Wine's world

The harvest declarations (source: Douanes on 1st November 2020) already give a quantitative picture of the new 2020 vintage in France. Here are the results by wine-growing region (for wines with an appellation of origin), compared with the average harvest for 2015-2019 :

- Loire: +19%, a large harvest catching up with the 2018 harvest, which was very unprofitable (drought).

- Languedoc+Roussillon: -1%, good overall harvest even if the Languedoc was strongly affected by mildew.

- Rhône+Provence: -4%, a slight crop deficit due to frost (Rhône) and mildew (Provence).

- Burgundy+Beaujolais: -6%, lower than average harvest but significantly higher (+14%) than the 2018 harvest affected by coulure and drought.

- Bordeaux: -9%, deficit harvest (dry summer).

- Champagne: -22%, very small harvest due to the drop in yields imposed by the major Champagne Houses as a result of a deteriorated economic market following the health crisis. Many plots were not harvested.

The only qualitative indication, the 2020 vintage is remarkable for its earliness, with harvesting having started in August in all regions. In Alsace, it is even the earliest ever.

For the sixtieth vintage of Compte Léo de Malet Roquefort, the bottles of Château La Gaffelière 2018 will have a special packaging, using the label and cap used in 1959.

This historic wink also recalls the date of the first classification of Saint-Emilion, which had already crowned Château 1er Grand Cru Classé.

On the occasion of the property's tercentenary, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou has decided to create "Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou", which will henceforth replace Château Lalande-Borie.

This change of name, which is also accompanied by a change of decoration, will take effect from the 2018 vintage.

Thus, if you had booked en Primeurs of Château Lalande-Borie 2018, the bottles that will be delivered in the spring of 2021 will bear the new label "Le Petit Ducru", which you can now discover below.