The Harvest 2004 France

The 2004 Harvest

First Reports From France

After the great heat, relative drought and unprecedentedly early harvest of 2003, 2004 has seen a return to normal. Outside the midi growers spent most of the year gazing up to grey cloudy skies anxiously waiting for the sun to come out and ripen up the crop. Thankfully, after one of the most miserable Augusts I can remember, the weather in September was very good and the net results vary from fine in the Rhône valley to merely satisfactory in Champagne.

But the 2004 harvest, to compensate for 2003, threatened everywhere to be huge. In many vineyards the result is huge, and therefore, despite September, disappointing. The quality is irregular, only the most dedicated, the most inspired, have made good 2004s.

Burgundy

Burgundy was beset by two problems in 2004: an unprecedented outbreak of oidium (which attacks the fruit, rather than the leaves) and several attacks of hail. Moreover, the season has been wetter than usual, greyer than normal and colder than the average. September, however, was kind, and what looked like being a disaster at the beginning of the month has in fact turned out at least OK - in those vineyards correctly maintained - for reds, and better still for whites.

The winter was cool rather than very cold, spring being a long time arriving. When it did one could see that the potential crop, unless reined in, was going to be huge. The weather continued unsettled in April and May, leading to a rather drawn out flowering during the second decade of June. It remained uneven, the odd sunny day alternating with cloud and thunderstorms. One in early July devastated part of the Mâconnais. There was another on the 17th July. The worst, as far as the Côte d'Or was concerned, was on 23rd August. Only from Volnay Santenots south was the vineyard spared.

Throughout the summer it was vital to take steps to reduce the potential crop. Nature was trying to compensate for 2003. Many vineyards were de-budded, de-flowered and green harvested twice. Moreover a constant watch had to be held over the ever present threat of oidium.

After a wet and cool summer - August, as I said, being particularly miserable - the vines looked decidedly unpromising. Thankfully the first 20 days in September produced the first settled period of sunny weather in 2004. It remained cool overnight, but the fruit's maturity at last began to catch up. Harvesting began on September 13th in the Mâconnais, the 20th in the Côte de Beaune and the 24th in the Côte de Nuits. Many growers waited a further week to ensure full maturity and even a degree of concentration.

Despite all the steps taken to reduce the crop, the size of the harvest is large. The white wines show good perfumes and high acidities - parallels are being drawn with 1996. The reds are uneven, but there seems to be more optimism in the Côte de Nuits than the Côte de Beaune. It has been a difficult year. Those who have taken the trouble, and, crucially, severely sorted out the good fruit from the bad, will make good wine. But there will inevitably be a lot of dross.

Chablis

The potential Chablis harvest was huge, and there have been reports of yields in the range of 80 hectolitres per hectare, the wines in these cases inevitably being inconsequential. There was less oidium however, and no hail damage. The harvest began on September 29th and continued until 11th October, only being interrupted by rain on October 4th. Where the crop is not too excessive quality promises to be very good. The wines are aromatic and have high natural acidities.

Beaujolais

After the glories of 2003, 2004 is a disappointment. The summer was not much drier or warmer than farther north, and the early-maturing Gamay could not benefit in the same way as the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the improved weather of September.

Bordeaux

Some vintages favour Bordeaux (2000, for example), some Burgundy (1999). The year 2004 seems to be one of the former. Overall it was drier and sunnier. August, though not magnificent, was less inconsistent, and there was neither hail damage nor oidium to worry the growers.

The winter of 2003/2004 was very dry - in February the precipitation was only one quarter of the norm - but cool rather than cold. The sortie, making up for 2003's deficit, was huge, necessitating severe attention from the outset if the yield was to be held to acceptable levels. After a moist May, the dry weather continued. The June rainfall measured 11mm, as against a norm of 65, and the flowering took place rapidly and successfully. But after this the vignoble began to suffer from hydric stress.

After this warm and sunny June, July was statistically normal, with most of the rain occurring in the first ten days of the month. The size of the potential crop was apparent, and all the top domaines rushed to send out teams to green harvest. August then proved to be both warmer and wetter than usual, threatening rot, and the teams were sent out again to remove the lower leaves to aerate the bunches of grapes. The véraison was rather more drawn out than the floraison.

September, thankfully, saw a return to fine weather, warm sunny days, cool nights, and high barometric pressures. Haut-Brion picked its whites on September 6th, the Merlot harvest began around the 23rd, while at Latour the Cabernet-Sauvignon collection commenced on October 6th.

Reports from all sectors are very enthusiastic about the quality of the Merlots. "Better than the last three vintages", says one source. Though the weather began to deteriorate in October the thicker skin of the Cabernet, combined with the fine September, should have protected most of the fruit. At the top levels, where the yield has been severely controlled, colours are good, acidities highly satisfactory, tannins ripe and the fruit concentrated.

The Sauternais have had the worst of it, and the dry whites are uneven: here it depends very much on the size of the crop and the conscientiousness of the vigneron.

A marketing problem remains, however. Is the world ready for another good red Bordeaux vintage?

Rhône and the South of France

Progressively from Côte Rôtie and Hermitage southwards, the growers in the Rhône and the Midi have enjoyed much more even and warmer weather conditions than to the north and west. Once again, however, the sortie was huge, and major steps had to be taken to keep the yields within satisfactory limits.

Côte Rôtie

After a dry winter, with normal temperatures, April was wet but May rather dry, and this drought was to continue into August delaying the evolution of the vegetation after a rather drawn out flowering. August was very wet, which dampened hopes for a good vintage, but September was splendidly warm and sunny, and exceptionally dry. The harvest took place in these auspicious conditions in the last half of the month and all indications point to a very good vintage, the best since the excellent 2001.

Hermitage

A dry winter of average temperatures ended with a cold final week in March (minus 5°C on the 27th). The sortie was normal for the Syrah but huge for the white grape varieties. The flowering took place rapidly in good weather conditions in the first 10 days of June, but much of this sector was affected by an attack of acariens (small spiders) which reduced the potential crop. June and July were very warm and very dry. August was warm but quite a lot wetter, and this "saved" the harvest, which took place between 14th September and 4th October in well-nigh perfect conditions: dry, warm and sunny.

As a result of rigorous pruning and the spiders, the harvest is of normal proportions, indeed small in Crozes-Hermitage. Colours are good, alcohol levels high but lower than 2003 (where they tended to be excessive), acidities are very good, and the tannins noticeable but ripe. All in all a very promising vintage, as in Côte Rôtie the best since 2001.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The sortie was large, but a proportion of the potential harvest was lost to the Mistral, which was strong for much of the year, especially in September, when it concentrated the fruit. By and large it was a very dry summer, there being one significant storm (but no hail) yielding 100-plus millimetres of rain on August 8th. In the end the harvest turned out to be small, 10 percent less than 2003. It began on 10th September and lasted until 10th October and took place in fine conditions. Again growers are very satisfied with the quality. It seems the best 2004s will be found in the Rhône.

The Rest of the Midi

All the way from Bandol to the Roussillon reports are enthusiastic. The Midi suffered from drought during much of the summer of 2004, but this was alleviated by thunderstorms in August. Yields are satisfactory but not excessive.

Champagne

The size of the crop was potentially huge. Growers lobbied successfully for permission to increase the yield from 13000kg per hectare to 14000. The harvest began on September 25th and therefore took place in the unsettled weather conditions which followed in October. I doubt 2004 will turn out to be more than a quite good Champagne vintage.

Loire

As elsewhere it has been a difficult year, not only because the size of the crop threatened to be prolific, but because of uneven weather conditions. After a dry but relatively cool winter, spring was late. May was unsettled. June and July were largely dry. August was wet. September was warm and sunny. But in October, when the Loire harvest takes place, the rains returned. Apart from Muscadet, where the wines are rich and ripe and more consistent, the 2004 Loire harvest is decidedly uneven: the best growers, who reduced the crop properly and de-leafed, have healthy vats at 13° and above; a neighbour who did not do a proper job in the vineyard, has produced thin wine in quantities well in excess of the rendement and has had a huge problem with rot. This applies in both colours all the way from Angers to Pouilly-sur-Loire. So, some good wines, if little moelleux, but a lot of dross.

Alsace

Following a relatively dry, cool winter, bud-break was late, but the sortie promised a large harvest. Most of April and May was dry and cool, but then it warmed up, only to deteriorate after June 15th. Nevertheless the flowering in the more precocious sites took place satisfactorily, though elsewhere it was a bit drawn out. The first half of July was rainy, causing an outbreak of oidium, but then the weather improved, though a hail storm caused much damage, particularly in Epfig. August was rainy but warm, but September excellent, through until October 4th. After this wet and humid conditions set in. 2004 will be a big to very big harvest in Alsace. The lesser wines, from fruit gathered before or soon after October 4th, are ripe, balanced, healthy and very good. But I do not expect the late-harvest wines to be proportionately as good.