Following an unusually early and heavily frost-damaged start to the season, followed by recent heatwave conditions, Champagne could be on course for the earliest start date for harvesting in its long history, trade news hub drinks business is reporting.
Region’s newspaper L’Union reported the feats and representatives from Champagne Canard-Duchêne and Louis Roederer said picking is predicted to begin on August 15 with some warmer sites possibly harvesting earier.
Speaking to db, Roederer cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon said that the official start date is August 15, but “some places may start a few days before, such as Montgueux, which is an exceptionally sunny site.”
Montgueux is a chalk hill located 10km west of Troyes in the Aube department, sometimes called the ‘Montrachet of Champagne’ for its unusually ripe Chardonnay.
Should picking begin on August 10 in Montgueux, that would mark the earliest harvesting on record in Champagne, with Lécaillon noting that some had started bringing in grapes as early as August13 in 2020, following an extremely hot summer – although the official start date that year was four days later.
Should picking begin on August 10 in Montgueux, that would mark the earliest harvesting on record in Champagne, with Lécaillon noting that some had started bringing in grapes as early as August13 in 2020, following an extremely hot summer – although the official start date that year was four days later.
The earliest official start to harvesting in Champagne on record is 2020, when picking began on August 17.
Lécaillon said that the grapes were healthy, with bunches “forming well,” and, despite the hot dry conditions.
Canard-Duchêne winemaker Cynthia Fossier said: "Today the vineyard is beautiful, but the temperature is too high.”
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