The story is much the same across most of France: the 2026 harvest began exceptionally early. The days when winegrowers could take their holidays in August are probably over. During our tour in Languedoc last week, everyone we met was highly satisfied with the quality of this year.
Alain Chabanon (Montpeyroux and Terrasses du Larzac) has not quite finished harvesting yet, with mourvèdre still to come, but he is already convinced that 2026 will be an outstanding vintage. The summer has been extremely dry, he says, with virtually no rainfall since May. Substantial winter rains, however, ensured that drought stress never became as severe as it might have. What struck us most was how green and healthy the vineyards looked wherever we travelled.
Pierre Bories, owner and winemaker at Château Ollieux Romanis in Corbières Boutenac, also believes this year’s wines will be superb. The heat has increased alcohol levels by about one percentage point, hardly a dramatic change. He has also been careful to shorten skin-contact times during vinification.
At Domaine des Chimères in Octon, in the Terrasses du Larzac appellation, we tasted wines still in fermentation made from varieties such as counoise, ribeyrenc, viognier, rolle and terret. They were remarkably impressive for wines at such an early stage. Winemaker Guilhem Dardé explained that some grenache parcels have reached 16% potential alcohol, but he is not concerned, as these wines will later be blended with varieties such as syrah, which do not reach the same levels of ripeness and alcohol.
