2026, yet another early year marked by intense heat and sunshine

At the time of writing in mid-July, 2026 is experiencing worrying levels of drought due to the unprecedented heatwave that has been in place since 22 June. Temperatures have risen as high as 40°C, although fortunately the nights have been cooler, and even though they are robust, the vines are suffering from hydric stress. The leaves remain green, but there are more and more signs of scorching.

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The young vines, which are naturally more fragile, have been the hardest hit: those of the Clos Blanc de Vougeot, the lower slopes of Gevrey-Chambertin, and some in Puligny-Montrachet, notably the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. The impact of the high temperatures is visible to the naked eye: the branches are drooping and in a sorry state. At the beginning of July, the grapes had not progressed for around ten days, the vines had shut down, and the hot wind was keeping the temperatures up. Then, around 13 July, the grapes finally began to change colour and the first red berries made their appearance.

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On the positive side, the vines are very healthy thanks to the omnipresent wind, which dries the air and wards off disease. We only sprayed six times with sulphur and copper on the Pinot Noir, and seven times on the Chardonnay, which is very little.

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Right now, the vines are showing good yields, estimated at 35 to 40 hl/ha depending on the situation, even if there are some shot berries in Puligny. The bunches are generally long with loose berries, but the lack of water could easily change things. We are hoping for rain, which is even more precious and rare in these conditions.

Tying up in the Clos Blanc de Vougeot on 10 June

A look back at the last three months’ work in the vineyard:

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The shoots were tied up in mid-May, with the first trimming taking place at the end of May and continuing until the end of July, taking care to leave enough foliage at a height of 1.40 m to shade the fruit and protect it from the sun. Nets were installed in the Clos du Prieuré on 6 July as protection against the grape-loving ducks from the nearby River Vouge. All the vines were tilled, and the borders were strimmed or mown at the end of June.

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Hand hoeing to remove brambles and thistles, which are about all that will grow in this heat, is back-breaking work, and we salute our vineyard workers who toil in these conditions. Their working hours have been adapted, from 5.30 am to 2.00 pm, but they are still exposed to the heat. There remains just one more treatment scheduled, everything has been done in good time and, for once, we are not racing against the clock!

Harvest is currently estimated to start in mid-August, which, we repeat, is extremely early. As always, this final month will be crucial. The weather has the last word, so we can only pray for rain…