The first pruning shots were given on August 27th for Crémant de Bordeaux and the earliest white grape varieties.
A classic harvest date, given the exceptional precocity of previous campaigns, marked by climate change.

The weather of the year was rather mild for the Bordeaux vineyards, limiting in particular the pressure of diseases of the vine: few rains during the winter, exceptional sunshine in February and March.
Note however some spring frosts and localized hail episodes.
The sometimes scorching temperatures of summer (with historical heat peaks in July) slowed the ripening of the grapes, suffering from water stress; but the rains of mid-August have been beneficial.
The sanitary condition of the vineyard is thus very satisfactory, and the current conditions are ideal: hot days and cool nights, excellent for the development of aromas.   

A 2019 vintage full of hope

The calendar

Climate change had an impact on the (earlier) harvest date of previous campaigns; this year, return to a more classic calendar.

The first grapes harvested in Bordeaux, at the end of August, are destined to make Crémant: we are looking for freshness and acidity.

At the same time, white grapes (particularly Sauvignon and Sémillon) were harvested to produce dry white wine.

Harvesting black grapes, intended to produce red wines (89% of the vineyards in Gironde), will begin around September 20 by Merlot, the earliest planted mainly on the clay and limestone soils of the right bank.

Then come the harvest of Cabernet (Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon), more emblematic of the left bank.
They should extend until mid-October.

Finally, the grape harvest of botrytised grapes, to produce sweet and sweet wines, will continue until the end of October or early November, depending on the weather.
(Botrytis is this noble rot that develops in the south of the Gironde due to the moisture of the Ciron River and the heat of the soil)

Practices

The mechanical harvest is the majority in Bordeaux.
Precision and machine performance help preserve the integrity and quality of the bays.
We are looking for the optimal maturity of the grapes, with practices that evolve to obtain fruity and fresh wines.

- development of intra-plot harvesting (harvest of plots in several stages, according to the desired maturity of the clusters);
- search for more supple tannins and developed anthocyanins;
- taste pips, to assess the aromatic maturity: the seeds must be crisp, woody, with aromas of dried fruits;
- harvest in the early morning for whites and rosés: the harvest of fresh berries helps preserve the aromas.

"It is with enthusiasm and excitement that we approach this stage of
harvesting; it represents the culmination of a whole year of
job.
All the technical indicators are green, which suggests that
promising vintage. "

Bernard Farges, President of the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux

The volumes

After two vintages complicated by the bad weather (-40% of production in 2017 because of the frost, and a 2018 vintage marked by an exceptional late bloom pressure), the 2019 volumes should be in the ten-year average, around 5 million. hectoliters.

But the weather in September (sunshine, heat and rainfall) will be decisive for both volumes and the quality of the 2019 vintage.