The Bordeaux harvest began yesterday with workers at first growth Château Haut-Brion starting to pick the Sauvignon Blanc for the estate’s white wines.
Château Malartic-Lagravière also starting picking Sauvignon Blanc grapes today, a spokeswoman for the château told decanter.com. Malartic-Lagravière is, like Haut-Brion, situated in the warmer south-Bordeaux suburbs of Pessac-Léognan.
The highly regarded Château Smith Haut-Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier say they should start picking for the whites this week although no precise dates were given. Both are Graves grands crus classés, again from the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
‘Over the last few days, the weather has been superb and maturation has accelerated. You can’t make predictions for the vintage just yet, though. The weather forecasters have announced the possibility of a storm this weekend which could change everything,’ said Florence Raffard of the Bordeaux wine trade body (CIVB).
Written by Oliver Styles
