The St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé estate announced the start of picking today, Thursday 28 August, marking the earliest harvest date in its history.
This follows the white grape harvest, which commenced in mid-August across the region and has largely concluded in most areas, accelerated by extreme heat that pushed ripening forward.
In an email sent to Decanter today, Aymeric de Gironde, managing director of Château Troplong Mondot, described the season as echoing 2022’s conditions. ‘We are clearly looking at a vintage similar to 2022, with a hot, dry season, small, highly concentrated and very aromatic grapes, and great freshness despite the heatwaves,’ he said.
The 2025 growing season in Bordeaux has been defined by persistent heat and dryness, building on a relatively mild winter, drawing comparisons to 2022, where vines adapted remarkably to produce concentrated yet fresh wines despite the heat and lack of rain.
This contrasts last year’s challenging 2024 harvest for the region, which saw production fall to around 3.3 million hectolitres – the lowest level since 1991 – due to reduced vineyard area (from 103,000 in 2023 to 95,000ha in 2024), severe spring frost, mildew outbreaks and coulure, which all helped drive yields down to roughly 35hl/ha.
This year, consistently high temperatures throughout July and August, with several days soaring into the 40°Cs, have intensified grape ripening and concentrated flavours. Flowering progressed smoothly under favourable conditions, but mid-summer brought intense heatwaves that stressed vines, especially young vines and those on sandy or gravel soils.
Rainfall has been sparse, with August seeing minimal precipitation, leading to smaller expected yields. This dry spell has resulted in far less mildew pressure compared to wetter years, contributing to healthier vines overall.
Cooler weather has ensued this week with some morning rainfall across the region today and forecast for the coming week with temperatures in the low 20°Cs.
De Gironde emphasised the estate’s philosophy of harvesting when grapes are ‘crisp’, adding that the choice to pick was ‘not by default but out of conviction, knowing that our terroir is such that we can really take a hands-on approach to the harvest.’
Vintage expectations are optimistic, with France’s overall wine harvest projected to rise by up to 17% from 2024, driven by rebounds in regions like Burgundy and Champagne, but Bordeaux is also set for higher volumes thanks to the dry, low-disease conditions.
Not all estates are rushing to pick. In Pomerol, many are holding off for expected weekend rains to refresh the grapes and avoid over-ripeness, despite the risk of pushing alcohol beyond current levels, some of which are nearing 14% abv.
Château Cheval Blanc is expected to begin harvesting the first red grapes on Monday (1 September), also notably early for the estate, aligning with the vintage’s accelerated timeline.
Across France, an early start is also underway in the Rhône Valley, where the 2025 harvest began more than ten days earlier than last year.
Despite climatic contrasts, growers there report promising quality, with small berries, high aromatic concentration, and well-preserved acidity suggesting a vintage of freshness and balance.
