The 2024 harvest in Alsace, a winemaker's vintage

A demanding vintage, requiring observation, adaptation and a great deal of effort.
2024 began with above-normal average temperatures, resulting in one of the mildest Februaries on record! This meant that the vines budded quite early, making them more susceptible to spring frost.
Fortunately, this was not the case.

From May onwards, the tone for the season was set, with intense rainfall and cold temperatures favorable to the development of fungal diseases. Vigilance is already called for at the start of the season with mildew. But the first inflorescences are coming out, and we can already look forward to a fine harvest.

As summer approaches, warmer temperatures combined with rainfall will greatly accelerate the vegetative development of the vines, accentuating cryptogamic pressure. Work in the vineyards continued apace and intensified until late in the season.

August arrived, and fortunately the weather was warmer and shinier than at the start of the summer. This more temperate weather helped the grapes to begin ripening more quickly.
As the harvest approached in September, rain and lower temperatures returned, and ripening slowed considerably, leading to a later-thanexpected vintage. Sanitary conditions held up, allowing us to wait and let the grapes ripen slowly.

The first pruning will take place on October 01 on our Fels plot. The vines are generous, the grapes are ripe, and this year they have lower alcohol levels and more acidity than in recent years. All in all, a wonderful reward and a nice surprise after the complicated year we've had. The harvest took place over a period of ten days or so, despite the capricious weather.

Tasting the first musts confirms that this is an atypical vintage: the juices are fine and precise, with acidity and minerality already well marked.
All in all, an almost unexpected result given the conditions of the vintage. The promise for this vintage is to preserve the typicity and minerality of our schist wines.

Facebook Twitter