Morning in NSG, processing the first of the big harvest days. It was a big weekend where DRC, Domaine du Liger-Belair, and Rousseau put the pedal to the metal and harvested some of the big crus.

There is still a bit left to finish, but these prominent growers will be able to call Paulée Monday or, at the latest, Tuesday – and conclude what can best be described as some very hectic days.

Some unstable weather with rain is awaiting in the forecast … this is really a joker with so much wine still in the vineyards unharvested.

Will we have the 1929 luck?

Impressions from the weekend August 22 and 23rd

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Rich but very fine aromatics – the Winehog view

The aromatics are quite lovely in many cuvees … this is the benefit of the small but very healthy grapes … many vines are currently giving a lush and quite complex pleasure … In a strange way, their taste and expression are very good even with these elevated alcohol levels.

The alcohol levels are quite high, but some wines are still brought in at 13,5%-14% – so still possible to get some good pinot in the cellar.

Let’s face it, I – the Winehog – don´t really like high alcohol wines … but I also know that we adapt to a certain degree by matching the right food to the 2026s … and some beautiful matches will be found, I am sure – “for sure!!”

I like 12,5% to 13,5% in my ideal world, but this is beside the point … the answer will be in the bottle and in your glass.

I like it cool but ripe … not borderline overripe… but just in the sweet spot on the cooler side – “frais et léger,” and I don’t want to focus on the degrees … the answer is in your glass.

Some terroirs handle the hot years much better than others … and in the past we have had some very hot years that produced some great Burgundies despite hot temperatures … even vintages that I enjoyed thoroughly in the past.

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High alcohol years in the past

The recent years have brought us the effects of global warming. And some of these vintages might be warm, but they are not very hot on the alcohol side. 2018 is pretty hot alcohol-wise, but perhaps not to a degree that makes it super problematic like 2026.

I do, however, think that this vintage must join 2026 as the super canicule years where heat dominated the events.

It is easy to call 2026 a problematic year – and it is – but the past does have some quite similar years where the high ripeness was problematic.

2003 is one year that, now 20 years later, seems much better than expected. I always disliked the 2003, but recent tastings of the vintage do shed a new positive light on the vintage,

1976 is a notorious year in Burgundy with some (a few) truly beautiful wines – Dujac Clos St. Denis 1976 is a gorgeous wine … but many wines were simply burned and unstable ,,, it is not a vintage to collect these days.

1959 was a BIG year with expressive and ripe wines. Certainly not a ballerina… but quite some of the big crus – La Tâche 1959 is a big and rich wine beautifully balanced with lovely aromatics. Quite many of the 1959 vintage still survive these days.

1947 was an extremely hot year, with the cellars of Burgundy becoming very hot. The wines were very big and aromatic … some of the wines were in very good balance while others suffered due to the high pH character of the vintage and the hot cellars. A legendary year – now fading.

1929 is a legendary year and presumably also a very hot year. In my mind, 1929 can be one of the most legendary years in Burgundy… offering some of the best old Burgundy I have tasted. Some 1929s are still alive, I heard … but they are becoming increasingly rare.

Concluding the list, 2026, 2018, 2003, 1976, 1959, 1947 and 1929 show that most of these years have produced some great Pinots and even some fabulous Chardonnays.

2018 and 1976 are, in my view, the most problematic years … while the others are great years because of their richness and lush and expressive impressions … with 1929 concluding as one of my very favorite vintages.

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About 1929 – hot, dry and with rain

The 1929 Burgundy vintage is celebrated as one of the greatest, most legendary vintages of the 20th century. A vintage driven by an exceptionally warm and stable summer, the growing season produced remarkably rich, harmonious, and very elegant wines for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In late September, a brief period of rain arrived just before harvest. This essential moisture helped swell the grapes and balance out the concentration brought on by the summer heat. 

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Will we have this relief of cooling rain in 2026?

So hot years like 2026 can still grace us with surprisingly great wines,

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Harvest window?

While some more moderate alcohol degrees are brought in this is still advisable to rush the harvest as much as humanly possible.

We are talking August 24th, and dreaming about a harvest at the start of September and reasonable alcohol seems quite unrealistic. More and more are speaking about a further drop in acidity and a rise in the PH values – an indication of more unstable and heavy wines.

This is becoming a simple struggle of just getting the wines in the cellar before it’s really too late. So the next week (August 24th to August 30th) is really the last harvest window, unless your vineyards get a spell of this elusive and magical rain!

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Harvest activity

Quite a lot of prominent estates are in the vineyards picking the last plots … names like Meo-Camuzet, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, Dujac, Rousseau, and DRC are almost done harvesting.

The Winehog will be here today and in the days to come … we are here as long as I get your support! So please subscribe!

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Harvest time … Forecast

Forecast date	Harvest Côte de Beaune	Harvest Côte de Nuits
May 18th	August 15th	August 22th
June 20th	August 15th	August 22th
July 5th	August 15th	August 22th
August 7th	August 12th	August 18th
August 9th	August 7th	August 9th – early start small plots
2025 Harvest Final	August 17th	August 27th

Weather – forecast

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Harvest articles

• Harvest 2026 – lower alcohol in Côte de Nuits
• Harvest 2026 – the big harvest days
• Harvest 2026 – and vin d’émotion
• Harvest 2026 – in the mood
• Harvest 2026 – lacking pickers
• Harvest 2026 – the alcohol in the room
• Harvest 2026 – avanti … Avanti!!
• Harvest 2026 – a fair bit of rain!
• Harvest 2026 – here we go … but no rain
• Harvest 2026 – Burgundy is now in harvest mode
• Harvest 2026 – possible panic is lurking
• Harvest 2026 – Friends, free and Fee
• Harvest 2026 – preparing for harvest next week
• Harvest 2026 – preparing the start
• Harvest 2026 – the harvest unfolds
• Harvest 2026 – has started
• Harvest 2026 – less than two weeks to the start

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Send me an email – if you have some harvest news

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