French winemakers have warned that 2024 ‘millesime’ – wine from a single year’s harvest – will be in short supply after one of the wettest years on record.
The severe conditions in much of France’s wine country, amid a changing climate in 2024, came after years of challenges to vineyards and wine quality caused by drought and heat.
The harvest at the Domaine Roland Lavantureux winery, which produces prized Chardonnay grapes that are ultimately turned into the bright and high-quality Premier Cru, lasted just nine days – about half the usual time – meaning 2,024 bottles will be available in smaller quantities are normal. .
A year of unpredictably harsh weather, marked by frost, hail, record rainfall and the spread of a dangerous fungus, has left Chablis growers on edge.
Winemaker David Lavantureux, who followed in his father Roland’s footsteps into the industry, said: ‘I have been working here since 2010. This is my most difficult year.
A bunch of Chardonnay grapes affected by fungal disease mildew. Winemakers in France have warned that the 2024 ‘milllesime’ will be in short supply due to challenging weather conditions after one of the wettest summers on record
Grape pickers harvesting Chardonnay grapes at Domaine Lavantureux in Chablis, Burgundy
Vineyard co-owner David Lavantureux, 39, has said this has been the most difficult year he has experienced due to the ‘unpredictable’ climate
“All the old-timers will tell you the same thing. It has been a very difficult year because the weather has been so unpredictable. We have been spared nothing.”
The ordeal started with frost in April, followed by a double hailstorm that ravaged the region in May. Relentless rain followed, until the harvest.
According to the Burgundy Wine Federation, almost 2,500 hectares of vines in the Chablis country were affected by the May storm, and the excess moisture allowed a destructive mildew fungus to thrive.
Once established, the disease causes massive crop losses and can also affect wine quality.
Together with his brother Arnaud, David Lavantureux fought hard to control mildew with various treatments, but these were washed away by rain and proved ineffective.
“On our estate we are looking at losses of 60 to 65%,” David Lavantureux said.
‘It is a year with a low yield.’
Total production in the wine-growing areas is estimated at 39.3 million hectoliters, 18 percent less than in 2023 and 11 percent less than the average of the past five years.
Mr Lavantureux said: “It has been a very tough year, both physically and mentally. We are relieved that the harvest is over. I’m exhausted.’
This year’s challenges will inevitably impact the wines produced at the family winery, resulting in a 2024 vintage with clear characteristics.
“The balances are not the same at all,” Mr. Lavantureux added. ‘There’s more acidity. The ripeness is less optimal. But the goal is to make the wine in such a way that the balance is ultimately as perfect as possible.’
Located in the northern part of Burgundy, the vineyards of Chablis traditionally benefit from a favorable climate: cold winters, hot summers and annual rainfall between 650 and 700 mm.
But climate change is changing those conditions, bringing unusually mild weather, more abundant rainfall and returning spring frosts that were less common in the past.
The frost damage is especially frustrating. A similar phenomenon has hit French vineyards in recent years, leading to major financial losses.
Leaves of Chardonnay grapes affected by a fungal disease, which causes major crop losses and can affect wine quality once entrenched
Located in the northern part of Burgundy, the Chablis vineyards have traditionally benefited from a favorable climate, but climate change is affecting these ideal conditions.
Scientists believe that damaging frosts in 2021 have become more likely due to climate change.
Mr Lavantureux said: ‘There was a period when we thought that with global warming looming, Chablis would be safe from frost. Finally, it has come back even stronger in the last fifteen years.”
To adapt, winemakers have adopted creative solutions. Cutting the wines later delays bud burst and reduces vulnerability to late frosts, while a larger foliage above the fruit protects the grapes from the scorching sun in hot summers.
When frost threatens, many growers use expensive methods, such as lighting candles in the vineyards.
They also lay electrical lines to heat the vines, or spray water on the buds to create a thin layer of ice that helps keep the blossom’s temperature around freezing but not dropping much lower.