Burgundy's Hallmark Domaine Leflaive Kicks Off Earliest Ever Harvest On Record For 2026 Vintage
As the 2026 season comes to completion, many have seen the stark sights from major estates in Burgundy, showing everything from eye opening lighted up vineyards in the dark in a bid to stave off early spring frost which later swung towards intense heatwaves that took over the region in summer, with temperatures swinging all the way from -6°C at the lowest to 41°C at the max, all within a single season. This has proven to be unprecedented, even if increasingly frequent, demonstrating once again how the climate has drastically changed in one of the world's most illustrious winemaking regions.
Where historically harvest in Burgundy typically takes place in September, growers have over the past several years have had to progressively shift picking windows forward to prevent overripeness and the loss of acidity in their fruit. 2003 marked the first instance of harvest breaking into August, with then the 2020 season holding the record for the earliest harvest date set at August 16th (the successive 2022 and 2025 harvests would further confirm the new Burgundy August harvest window) - that is until today, when legendary Burgundian estate Domaine Leflaive announced that it had begun the 2026 harvest in their Montrachet vineyards as of August 13th.
On Instagram, Domaine Leflaive's Brice de la Morandiére had announced, "Today is Thursday, August 13th, 2026, and we have begun harvesting in Montrachet. Of course, this is extremely early. The repeated heatwaves of the 2026 vintage led us to make the decision to start harvesting Montrachet today. The grapes are very healthy. The sugar levels are of course high, but the acidity is still very good, which should give us a beautiful balance. Aromatically, it is exactly what we are looking for, so we should have some very beautiful Montrachet's."
It's also worth noting that whilst Domaine Leflaive had formally announced their harvest, this is but the earliest official confirmation, with possibly other estates having started harvest even earlier which were not formally announced, which could put the 2026 harvest start dates even earlier than August 13th. It is said that several other leading estates have too begun harvesting in the Côte de Nuits as well although none have put out an official statement. Burgundy's Crémant was also just days earlier reported to have kicked off harvest as early as August 8th.
Kanpai!
88 Bamboo Editorial Team
