Unprecedented for this 2026 harvest! Since I took over the vineyard in 2021—six years ago now—this year’s harvest came very early. In fact, we picked the grapes on Saturday, August 22nd. Not only is this a first for my plot, but also in my lifetime.
And as for quantity, it’s also the lowest of the six harvests. That feeling when you thought you’d already hit rock bottom in terms of yield in 2025, only to find that 2026 was lower still.
On the other hand, the quality is excellent, and the alcohol content is unheard of as well: 14.2%. We did, however, have to sort out the grapes dried up by the heatwaves. The five heatwaves between June and August severely impacted the yield.
That didn’t stop us from harvesting in good spirits and with pleasant weather—as someone who always dreads the rain.
A great crew of eight harvesters made up of my brothers and sisters, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Pierre our nurse, and the kids. Not to mention my wife, who prepared the meals and snacks to keep our strength up while working.
