Bordeaux 2020: The Harvest

If I was permitted only one word to describe the 2020 Bordeaux harvest it would be this one: early.

As a general rule, the harvest begins with the white varieties, and it is not unusual for the pickers to strike out into the vineyards in August. The picking of the red varieties begins with Merlot, usually starting in Pomerol and then progressing eastwards through St Emilion and the other right-bank appellations, and then the left-bank appellations get going. By the time the Merlot harvest is complete, most châteaux will then crack on with the later-ripening varieties, these being the two Cabernets and Petit Verdot in the main, although some estates will also have small volumes of Malbec or Carmenère to bring in. It would not be unusual for the picking of the reds to begin in the second half of September, progressing into October.

As you might have already guessed, picking in 2020 was on many vineyards as much as two weeks ahead of schedule. Many began harvesting the reds during the first few days of September, the entire process completed very rapidly. In St Emilion and Pomerol, where many vineyards have relatively small volumes of Cabernet to pick once all the Merlot is in, the harvest was finished before the end of the month, the first time this has ever happened on the vast majority of properties. Remarkably, many left-bank properties also completed the harvest before the end of the month.

Dry Whites

As indicated, picking began during the first half of August and progressed rapidly. This is an incredibly early harvest which would have resulted in a few cancelled holidays, were it not for the fact they had already been cancelled as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Reds

The first few days of September provided ideal conditions for the ongoing ripening and harvesting of the first reds. The days were warm and dry, with no rain throughout the first half of the month, until the 18th. And happily the nights were cool, helping to preserve the freshness and acidity levels in the berries as the sugar levels rose. The Merlots were ripe, and picking got underway during the first week of the month, making for a perfect Merlot harvest.

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