2026 Vintage Harvest: Quality & Yield
As a winemaker in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, in the heart of the Loire Valley, the 2026 harvest is complete at Domaine de la Chopinière du Roy. A particularly early season, marked by heat and drought, but also by some much-needed rain just before certain harvests.
After several weeks of harvesting, what conclusions can we draw about the 2026 vintage? Quality, ripeness, yield: we tell you all about this extraordinary wine year.
An Exceptionally Early Start to the Harvest
We began harvesting around August 15, 2026, with the manual picking of Chardonnay destined for our Crémant de Loire.
At that time, the grapes were magnificent: perfectly ripe, healthy berries with a beautiful balance for producing our Crémant cuvées.
As required for the production of our Crémant de Loire, the Chardonnay for our cuvées is harvested by hand to preserve the integrity of the bunches as much as possible until pressing.
This very early harvest immediately set the tone for the 2026 vintage.
Cabernet Franc: Concentrated by the Heat
About a week later, we began hand-harvesting Cabernet Franc, also destined for our Crémant de Loire.
The summer heat was more noticeable on this varietal. The berries were smaller and particularly concentrated, but with less juice.
This concentration is interesting for the quality and expression of the grape, but it also directly impacts yields: the 2026 vintage will be a small harvest.
Chenin Benefits from Pre-Harvest Rains
Around Monday, August 31, 2026, we harvested the Chenin destined for our dry white wine.
After a period of drought and intense heat, the rains that occurred just before the harvest were particularly welcome.
They arrived almost at the last minute and allowed the berries to regain a little more juice, as the summer conditions had severely limited their volume.
Once again, the 2026 vintage reminds us how much the weather can influence every stage of the vine's life.
The Last Cabernet Franc for our Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and Bourgueil
We have just brought in the last machine-harvested Cabernet Franc.
These grapes will be used to produce our Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil red wines, as well as our Bourgueil.
After a few days of fermentation, the initial impressions are very encouraging.
The wines already show good concentration and a lot of fruit. Of course, we will have to allow time for fermentation and aging to do their work, but the first tastings allow us to be optimistic. To learn more about this grape variety, consult our guide to Cabernet Franc.
2026 Vintage: A Small Harvest, but Full of Promise
At the end of this 2026 harvest, the assessment is quite clear: yields will be lower, notably due to the drought and intense heat that marked the season.
Consult our guide to the Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil AOC to learn more about the appellation and its terroirs!
But low yield does not necessarily mean a bad year. On the contrary, the first juices and fermentations suggest concentrated, fruity, and expressive wines.
In Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, we are therefore particularly confident for the future.
We will still have to wait to fully discover the potential of this 2026 vintage, but one thing is already certain: 2026 will remain an early and atypical wine year, with low yields and grapes showing great quality potential.
We will continue to share the different stages of this vintage directly from the estate.
