2000 Harvest Report
October 9, 2000
Bordeaux

The year 2000 began with a wet though mild spring, flowering took place slightly earlier than usual, though the fruit set suggested harvest levels would be down on the large 1999 crop. June was disappointingly cloudy and humid while July was even worse. Growers had to treat the vines regularly against diseases during this period. Without an improvement, 2000 looked set to be the worst vintage since 1992.

As the summer turned on its axis, though, so did the weather. Both August and September have proved uniformly hot, sunny and dry, helping the vines to recover from the setbacks of the early summer. The dry white wines were harvested in the second week of September in a promising condition. The Merlots, in the second half of the month, were even better.

The harvest rain, which has been a feature of most recent Bordeaux vintages, so often diluting the quality of the Cabernets, has held off, and this final variety is being harvested in good condition at present. Jean-Guillaume Prats of Château Cos d'Estournel says that tannin levels and ripeness equates to 1982 and 1990; Pierre Lurton of Château Cheval Blanc has said that he expects to make "superb vins de garde, well structured, sumptuous, large scale, with very silky, velvety tannins." Bordeaux has not had a truly great vintage since 1990. It seems possible, at this very early stage, that 2000 has finally delivered the goods.

The Rhône Valley

Unlike Bordeaux, the Rhône valley has been well-treated by the elements at the very end of the twentieth century. 1998 was a glorious vintage, especially for the Grenache-based wines of the southern Rhône. 1999 was very nearly as good in the South, and perhaps even better for the Syrah-based wines of the northern Rhône. It would seem like greediness to ask for another great vintage - yet things are, once again, looking good both in the north and the south of the valley.

After a slow start to spring and summer, August has been generally hot and sunny (though there was some rain in the middle of the month) and September superb. Those travelling in the Rhône valley during the middle of September would have seen trailer after trailer of perfect grapes arrive at the cellars. There was little work for those on the sorting tables to do, and sugar levels were high in the thick-skinned grapes.

Analyses, too, showed good tannin levels. The only complaint was that grape-pickers (for the minority who still harvest by hand) were becoming harder and harder to find. Growers stress, though, that it's too soon to reach a hasty conclusion. Jean-Luc Colombo, who works with top producers in both the northern and the southern Rhône, pointed out that with the August rain the summer had been a wetter one than usual. A good vintage, he told me, was possible - a great one, he felt, was not.

Champagne

Poor wet weather, severe hailstorms - which destroyed part of the crop in July - and the constant threat of disease, particularly mildew, plagued Champagne for much of the season. But the Champagne harvest has been largely saved by a dry warm period just before picking started in mid-September.The vintage began well enough with even flowering taking place in mid-June resulting in a good fruit set. However, like much of the rest of Europe, July was wet and cold. As reported by just-drinks.com, the start of the month saw a violent hailstorm cause severe damage to over 3,000 hectares of vineyard (a tenth of the appellation) along the Marne Valley and up the west side of the Montagne de Reims."August produced a mixed bag of hot and rainy spells," says Richard Geoffroy winemaker at Moet & Chandon. "After mainly dull and wet weather we were a bit concerned about ripening at this point with the crop looking abundant, above average in volume."Then it turned fine with good light and warmth. This dry period lasted around three weeks from around September 5th to the 27th, turning the whole harvest into something better," he said.

Picking generally was spread over a longer period than usual which Geoffroy believes to be a good thing. Last year's harvest was nearly all brought in within a fortnight which put great pressure on the system. The official start of picking was September 18, but actually began around the 13th in the southernmost Cote de Bar district, which generally had the best of the weather during the season. Picking continued on into October in the Côte des Blancs.Overall Geoffroy views the vintage as patchy with a large mix of quality and character. The large potential volume, higher than the permitted yield, has however made it easier for growers to discard disease affected or unripe fruit and quality generally was saved by the good weather in the run-up to and during the harvest.

BurgundyThough there were climate see-saws during May with warm spells alternating with cool spells and storms, it was one of the hottest growing seasons of the last decade. Happily, the record temperatures continued into the early days of June to produce fast and early flowering, which meant no 'coulure'.Despite the rain and low temperatures that heralded the beginning of July, vineyard growth was still ahead of 1999 by several days but the much-publicised hailstorms during the first weekend caused considerable but thankfully localised damage.'Veraison' started at the end of July and was finished by the middle of August after which dry weather allowed Pinot's colour to develop. The storms of the 17th and 21st of August reduced both sugar and acidity and the hail damage occurred in some parts of Maconnais and the northern Cotes de Nuits. On the bright side, the sun returned at the end of the month to allow the grapes to ripen well.Despite the violent storm of September 12th, good weather returned the next day and the harvest started under good conditions. The sugar levels were close to, or better than, 1999's already high figures and although the acidity was lower, it was officially noted as "acceptable". The relatively cool temperatures at the beginning of September had the advantage of producing "concentrated aromatics".After a mixed growing season the 2000 harvest benefited from near perfect weather and hopes of the growers are high. "Quality is not going to be a problem in 2000, especially for white wines," notes the B.I.V.B., (Bureau Interprofessionel des Vin de Bourgogne). "Nor is the quantity even though estimates put the eventual yield below 1999," a spokesperson said.

The Loire ValleyClimatic generalisations don't lend themselves to the Loire as its vineyards cover 500km of the mighty river and with them four regions, Pays Nantais, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine and the Central Vineyards. Nevertheless, an overview is more than useful when assessing early vintage predictions.July was less sunny and warm than expected and rain fell at the beginning and at the end of the month. But by August, the weather was back on track, even though the rain and hail were recorded. By late August all varieties were reported to be "advanced" and a harvest date only a few days later than 1999 was predicted.Anjou-Saumur had more rain than usual and there was a lack of sun in the spring. "This resulted in the year being far too humid," confirms Lisa Heidemanns of Chateau de Fesles. But she continued: "For all the problems with the sun and rain, the grapes at harvest are looking very healthy. Our Chenin Blanc in Savennieres is very mature at about 14.3% and is scheduled to be picked during mid-October as is our Anjou Rouge".The Chambre d'Agriculture Loir-et-Cher report the Touraine Sauvignon Blanc "has the correct acidity and good aromatics" and as October dawns the often forgotten sweet wines of the Loire are looking promising, that is if the long range forecasts can be believed. The prediction of cool evenings and morning fog augers well. "We're very excited," said Heidemanns."The 2000 vintage should bring us well balanced fruity wines typical of the Loire Valley," concludes Christian Vital of C.I.V.A.S., (Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Anjou-Samur), but following an unusual year sensible growers are cautious: "it's far too early to report on quality" is the wise reply.

Port Vintage"We're 40% down in volume this year but that could mean that the quality is up," notes Quinta do Noval's Chairman Christian Seely, as he overseas the late September (23rd) start to his 2000 vintage.The lower volume means that the vintage will take only four weeks as opposed to the normal six and, as Seely explains, "it also means that there'll be very little Douro red wine this year as more grapes will go towards Port production."With the decrease in volumes will come the inevitable increase in grape prices but as these are fixed in December no one will venture how much the increase will be on last year's 180,000 escudos per pipe (750 kg) of Grade A grapes.The reason for the reduction in the quantity of grapes is attributed to poor pollination and the onset of mildew. "Although we were worried about the lack of winter rain we received more than normal in the spring and early summer and this period of alternating rain-sun-rain produced the ideal conditions for mildew," explains Seely.On the bright side, August and September were wonderful which is why there's an air of confidence around the Douro producers. "Volume down, quality good" is the early assessment.

   GermanyThe main harvest started around 20th September, though it will continue well into December and even January for Eiswein. According to the German Wine Information Service, the 2000 vintage is one of the earliest beginning harvests since records began. Flowering was unusually early at the end of April and continuing warm weather in May and June speeded vine growth, allowing early development of the fruit and permitting a long grape ripening period."It is another large harvest - not as big as 1999 - I get the impression it should be good rather than great," says Jason Haynes, director and buyer for OW Loeb. This echoes the German Wine Information Service expectations of "a good vintage in terms of quality and quantity."According to Haynes, they are experiencing "a lot of demand at the top end", for top quality wines from top quality estates - wines that are yet to be picked. He sounded a note of caution: "We were over there for a few days (the last week in September) and it was raining. They could have trouble with rot - the wrong kind of rot." A fuller picture should be clear at the end of November.

ItalyThe heatwave that hit Italy in August has produced one of the earliest harvests on record for much of country. Growers in southern Italy had picked around two thirds of their crop before the end of August, when the rains finally hit. The regions of Sicily, Apulia, Sardinia and Campania generally produced good quality whites. The later ripening reds should have benefited from the rains, though in some areas quantity may be down as much as 20% on 1999.Further north, the story of early harvesting continues. In the Valpolicella zone, rain at flowering time created loose bunches - suited to the drying techniques used for Amarone and Recioto. August temperatures, again brought vine development forward by around two weeks. Picking took place in mid-September. Producers have been urged to be selective by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and aim for 70% of the permitted 12,000kg per hectare.

Growers in Chianti, Montepulciano and Montalcino also started harvesting in August. Early harvested varieties (such as Merlot in Chianti) are reported to have performed well, but stormy weather has created problems. Antinori and Castello di Vicchimaggio experienced severe hail damage at the beginning of September and had to pick immediately afterwards to salvage the crop. The end of the month also produced stormy weather in the north of Italy with areas in the Veneto being hit particularly hard by hail.