The 2014 grape harvest – prognostic by Bettane+Desseauve

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Thursday 4 September 2014

Every year, during the grape harvest, Michel Bettane & Thierry Desseauve embark on a tour of the French vineyards, in order to make their vintage report.

 

 

Bettane+Desseauve is a group of wine experts led by Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, they advise and guide wine lovers through three key activities : Bettane+Desseauve on-line guide in French, English and Chinese, the on-line magazine “mybettane+desseauve” (which redirects to their main website) & consumer events (“le Grand Tasting” in Paris & “London Wine Experience”). Exclusively for franceagroalimentaire.com, Bettane+Desseauve reveal their first insights for the vintage of a handful of French wine growing regions: Champagne, Bourgogne, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, the South-west and Corsica :
 
Champagne
Two or three weeks of perfect weather in September lead to a more than satisfying harvest (12 – 15 000 kilos/ha at around 10° on average) in the central vineyards of the Marne and Aube départements. The Chardonnay will no doubt be the best, despite a little rainfall. The Pinot noir was mostly in good condition and well balanced. The Pinot Meunier was more irregular in quality, with zones of acid rot due to insects piercing the grapes. A good proportion of the harvest should gain vintage status.
 
Bourgogne & Beaujolais
In Bourgogne, the rain and hail triggered great pessimism amongst the wine growers in late August, but three weeks of perfect weather brought a smile back to their faces. There will be some great Chardonnays as the whites resisted much better to the climatic ups and downs; the reds will have some strong character. Cool nights and good evaporation of the rain that had fallen over the summer allowed the grapes to develop thick skins and a surprising aromatic potential. The volume of the berries, bigger than usual, ensured higher than average yields (35 – 50 hl/ha), which might affect the life expectancy of the wines but at the same time can be considered a blessing after three consecutive small harvests. Chablis had a harvest of nicely ripe and delicately perfumed Chardonnay, which should produce perfectly styled wines in good volumes. The Gamay in Beaujolais was of average quality, with a proportion affected by acid rot. However, in the better exposed zones and the grands crus, beautifully scented and balanced grapes were harvested.

Bordeaux
During July and August it rained less in certain regions of the Medoc than elsewhere (50mm evenly spread over the two months), but the temperatures weren’t particularly high. At the beginning of September, there was talk of a harvest as difficult as the 2013 one, but radiant sunshine for more than a month reversed the situation. The ripeness of grapes is between 13 & 14.5% of natural sugar, and the acidity appears to be surprisingly high for such high sugars. A great vintage is expected, except for Sauternes where noble rot hasn’t developed much in many vineyards.

Corsica
A lovely vintage, harvested quite early, sometimes as early as the end of August for the reds that will go to make rosé wine, and the IGP Chardonnay. The Vermentino is beautifully scented, the Bianco Gentile is exceptional and the ancient indigenous varieties are true to character. The reds are healthy and very perfumed, and should produce some exemplary modern-style wines. The muscat wines will be much better than in 2013.

To find out more:
Click here to visit the Bettane&Desseauve website
Click here to discover the guide by Bettane&Desseauve