The Harvest 2025 is near the end after a very hectic picking in the last weekend. Not all managed to get the grapes in the cellar in due time – before the rain on September 8th, and will now have to battle rain and even more rain soaked grapes.
Most vignerons harvested in time … some too early perhaps … others a bit late … the wines and the phenolic ripeness will tell the truth of the Harvest 2025.
70 mm fell in Nuits-Saint-Georges on Monday September 8th – so not a false alarm warning about this day – and this does really conclude the harvest … although some are still trying to strike an optimistic note.
Hautes Côte can still produce some good grapes … although the rain could take a break until the end of September … to ensure good conditions for man and grapes.
The harvest vibe
Most of the vignerons and even the pickers felt a good vibe at the end of the picking on September 7th – good – but the teams were very tired, as many really had to rush the picking at the end.
So not all were as festive as usual … but I think that most were quite happy with the quality. But it was pedal to the metal during the last days!
The yields were below expected with especially the whites disappointing – some whites below the yield in 2024. The reds also disappointed a bit yield wise, but to be honest the reds looks like an average harvest yield wise.
So not bad at all! …
The quality is mixed with the harvest spreading out over a long period … more than three weeks – spanning from August 17th to September 8th … and then some!
This is a potential phenolic nightmare!
The pressing will show the final result, but I fear that the phenolic ripeness could be on the low side in quite many cases, as many growers was struggling to get a good phenolic ripeness before the rain inflated the grapes to small fragile water balloons!
The setting
The setting was influenced by the uneven flowering and the canicule heatwave just before the harvest.
The blockage of the ripening gave serious problems in judging the harvest time as the normal data indicators was somewhat difficult to use.
My feeling is that the phenolic ripeness was difficult to achieve, as the ripeness process were partly blocked in a longer period …. until the rain started to influence and disturb the harvest. Partly green pips in the grapes were not unusual even in Grand Cru vineyards at harvest times.
This is not a strong evidense, but it does on the other hand not indicate a very high phenolic ripeness.
The rain … and the timing.
The first serious rain came on August 27th (49 mm in NSG) and this was followed by a good 30 mm on August 31st.
Then there was some minor showers during the period before Monday September 8th where heavy rain hit again.
This gives us the following periods with rain – these should be noted, as these are often forgotten after the harvest. And note there is big variation on the rain in the different villages and appellations!
| Period | Estates Harvesting | |
| 27/8-2025 | 1 | 50 mm in Nuits-Saint-Georges |
| 31/8-2025 | 2 | 30 mm in Nuits-Saint-Georges |
| 4/9 – 2025 | 3 | 20mm in Nuits-Saint-Georges |
| 8/9 – 2025 | 4 | Heavy rain 70 mm in Nuits-Saint-Georges |
I will try to dwell a bit with the rain after I taste the first pressed wines, to see possible dilution and further damage as the rain progressed during the harvest period.
To be very honest the grapes needed the rain at the beginning of the harvest, and possibly we will have had enough by 4/9-2025. The vines took time to absorb the rain – and while we after 4/9-2025 began to see damage on the grapes … skin fragile and core inflated with water – the periods 2 and 3 (in the table above) – could look like the optimal harvest time – when judging after the truth of the press is known.
More about the rain in a future article!
The key to greatness
The issue during this harvest was to get sufficient phenolic ripeness, and to get this the growers waited and waited … until the rain was getting very close.
Liger-Belair and Charles-Lachaux was relatively early out of the blogs … while DRC took it to the end and finished the harvest of 7/9-2025 … the last day before the rain on 8/9-2025. Vogūé went further and was almost caught out by the rain on 8/9-2025. Others … no need to mention
Stressful weekend for Vogūé and Mugnier who harvested the Musigny vineyard at the last day and leaving the vineyard at the same time …
The Phenolics
Looking at the berries the pips were quite often not fully ripe (still green in colour or partly green). It is early to say what consequences this will have, but when growers complain about less than perfect phenolic ripeness … and then pick the grapes very quickly – then perhaps the phenolics are not completely ripe … ?
Harvest time …
| Forecast date | Harvest Côte de Beaune | Harvest Côte de Nuits |
| May 28th | August 20th | August 25th |
| June 29th | August 22th | August 25th |
| July 27th | August 25th | August 25th |
| August 12th | August 22th | August 25th |
| August 13th | August 20th | August 25th |
| August 17th | August 17th | August 27th |
Weather – off harvest
Just to follow the end of the harvest – especially the picking of the Hautes Côte – I bring this final forecast …
Ready?
Yesterday’s Harvest View
Harvest articles
- Harvest 2025 – the final vibe
- Harvest 2025 – More Rain …
- Harvest 2025 – And then came the rain
- Harvest 2025 – Full steam ahead in the south
- Harvest 2025 – rain and chapter 2
- Harvest 2025 – Start August 17th … new record
- Planning the harvest – a challenge in 2025
- Harvest 2025 – harvest now?!
- Harvest 2025 #3 – At a record-breaking speed
- Harvest 2025 – #J-14 – Harvest News 2-2025
- Harvest 2025 – #J-15 – the catch-25
- Harvest 2025 – #J-15 – Harvest News 1-2025
Contact – mail me a tip or a photo
Send me an email – if you have some harvest news
- A true vin d’émotion – a Burgundy of passion
- A truly hedonistic wine – lively and enjoyable
- A vivacious wine for pure indulgance
- A potential vin d´émotion - frais et léger
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.