2026 Harvest - Any Day Now!

Harvest at La Yotte is about to start. For us, it will begin with our young Chenin Blancs, and for these vines, 2026 is a genuine test vintage. Young vines, extraordinary heat and drought, uneven ripening and an unforgiving acidity clock have created a difficult combination. Some bunches are ready; others are still catching up, so we are tasting, testing and walking the vines constantly. For the older vines, things look rather better. But the balance is delicate.

Bordeaux on a Knife Edge

The big battle this year is not simply against sugar. It is against the loss of acidity. Heat accelerates the breakdown of malic acid, and this year that process started exceptionally early. Sugars are climbing while acidity disappears, forcing growers into an uncomfortable choice: pick for freshness, or wait for flavour and phenolic maturity. You can wait for flavour. You cannot wait for acidity indefinitely.

That is why some Bordeaux vineyards are already harvesting, even when the grapes might benefit from more time. We are in a relatively fortunate position. Our Chenins are young and difficult, but our older vines have deep roots, different soils and plenty of varieties to work with. We are not out of the woods, but we are in better shape than many.

Heat Amplifies Terroir

At La Yotte, the differences between parcels are extraordinary — but, importantly, the grapes are looking remarkably healthy given the conditions. Our Merlot and Malbec are leading the charge towards harvest, with beautiful, ripe-looking bunches, while Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are taking a little more time. Our Castets and Touriga Nacional vines look understandably tired after the heat and drought, but the bunches themselves look fantastic, sitting just behind the Merlot and Malbec in maturity. Same estate, same weather, very different rhythms — and that diversity may prove a real advantage as harvest approaches.

The explanation is largely underground. Clay holds water. Limestone drains. Older vines reach deeper; young vines simply cannot. Rootstocks, canopy management and vine age suddenly matter enormously. Extreme weather does not erase terroir. It amplifies it.

2003 or 2009?

The comparisons are inevitable. 2003 is the warning: extreme heat, high sugars, low acidity and wines that could feel broad and hot. 2009 is the comparison we prefer: another very ripe, relatively low-acid vintage, but one that produced generous fruit, silky tannins and plenty of delicious wines. Could 2026 be closer to 2009 than 2003? We certainly hope so.

And while Bordeaux as a whole is walking a knife edge, our diversity of terroirs, varieties, clones and rootstocks gives us more cards to play than most — allowing us to balance freshness, structure and ripeness across the vineyard. In a year like this, diversity is not just interesting. It is an advantage.

When the Vineyard Meets the Rulebook

The extreme conditions are also reopening the debate about irrigation. Bordeaux understands the value of water stress, but there is a difference between encouraging roots to search and having nothing left for them to find. We have already had to give water to some of our youngest vines simply to keep them alive. That is why the bigger question facing Bordeaux is becoming increasingly obvious: what happens when the climate changes faster than the rules?

At La Yotte, our answer is relatively simple. We planted different varieties, clones and rootstocks across different soils for precisely this kind of uncertainty. That diversity may now be one of our greatest advantages. We are not here to blindly obey the rules, nor to break them for the sake of it. Our job is simply to make the best wines we can from our vineyard — and then let the label decide whether they belong in our beloved appellation or as more rebellious Vin de France.

Harvest starts any day. The Chenins will be our first test. For everything that follows, it will be a high-wire act — but one we believe we are well prepared for. Now we wait, watch and taste. Stay tuned.