

BORDEAUX: Of all the regions touched by the devastating weather in 2017, Bordeaux was perhaps the most obviously affected, after years of missing the hammerings meted out to Burgundy or the Loire. Frost and hail ripped through the region in 2017, leading to an overall loss of 40% or 240m litres of wine. This took place after the 2016 harvest, which, yielding more than 570m litres, was the biggest in a decade. Depending on which estimates turn out to be the most accurate, the crop this year may not be far off this level, but Bordeaux did not get off scot-free this season. A vicious hailstorm hit parts of Entre-Deux-Mers, Bourg and Blaye in late spring.

Not wishing to diminish its effect on growers there, especially as these are areas that were wiped out last year, this storm was mercifully limited in scope. Slightly more problematic was an outbreak of oidium (powdery mildew), which will have effected estates to varying degrees (‘Bordeaux bingo’ holds that everyone’s neighbour will have suffered worse than that of the person telling you). Charles Sichel, export director at Maison Sichel, noted that yields will be as low as 12hl/ha in some badly affected vineyards and organic and biodynamic producers were worst hit.

On the other hand, if treated swiftly, the dry summer proved just the tonic, as he explains: “Others lucky enough to escape any kind of damage will have good yields. All, however, have benefited from incredible summer weather, which is set to last.” At the time of writing, the whites and Merlot had largely been harvested, and the excitement was becoming palpable. “The whites are in, fragrant, full with good freshness and acidity,” said Sichel. “Merlot is being picked at the moment. Alcohol level on the reds is high, with a good acidity level.

This shows the grapes have good concentration and complexity.” Lafite’s new president, Jean-Guillaume Prats, meanwhile, was animated about the potential of the vintage. “We are about to harvest one of the most extraordinary vintages in Bordeaux,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s ’09 or ’10 yet, but it’s one of those.” Quantities are down, he added (thanks to mildew pressure), but is this the start of the another Bordeaux hype-train before next spring’s en primeur campaign? “I don’t know the price of the ’18s,” Prats said, “but it will be expensive.”

BURGUNDY: Ironically, for a region that has been pummelled by hail and frost in the recent past, Burgundy actually escaped much of the bad weather that broke over France in 2017. The white wine harvest was up by 21% on 2016, and the red by 41%. Total yields were around 1.5m hl, slightly above the 10-year average. If the estimates are correct, then 2018 is going to be slightly larger again, which is good news for a region in need of replenishing its stocks. Louis Fabrice Latour, president of Maison Louis Latour, explains that after a wet winter, the spring and summer were hot and dry, and budburst was extremely rapid, lasting just four days rather than two weeks, which was then was followed by an excellent flowering. Although hot, the water reserves from the rainy winter and cool nights negated hydric stress in the vines. “The grapes showed excellent balance between acidity and sugar,” he reports. “We began harvesting on 3 September. The colour in the reds has come quickly, with great tannins and aromas.

It’s very early days, but we are really happy with the vintage, which appears to be rich and powerful, but still very Burgundian in style.” On a more localised level, PM Chan, coowner of Domaine Thomson in Gevrey- Chambertin, broadly echoed Latour’s comments, adding that the heat was occasionally broken throughout the summer by rain, and while it was hot it was never “super hot”. She adds: “What was unusual about this year is that in France, after 15 August, normally the weather turns and it gets cooler. That didn’t happen, and the weather remained dry, warm (with highs of 30°C) and sunny.

Perfect conditions for grapes. The warm and dry environment remained until vendanges, so there were no issues with disease, and we had very fine grapes. Everyone we know in Burgundy has had very beautiful grapes this year and all our friends are very happy.”

BEAUJOLAIS: Beaujolais is a region that has enjoyed a largely stellar run of vintages for almost the past decade, rejuvenating its image and standing among serious and casual wine drinkers alike. Following the pattern of the côtes further north, 2018 won’t be too different, indeed trade body InterBeaujolais has said the 2018 harvest in the region will “go down in history as a legendary vintage” alongside the likes of 2017, 2015 and 2009. With the harvest just winding down in the eastern French region, the impressions of this year’s crop are already extremely positive.

The ripening period was “ideal” with no adverse weather and warm, dry conditions, while the very wet winter and spring meant there was plenty of water for the vines to draw on thus avoiding any hydric stress. The final crop was in “outstanding health” and growers were able to take their time due to the weather to harvest at their leisure. Betrand Chatelet, director of vine and wine research institute Sicarex Beaujolais, commented: “They [the wines] have the advantages of an early-ripening vintage, without having any of its disadvantages. “They’re velvety. The wines are going to extract their colour and structure thanks to long periods of maceration. They are round and silky, but concentrated and rich. The tannins are subtle and elegant.”

CHABLIS: Technically part of Burgundy, but like Beaujolais, worth drawing out of the pack for its own attention, Chablis was decimated in 2016, and despite pulling back some volumes in 2017 (in spite of being hit by bad weather again) it seems as though it is 2018 that will set the northern region back on its feet again, delivering quantity and quality. Louis Moreau, president of the Chablis Commission, has even hailed the vintage as one of the best in the area for 20 years. “Chablis is rejoicing,” he said. “We were uncertain after the drought this summer, but the vineyard gave us a real gift after two difficult years. The vine can be generous. Overall, the vintage is qualitative and we have the quantity. “The weather and the perfect sanitary condition of the vines allowed us to harvest serenely; we were able to choose the best places to harvest, which had optimal grape maturity. A real gift. Smiles all round for the winemakers.”

CHAMPAGNE: An historically early start for France’s most northerly region (21 August) but producers don’t seem to be complaining because this was not a vintage brought about in a rush, such as 2003. As in Burgundy, the winter was exceptionally wet – 345mm of rain fell from November 2017 to January 2018 (breaking a record set in 1965) – then sunshine hours hit 750 rather than the usual 630. Vegetation was, as a result, “rapid and vigorous”, flowering took place in June and the crop developed under “consistently good” weather in July and August. Although the social media accounts of cellar masters such as Louis Roederer’s Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon are full of enthusiasm for the crop (which is now harvested), there has been no official word from the Champagne Bureau on the final harvest. But Francoise Peretti, director of the Champagne Bureau UK, said: “An unusually early harvest due to exceptional weather conditions yielded outstanding quality grapes.

Many Champagne producers anticipate 2018 will be a vintage year. We all look forward to tasting the exceptional vins clairs in early 2019.” LOIRE Another of France’s northern regions that has basked under clear skies this summer. As with other more northern regions, the Loire has suffered in recent years, so 2018 promises a return to good volumes, certainly above last year’s crop, and probably above average as well. At the time of going to press the harvest was still under way but reports from the main areas were positive.

In a report, The Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre said April to June had been showery, which, coupled with high temperatures, had created strong mildew pressure, which required increased vigilance from growers. Additionally, there was a little localised hail in July but, for the most part, “climatic hazards” avoided the vineyards this year. From August onwards it was dry and sunny, and the wet start to the year kept hydric stress at bay. Both red and white varieties look promising, and the harvest began in Châteaumeillant. Pierre-Jean Sauvion, president of the Communications Committee at Loire Valley Wines, said: “The vine growers in the Loire are still in full harvest mode, and there are still many grapes to pick. We are super pleased that Mother Nature and the Indian summer have indicated an extraordinary vintage to come. We have happy vinegrowers.”

RHÔNE: Some producers started picking their white varieties in the Rhône on 3 September but, in an unusual turn of events, it was the northern appellations that mostly started harvesting first. Françoise Dijon, manager of the vineyard’s Quality Monitoring Centre, said: “The spring weather posed a number of challenges for growers in certain areas, but everything was back on track by the start of July. Weather in the first half of August was particularly favourable, with a significant amount of rainfall to refresh the vineyards and help the berries swell.” Having begun picking the whites in late August, the red harvest is gradually beginning in the northern AOCs, a week earlier than usual.

Spring conditions were very warm and were followed by a heatwave in June, which led to very early ripening but the crop is predicted to be much bigger than 2017. In the southern AOCs spring was marked by some rainfall and some localised hailstorms. A “sizeable portion” of the appellations were hit by downy mildew, which has been a minor problem in a few areas this year, but prompt treatment and the onset of a dry summer largely controlled the problem, and yields are not unduly affected.

Rains in August were a welcome relief for both vines and people, following temperatures well above the seasonal norm. A spokeswoman from Maison Gabriel Meffre said: “The Rhône Valley is experiencing a terrific Indian summer with very hot temperatures during the day, and fresh nights. Therefore we have been particularly careful in harvesting early in the morning to maintain the freshness of the grapes. On our estates, as well as on the parcels of our partners, these weather conditions allow us to harvest each parcel at optimum maturity. At this stage, it is still too early to talk about the quantities and the global style of the vintage, but we have marvellous weather conditions and very nice grapes, healthy and mature. Our winemakers are very happy with the tasting of the first juices.”

LANGUEDOC ROUSSILLON: If the news is bright in the majority of French regions, the one slight blemish is in the Languedoc, where volumes haven’t quite bounced back to the level one might have expected, given the otherwise excellent weather conditions. The hope was that the Languedoc would reap a harvest of 13m hl, a solid bounce after a frost and hail-struck 2017 vintage yielded only 10.4m hl in what is France’s biggest wine-producing region.

FranceAgriMer is projecting a final crop of 11.9m hl and the government a more rounded 12m hl. Both would be a step up, it’s true, but either way, both estimates would mean the Languedoc-Roussillon will be the only French region in 2018 to harvest below its five-year average. Mildew pressure is thought to be the likely reason for this. france SOUTH-WEST The big co-operative in this tucked away region, Plaimont Producteurs, has said the quality of 2018 “looks incredibly promising”, with a normal crop in terms of volume. The harvest began on 22 September, the whites have already been picked in the IGP Côtes de Gascogne and the reds will follow in early October.

In the AOC of Saint Mont the grapes picked for rosé look good, the “Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinenc are looking fab”, and the white grapes are “pristine”. In Madiran, the Tannat is looking “impressive” and, with a note of caution thrown in just to be sure, there is talk of a “blockbuster vintage” there. Finally, in Pacherenc du Vic Bilh, if the weather conditions stay right until November, then it could be a very good year indeed.