The temperatures are taking a trip around the hopefully last Canicule and will drop on Monday, August 17th, to a still respectable 27 degrees Celsius.

Rain is expected Saturday 15th (thunderstorms) with showers and a bit of rain on Sunday 16th. Monday the 17th: additional rain – let’s see how much we will get.

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The phenolic ripeness is still a part of the theme … and this year with a twist due to the drought. More about this in these reflections about the ripening process.

But the main issue is the alcohol levels … the reds are already around 13 degrees in some/many vineyards … and the whites are also reaching or surpassing the target.

Some will be forced to harvest the fast-ripening grapes as the sugar goes through the sky… and well before optimal phenolic ripeness in some cases!

Most will hope for an effect of the first rain … and hope for a little more juice in the berries … likely? – we will see.

I still think the reds will presumably start out August 17/18th… if the current weather forecast holds. And my guess would be that quite a lot of whites will be harvested during the week starting August 17th/18th – depending on the rain.

Tasting and measuring

The ripeness is there … sometimes excessively so … and while it’s important to measure, tasting is equally important.

I was with Aurélie from Ledy Vins in Saint-Romain to check the ripeness levels and the sanitary standard of the plot in Sous le Château.

In general, the sanitary conditions of the 2026 grapes are fine considering the heat, but the grapes are small with very little juice.

The ripeness level is equivalent to around 12.5% alcohol … and Aurélie prefers a level around this to keep the pinot character and the freshness and light-footed expression.

The vineyard is perfectly ripe in the core, but at the outskirts we still have some grapes below the target ripeness-wise.

Tasting the grapes reveals a taste-wise generous fruit – ripe and sweet – but still with good freshness. The issue is the amount of juice, as the grapes are small with thick skins – and almost no juice. So the hope is that the rain from the 15th to the 17th will give a bit of juice before the harvest.

The Saint-Romain is almost ready …

Harvesting order

When you plan the harvesting order, it is done beforehand and then adjusted after the ripening progresses. The goal is to harvest the most prominent vineyards at exactly the right time … if you have a Richebourg … other vineyards need to stand aside for the biggest grand cru.

It’s simple … but can end up being very complex as the harvest gets going.

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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 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

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Send me an email – if you have some harvest news

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