From inconsistency to hope in the vineyards of Beaujolais ahead of harvesting

n the Beaujolais wine region, harvesting for Crémants is due to begin at the very start of September then between the 5 and the 10 for still wines, “or perhaps even a little later in the southern part of the appellation area, on the deepest clay-limestone soils”, comments Yoan Pitoiset, a consultant with the greater Beaujolais co-operative wine institute in Saint-Etienne-des-Oullières. The harvest will be the culmination of a growing season that the co-chairman of the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages producers’ organisation, David Ratignier, willingly describes as “inconsistent after a challenging year for vines”.

As the owner of Château du Bluizard in Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne, he points to the combination of factors from the cold and record rainfall to pressure from disease which made life so difficult for winegrowers this year, though to varying degrees even within the same area. “Vines did not like the cold weather at the start of spring, which bordered on frosty, with average fruit set, especially for old vines and on hillsides in the Villages areas. Rainy weather then hampered flowering. After the wet weather, it only started to become really hot towards the end of June and beginning of July, promoting strong mildew pressure later in the season. Recurrent leaching and canopy growth further promoted mildew”, he recounts, ascribing a probable 20-25% drop in 2024 volumes to this combination of factors.

Ratignier also stresses that “400 ha of vines suffered from hail in the northern Villages area”. Despite this, the prospects for a quality crop remain very good due to less fickle weather in August. “We are looking forward to a fortnight of fine weather when the grapes will be able to ripen properly and at the moment, there are no outbreaks of noble rot”, says a relieved Ratignier. “Ripening is advancing well due to cool nights and sunny days. Acid potential seems a little low compared with benchmark vintages, which will need to be confirmed subsequently, and colour is still average. Once again, there is a lot of inconsistency between the early- and late-ripening sectors, in the south and on high ground”, sums up Jean-Yves Cahurel at Sicarex/IFV Beaujolais.