2015

RATING 2015 “VERY GOOD” FOR THE EARLY VINTAGE IN THE HISTORY OF RIOJA. / The Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja has awarded the 2015 vintage an official rating of “Very Good”. It was the earliest harvest in the history of Rioja and the results are very satisfactory both in terms of quality and quantity. Total production is 319 million liters of wine. The most notable qualities of this year's vintage are freshness and elegance, in addition to o...

Full report of Bordeaux 2015 by Andrew Caillard MW “Next in line in a great series of vintages; 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2015.

2015 is a wonderful Bordeaux vintage without the hype or hysteria associated with 2009 and 2010. The wines are generally expressive and generous with wonderful concentration and structure. Given another year in barrel, the wines should gain more complexity and fruit volume. Châteaux, in all sub-regions, are enthusiastic about the beautiful fragrance, clear fruit aromas and lively energy of the wines, and believe the vintage to be the best since 2010. More than once, the expression “a vintage of the decade” was mentioned. I have tasted through most of the top wines, some on more than one occasion, and I am convinced that this is a vintage worth supporting. It’s a very successful vintage.

The weather conditions were generally ideal with perfect flowering and set for spring. A hot, dry, sunny period in June and July kept the vines in balance; Near-drought conditions resulted in excellent cluster development. Veraison (in which the grape berries change from green and hard to colored and fleshy) began towards the end of July. Light rains refreshed the canopies and hydrated the grape clusters. Cooler weather arrived in August with above average precipitation. Northern Médoc was exposed to heavy rains, but no berry splitting or significant disease pressure was reported. The cooler conditions leading up to harvest in September allowed the grapes to retain their aromatic potential and ripen relatively evenly.

Red wines from the Right Bank and the Left Bank are generally impressive in their concentration, vigor and freshness. Although all wines are tasted extremely young, it is easy to see the quality and dimension of the vintage. Merlot performed particularly well, with many Châteaux picking intermittently over a three-week window to achieve optimal freshness, flesh and maturity. Cabernet Franc, its companion in many wines, gives an attractive “tannin seam” and structural vigor. Observers are already calling it a right bank year (St Emilion & Pomerol). Ch Vieux Château Certan, described as “La Force Tranquille”, and Château Petrus were my two top Right Bank wines, followed by Château Ausone. All have a buoyancy and precision that bodes well for the future.

The southern left bank (Margaux and Pessac-Léognan) also found some beautiful concentrated wines. The alcoholic strength and tannic maturity seem to correlate with this impression. Cabernet Sauvignon, typically “needing to take its time”, produced wines of beautiful aromaticity, concentration and vitality. The success of this variety depended on the sophistication of harvesting and selection during blending. Château Margaux and Château Palmer are amazing wines. Château Haut Brion and Château La Mission Haut Brion made dense chocolate styles. Château Haut Bailly is particularly refined and nicely balanced.

At Château Batailley, the introduction of a second wine and greater attention to differentiation led to one of the best vintages in its history. Many small refinements and decisions in the vineyard and cellar have allowed several large châteaux in St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe to make beautiful wines too. The difficult selection process is particularly evident on the Left Bank. Château Margaux and Château Cos d’Estournel have chosen to rigorously defend their first wines through very careful picking and selection. Only 35% and 39% (respectively) of the harvest were dedicated to their Grand Vin. Ch Cheval Blanc de St Emilion represented 95.1% of the harvest, leaving no reason to make Petit Cheval in 2015.

The attention to detail in the vineyard, especially after the August rains, and the huge investments in optical sorting machines (costing around 200,000 euros each) at harvest ensured that the grapes were in good condition before vinification. It’s quite incredible how the fruit arrives in the cellar these days. Attention to detail has become the norm within the Grand Cru Classé community. The First Growth Estates with their huge financial investments in vineyard practices and cellars, have all produced impressive wines this year. Perhaps the most evocative of all is Château Margaux. The death of the estate's longtime winemaker, Paul Pontallier, on Easter Sunday from cancer shook the Bordeaux wine community. He was a man for all seasons. He brought out the best in his people and their wines, whatever the vintage offered. 2015 Château Margaux, in all likelihood, will be the greatest vintage in its modern history.

Despite the somber mood of this year’s En Primeurs 2015 tastings, the energy of spring brought a feeling of renewal. Buds in the vines, white and pink flowers in full bloom, pure chirping of baby birds and vibrant new wines of the vintage promised the animation and maturation of life. The colors, densities, flavors and tannic quality of the young red wines suggest a great vintage in the making. It is one of the most curious practices in the wine trade to comment on unfinished wine, but somehow the predictions become more or less right. Over the next year, the wines will develop more complexity, richness and volume in fruit barrels. The tannins, oak and fruit will integrate more.

The sweet aperitif/dessert wines of Sauternes and Barsac also performed very well. The combination of uniform maturation and optimal outbreaks of botrytis cinerea produced magnificent wines. Some are calling it the best vintage since 2001, arguably the greatest vintage in recent memory. While Ch d’Yquem looked stunning, the elegant Ch Climens style, still in many parts, will look wonderful. Typically, this wine is tasted from multiple barrels, and my notes are a composite of eight different elements. The scent, dynamism, freshness and line are incredible. Dry whites, primarily Sauvignon Blanc or Gris dominant, are refreshing styles with an appealing freshness and vibrancy. Ch Haut Brion Blanc is an amazing wine, but its release price will reflect its rarity.

Châteaux will likely bring out the vintage in two installments to capture the appetite of the global wine trade. Early bids will likely be a bit higher than last year's opening prices. This will go against the advice of traders who have been operating with very low margins for many years. The weakening of the pound sterling and the Australian dollar against the euro may be a stumbling block for some buyers, but there will be value and opportunity in this upcoming open season. For Australian buyers, this is absolutely the best way to buy Bordeaux. Provenance is guaranteed, allocations confirmed and the price will always be lower than future imports, due to the structure of the Bordeaux market.

Better market conditions in China and the United States, combined with a significant vintage both in quantity and quality, will allow Bordeaux to regain momentum after a four-year period of stagnation and uncertainty. The game of cat and mouse between the Châteaux, the merchants and the wine trade begins now. Whatever the outcome, Bordeaux will continue to be the benchmark for great wines for many decades to come. There is something completely unique, invigorating and evocative about mature Bordeaux wines. The best of 2015 will be transformative and delicious to drink. All you need is patience, moderately deep pockets, and the willingness to buy!

Margaux/ Beautiful wines with magnificent fruit density and fine, sinuous tannins. It’s been a few years since Margaux shone so brightly. Ch Margaux, Ch Palmer, Ch Rauzan Segla, Ch Rauzan Gassies, Alter Ego de Cg Palmer. Ch Pavillon Rouge, Ch Malescot de St Exupery, Ch D’Angludet, Ch Kirwan, Ch Cantenac Brown and Ch Brand Cantenac are highlights.

The 2015 Harvest by Clive Coates MW

The bad news is Chablis. In the early hours of Tuesday 1st September a severe storm hit the Chablis area. From Irancy up to the grands crus of Blanchots and Les Clos a swathe of hail – some hailstones as large as golf balls – has affected some 100 hectares of the vineyard. In all 97 mm of rain fell in six hours. The weather then cleared, threatening rot, and most growers rushed out to harvest before it was too late. Thankfully most of the grands crus have reverted to picking by hand, so a preliminary triage could be accomplished before the fruit arrived at the winery.

Elsewhere Burgundy has been spared. It did not rain. A token amount of Chardonnay harvesting began in the week of August 31th, and by the following Monday the harvest was fully under way. The weather then cooled, not only conserving the acidities, but making life more pleasant for the pickers. I can attest from my experience with the 1964 crop over forty years ago that it is not much fun picking grapes in unrelenting heat. The first week – that is the week of September 7th – the weather was fine. Later in September the weather cooled a little. It stayed dry until the weekend of 12th September, when the first serious rain for two months or more fell in the Côte d'Or and further south. For two or three days during that week the picking was interrupted. By Saturday 19th September the harvest was all but over except for a few vineyards in the Hautes Côtes.

All the way from the Côte d'Or down to the Mâconnais the fruit was in splendid condition. Michel Lafarge reported that he has rarely seen such magnificent grapes, and his comments have been echoed by others. Aromas in the cellars are intoxicating. A further bonus is that after several years of short crops the 2015 harvest is reasonably abundant. For this much thanks.

Prices, however seem destined to be high; perhaps the highest in real terms that they have ever been. The Hospices auction will give us an indication of this. But when we read that Henri Jayer's Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parentoux, 1996 now fetches £90000 a case one can hardly expect comparable wines of the 2015 vintage to sell for peanuts.

September 1st 2015

The splendid weather in July has been followed by an August, which, if not quite so continuously hot and sunny, has been for the most part equally good, particularly towards the end of the month.

And it has continued dry. There have been, thankfully, no storms, no hail, and no threat of rot. Indeed the vines are in magnificent condition. The advance weather forecast for September tells us that it will cool over the first ten or so days, but then warm up again. The harvest will start during the next week or so, and all indications are that it will be both plentiful and successful. Just what Burgundy needs. It's all smiles here!

August 1st 2015

The weather has been splendid for a the whole of the month of July: day after day of warm, sometimes very hot temperatures, and almost a complete absence of rain. While this has made the lawns look rather dispiritingly brown and parched, the vines, with their deep root systems, have suffered no drought stress, and those people with swimming pools have been able to indulge in their fortune. For once, while there have been a couple of thunderstorms, the vineyards have escaped any hail damage.

The vintage is due to commence around the week of September 7th. Keep your fingers crossed that the good weather continues. The long range weather forecast indicates that, though not as hot or as dry as July, the weather in August will be mainly sunny and warm.

July 1st 2015

The weather has been splendid for a month now, and the projections continue promising. Slowly but surely during the month the temperatures rose, and in this last week they have reached well above 30°. Meanwhile it has been dry but not excessively so. The vines have flowered successfully, indicating a plentiful crop, bar disasters. As I indicated a month ago, the harvest should commence around September 10th.

June 1st 2015

It was an uneventful winter. When it was cold – and it was never very cold – it was dry. When it rained the temperatures were mild. So there was no problem with icy roads. April was warmer and drier than usual, as it often has been recently, and this encouraged a bud-break a little earlier than usual. But May, apart from a couple of days in the middle of the month when it reached 32°, was characterised by sunny mornings, clouding over by lunchtime, and temperatures which struggled to exceed 20°. But it has been dry. The vines began to flower around the 25th. So we can expect the harvest to commence around the 10th September.

A wet winter and mild spring gave way to an exceptionally dry summer from mid-May onwards. Hot weather prevailed until mid-August, when the skies opened again. Rains gave way to fine, cool, yet sunny weather for the first two weeks of harvest, which commenced on August 29th. The 2015 vintage has a lot of common denominators with the 2003 vintage but the 2015s are showing a better balance of weight and freshness with their average potential alcohol level of 10.5% and total acidity of 6.9 g/l. The quality and ageing capacity of the vintage has been questioned because of the low acidity, but to me the structure of the wine is not the problem; the aromatics are. Initially as vins clairs, I found the wines to come with ample, attractive fruitiness. The vegetal, particularly ash-like aromatics were subdued but have since then become amplified, especially in the vintage bottlings. Drought issues are considered to be the culprit to these widely spread aromatic issues of the year. I have come notably down from my initial assessment. However, most vintage and prestige cuvées are yet to surface from the cellars and their quality will make or break the vintage.

Light But High-Quality California Winegrape Harvest -  It’s a stellar vintage for California vintners and growers.

The 2015 season produced an earlier, lighter crop than previous years, but grapes are excellent quality across the board.

Demand for north and central coast grapes was strong, with wineries out buying early and offering fair pricing with multiple-year contracts, according to Allied Grape Growers President Nat DiBuduo. “I believe that was because of the trends where consumers are feeling a little bit more confident in the economy,” he says. “They’re spending more money on their wine.”

However, Mother Nature didn’t do those growers any favors, as the crop was off by 20% to 25% for many varieties and by as much as 50% in cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir.

Although grapes aren’t known for being alternate-bearing, DiBuduo says the large crops of 2012, 2013, and 2014 could have played a role in this year’s light crop. The drought is also a likely contributor. “We got enough water for the vines to survive, but probably not enough to pump up berries and grapes to make a bigger crop,” he says.

The crop was off slightly in the San Joaquin Valley, too, but growers there had bigger problems to face. Wineries just weren’t coming out to buy the grapes, DiBuduo says. “A lot of wineries had contracts with San Joaquin Valley growers that ended in 2014, and they never came back to renegotiate or buy those grapes,” he says.

The heavy crops of the last three years are partly to blame, with many wineries saying their tanks were still full, so they chose not to buy in 2015. “The wineries may have the luxury of doing that, but the grower doesn’t,” DiBuduo says. “That vine is going to produce a crop year after year – it doesn’t have the luxury of skipping a year.”

As a result, many grapes south of Lodi were sold at unsustainable prices. “It was not a good year in the San Joaquin Valley, which is normally the workhorse of the industry if you look at wines consumed,” DiBuduo notes.

Consumers are decreasing consumption of wines produced from these grapes – typically bottles $10 and under – while sales of $10 and above bottles are increasing. “You’re seeing a shift this year, and that’s good for the guys on the north and central coasts, but not the guys out in the San Joaquin Valley,” DiBuduo says, adding that importation of foreign wine also contributed to the lack of buying this year.

Grape Quality

On the north coast, grape quality was exceptional, which DiBuduo says can be partly attributed to the light crop. Berries were smaller, which led to better coloring and likely higher Brix, as well. But he’s quick to note that there does not need to be a light crop to produce high-quality grapes, and that drought does not help improve quality. “There are no winners in a drought year,” he says. “It [drought] has the possibility of stressing the vines, and then you get a mixed bag in terms of what kind of quality you would get.”

Looking To The Future

DiBuduo says that, because of economic factors, some growers in the San Joaquin Valley have begun pulling out vines and even selling their land. He estimates that from the harvest of 2014 to the beginning of the 2015 harvest, about 35,000 acres of vines have been pulled out, about two-thirds of those being winegrapes. “The way it’s looking today, we’ll probably lose another 25,000 to 35,000 acres of winegrapes alone this coming year,” he adds. “They’re already starting to pull them out, and that’s because of the economics that’s driving it.”

Competitive crops – particularly nuts – seem like a better option to many of these growers. And with land prices at some of their highest levels, some growers see it as an opportunity to sell their land and get out of the business altogether.

Napa Valley Grapegrowers Report: Thoughts on the 2015 vintage

With the first Napa Valley grapes of 2015 picked on July 22, white grapes have come in fast and the red grapes are not far behind. Harvest crews in vineyards and wineries are already working long and hard to capture the essence of the vintage and to make the best wines possible. This is an appropriate time to speculate on what we can expect of the 2015 vintage.

Many factors shape wine-grape quality, including soils and the care and knowledge of grapegrowers and winemakers. The most important factor, the one most responsible for vintage variation and the one over which we have the least control, is the weather. We have great soils in Napa Valley and everyone working with grapes and wines is committed to excellence. Organizations such as the Napa Valley Grapegrowers keep us well informed about best practices for farming grapes of the highest quality. But weather? That’s the tough one.

Winter rains were erratic, with more rain falling in December than in the other winter months combined. January was dry — I recorded a mere 0.11 inches of rain at my Calistoga home — and warm. Soil temperatures climbed steadily from January on. The warm, dry weather led to an early budbreak, as much as three weeks earlier than normal in some places.

Spring frosts are always a concern for growers as the delicate new shoots lack the resilience of dormant, lignified canes and trunks. An early budbreak provides more chances for a nighttime frost to damage the crop. Fortunately, March and April nights were mild. The weather station in Oakville recorded a low of 32 degrees Fahrenheit on March 9 and again on March 24, but no other lower temperatures.

Still, our May temperatures were cool enough to cause some problems with berry set, the process by which grape flowers become young grapes. Cool weather during this critical time can prolong the process and reduce crop yields, as some flowers remain not yet pollinated.

After the large harvests of 2012, 2013 and 2014, most growers expect vines to yield a more typical crop load this year. The prolonged bloom and set, however, can result in an unevenly ripened crop, as some berries might be two or more weeks ahead of others on the same vine. We address that problem by dropping the lagging fruit. At Benessere Vineyards we just completed our “green drop” (the unripened fruit falling), which will maintain high quality at the expense of lower yields.

Fortunately, that is all we have had to worry about in terms of weather this year. A few rain showers in May, June and July did nothing to impact the quality of the crop — and nothing, alas, to mitigate the ongoing drought. Since the cool spring, temperatures have been great. As I write, it is over 100 degrees in Calistoga and I am feeling the heat, but we have had fewer days over 100 degrees this summer than I consider typical.

Nevertheless, the growing season overall has been warmer than any since 2008. This warmth has kept our season on an advanced schedule, with grapes coming into wineries seven to 10 days earlier than last year, which was itself an early year.

In sum, this year’s weather has kept us on our toes, but has been excellent overall and conducive to outstanding grape quality.

In a difficult fire season for the state, we have been fortunate to have only the Wragg and Jerusalem fires burn at the fringes of Napa County. We feel deeply for those who have suffered from the fires and are grateful to our firefighters. We are also grateful that for the most part, prevailing winds have kept the smoke out of Napa Valley. Even the smoke that recently blew in from fires in Trinity and Humboldt counties came too late to be metabolized by the grapes. There will be no issues of “smoke taint” in 2015 Napa Valley wines.

The Napa Valley is an excellent place to grow grapes. Our varied soils and microclimates allow a wide variety of vines to thrive, and this year’s weather has been great. Our industry is open and friendly, and organizations such as the Napa Valley Grapegrowers allow us to share best practices, experience, ideas, and information to help one another succeed. Thanks to all of these factors, 2015 looks to be another outstanding vintage.

BAROLO 2015

2015 vintage climate trend: 2015 began with a winter characterized by abundant snowfalls which allowed an excellent water supply to the land.

This factor combined with a spring with mild temperatures since the month of February allowed for an anticipation of the vegetative cycle which was then maintained in the continuation of the vintage.

The season continued with a succession of rainfall between the end of May and the first ten days of June. From June to July the rains were absent and temperatures stabilized at above average maximum values ​​but without water stress. The climatic conditions recorded at the beginning of summer laid the foundations for an advance in the ripening of the grapes of about ten days compared to the previous year but in line with a vintage that we can define as ‘normal’.

Wines Barolo 2015 vintage: Nebbiolo ripened perfectly, albeit slightly earlier than the average of recent years, with an excellent accumulation of polyphenols. The sugar content stands at average potential values ​​of around 14 – 14.5% vol while the acidity is ideal for Nebbiolo (6.5 g / l).

The Barolo wines of the 2015 vintage are important, elegant and long-lived, there are all the prerequisites for a great vintage, to be remembered, like few others in history. Fully among the best vintages of Barolo.

BARBARESCO 2015

A cold and snowy winter welcomed a warm and dry spring. which allowed an even budding. Summer saw warm days with some rainfall followed by a very dry end of the season. The beginning of fall was dry and cool creating optimal conditions for the phenolic ripening for the Nebbiolo grapes. The warm and dry weather during harvest ensured the grapes were evenly ripe and perfectly healthy.

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2015

Climate trend: The winter was sparsely rainy and with low temperatures in January / February. Spring precipitation in the seasonal average allowed to create water reserves to overcome the hot months of July / August. The month of September was mild, with good temperature variations between day and night, favoring the perfect ripening of the grapes.

Brunello di Montalcino wines of the 2015 vintage: Deep wines endowed with great extract, lively and intense colors and vigorous tannins of good maturity. Important alcoholic components, in rare cases also in evidence. Crisp, intense and penetrating fruity aromas. An exceptional vintage of Brunello di Montalcino: great character and excellent evolutionary potential, deservedly among the best vintages of Brunello di Montalcino.

Australia and New Zealand Vintage Report 2015 / 2015: Australia by McHenry Hohnen, Margaret River

The 2015 harvest at McHenry Hohnen broke records on several fronts. A mild, warm winter in 2014 led to very early budburst, exposing sensitive young shoots to wild early spring conditions. The result was a significant reduction in yields for all varieties, particularly Chardonnay, which was hampered by wet and windy conditions during flowering.

The hot, dry summer that followed, with abundant sunshine and no significant heatwaves, set them on course for two distinct harvest periods for the white and red varieties. They experienced their first Chardonnay harvest on record with their Burnside (February 5), Hazel’s (formerly known as Rocky Road) and Calgardup Brook vineyards picked and fermented two days earlier this year than our previous start date.

While the whites were harvested early, a significant rain event in mid-February delayed the ripening of the red grape varieties, but due to low yields the rewards were full tannin maturity and flavorful wines. Winemaker Trent Carroll said: “It was a difficult season which saw bushfire smoke, record numbers of hungry birds, low yields and significant rain spells which produced stunning wines in all varieties , although on a very reduced volume. »

Wines from Wakefield, Clare Valley

The vintage officially began at the Taylor family estate on January 19 with the processing of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for their new sparkling wine. The still wine harvest began on February 3 with Sémillon followed later in the week by Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer, all picked from blocks at the Clare Valley estate.

The red harvest started early on February 11 with Tempranillo. The Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills was finally harvested on March 20 with the remaining red varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère picked in April. Overall, Wakefield experienced a "fast and furious" harvest well above the previous record set in the 2007 vintage. Fortunately, the Taylor family cellars and cellar are designed with gentle handling and an ability to spirit and were able to receive the grapes as soon as they were ripe enough to be picked.

Wakefield wines are always at the forefront and this year is no exception with two new machines unveiled at their cellar in time for the vintage.

The first, a stainless steel egg-shaped fermenter, was a world first. The egg-shaped vat provides a very gentle and efficient way of extracting color and flavor which is essential for producing quality wine.

New Zealand by Te Mata Estate

2015 is our third consecutive high quality vintage following the magnificent 2013 and 2014. At this early stage the wines are quite lovely - concentrated, fresh and full of fruit.

Spring 2014 began with a beautiful September of average heat and precipitation leading to Chardonnay bud burst in the first days of the month, which is normal timing.

Southwest and westerly winds alternated in October, resulting in a variable month that was drier and cooler than normal. A frost on the 5th caused a little damage in three low areas of the Bullnose vineyard, but nothing to report elsewhere. November gave us beautiful spring weather alternating with cooler periods from the south. Rainfall was only 24 mm, half the usual amount.

The first half of December continued the trend of cool and dry weather. Two rainy events in the middle of the month produced the normal December average of 54 mm. From this point on, the month got warmer with many days over 25 degrees and many warm nights. Flowering time was normal with the end of Chardonnay on December 8th. The sauvignon blanc and reds flowered over the following fortnight. We were intrigued by the normal timing despite a cool spring, as cool weather generally leads to later flowering. As usual, the reality became clear when Larry Morgan, our viticulturist, reported the results of his harvest estimates. The number of clusters was decreasing, on average, in most blocks, which actually tends to accelerate growth and maturation.

White grapes had lovely flavour in the vineyard and this has flowed through to the young wines. They are fresh and full of fruit.

Red grapes benefitted from a long, mostly dry and warm growing season. Small crops produced wines with concentration and dark colours.  Tannins and flavours are ripe, and lively acids will keep the wines fresh in youth and maturity.

The second, known as the Oak Experience, is a large 20100 oak vat crafted from 50mm fine-grained French oak staves. The vessel comes complete with an in place submergible header board to ensure the cap is completely drowned. This ensures optimum colour and tannin extraction from the red ferments. The vessel allows soft and gentle extraction whilst protecting the primary fruit characters. In addition, wines can be left to soak on skins for extended periods.

Port Vintage Report by Taylors /

The growing season preceding the 2015 vintage saw slightly above average precipitation, approximately 14% above the long-term average. During the vine's dormant period during winter, average temperatures were consistent with long-term averages, although minimum temperatures were slightly higher. After 10mm of rain at the start of August 1, only 6.6mm fell during the rest of the month, making it the driest August on record at the estate. These conditions were conducive to freezing and 14 events were recorded. The first signs of bud burst appeared in the last week of August, which is relatively normal. Spring precipitation was well below average, with four minor and three major frost events recorded during this period; the last and most serious occurred in mid-October. Around 180 ha of vines were affected, including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris and Viognier. Not only was the spring weather extremely dry, but it was also hot and windy. These conditions resulted in higher evapotranspiration (water loss) and, despite our significant irrigation efforts in October and November, still had a detrimental impact on flowering, with cluster numbers dropping by around 20 to 25 % on average. December and January were relatively mild, with 55mm of rain falling in the second week of January. The timing of this rain was excellent, as veraison had not yet started, hence very little cracking. The humidity was a welcome relief after such a dry spring, with the estate's white varieties responding well in yield and quality. Veraison followed soon after, about two weeks ahead of average due to the overall dry growing season.

The vintage began on January 20 with Pinot Noir harvested early for the sparkling wine base. The estate's fruit harvest began on February 3 with the picking of Sémillon, quickly followed by Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Gris. February was a hot month, with an average daily maximum temperature 3.0°C above the long-term average, although there were no heatwaves as such. The conditions caused a rapid accumulation of sugar, particularly for Shiraz. The white varieties were harvested at night as quickly as possible during this period, which maintained yields and resulted in excellent fruit quality. The last white grape variety to enter the cellar was Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills which was harvested in the last week of February. The first of the still red grape varieties to be picked was Tempranillo, which was harvested on February 11th. This was quickly followed by Shiraz. March was noticeably cooler, but dry conditions continued, meaning the harvest progressed unhindered until finishing with the last red grape variety, Cabernet Sauvignon picked on April 1st. 2015 Vintage Taylors Winery's total grape consumption during the 2015 vintage was just over 9,000 tonnes, of which almost 20% came from the estate and the remainder from partner producers. Warm February weather accelerated the ripening of some varieties, meaning the winery had to prepare fairly quickly to cope. It is exactly in situations like these that the increased processing and storage capacity of the winery on the Taylor family estate comes into its own and the harvest can continue unhindered as the winegrowers wish. During the last week of February, the cellar team managed to cope with a peak of just over 400 tonnes in one day. Far from complaining however, the team was excited as usual to be in the thick of things.

Another source of excitement was the delivery of not one, but two new containers for winemakers to experiment with. The first, an egg-shaped stainless steel fermenter, generated a lot of interest, both at the winery and in the news because it was a prototype - the only one of its kind in the world. The inventor had asked our winemaking team to try it and report on its usefulness. Some small plots of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris have been exposed to this new technology, with the container helping to improve the mouth-filling texture in the wines – a most desirable result.

WINE HARVEST 2015: NORTHERN RHÔNE WINEMAKERS REPORT A VERY PROMISING VINTAGE

The growing season was hot and dry, but cool nights and just enough rain kept grapes balanced

Across the Northern Hemisphere, winemakers in many regions are reporting one of the earlier grape harvests they've seen. They're scrambling to pick fruit and find tank space. Wine Spectator will be providing snapshot looks at harvest in major wine regions, providing an early preview of what wine drinkers can expect.

Up next, France's Northern Rhône Valley, where normally poker-faced vignerons are smiling from ear to ear. They report a growing season that was as hot as 2003 at times, but with cool nights and well-timed rains that produced very promising wines.

The Good News: 2015 looks like a vintage with serious potential.

The Bad News: So far, none. Even yields are in the normal range.

Promising Grapes: Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier all excelled.

Analysis: Early reports from winemakers throughout the Northern Rhône Valley indicate a potentially classic vintage. The growing season went without a hitch, late-seasons rains were well-timed and yields were in the normal range. Even producers not known for hyperbole wore cat-ate-the-canary grins as they finished picking grapes.

"2015 made some amazing grapes," said Jean-Louis Chave, whose Hermitage and St.-Joseph bottlings are perennial benchmarks for the region. "A perfect spring followed by a perfect drought-like summer. Finally we got rain, followed by Indian summer, which helped a lot for a better physiological ripeness."

The idyllic growing season featured warm and dry conditions, along with cooler nights that allowed grapes to retain their natural acidity. The late-August and early September rains were well-timed, giving the vines a kick-start to finish ripening after some slowed or stopped because of hydric stress. And thanks to the drought, the grapes had formed thick skins, enabling them to shrug off any disease-inducing moisture.

Temperature-wise, 2015 was hotter than 2003, a vintage of extreme heat and drought. But unlike 2003, the 2015 season enjoyed cooler nights and well-timed rains, which allowed for later ripening and produced grapes with healthy skins (some grapes shriveled in 2003, marking some wines with noticeable prune and cooked flavors).

The only potential pitfall would have been to pick too early, based on rising sugar levels that indicated higher alcohol, before full physiological ripeness had been achieved. Most producers assumed the rain would come, waited and then picked soon thereafter. Nearly all harvesting was finished by mid- to late September.

"We had no disease pressure; it was a healthy and particularly rich vintage," said Michel Chapoutier, whose Tain-based estate produces wines from every Northern Rhône appellation. "Although we identified some hydric stress in a few areas, the little rains of the 24th of August and 1st of September enabled [the vines] to unblock everything and end up with a very interesting sugar/acidity balance. Thus it was important not to rely on degrees and analysis this year, to avoid rushing to harvest and get unbalanced wines."

Chapoutier believes that wines from granitic soils are concentrated, but not so much that they hide the signature style of that terroir. And wines from more sedimentary soils show finesse, despite ripe alcohol levels.

"For the reds, the physiological ripeness is very good, but more importantly, the maturity of the tannins reached impressive levels," said Philippe Guigal of the famed E. Guigal estate and négociant in Ampuis. "And the size of the vintage is not small."

The region's white wines also look to be equally impressive, though some vignerons found appellation differences. "Hermitage white has more balance than Condrieu, probably because the Marsanne grape copes better with heat than Viognier," said Louis Barruol, whose St.-Cosme négociant label produces top-quality wines throughout the North.

Paul Amsellem of Domaine Georges Vernay in Condrieu had no such concerns. "[2015] will be one of the best of the last 60 years, maybe like 1947," he said.

Such comparisons to historic vintages were echoed by most of the top vignerons, a rarity among Northern Rhône growers, who generally tend to be less hype-driven in their assessments than most. "My father keeps on saying [that 2015] is the most exceptional vintage he has seen in the past 55 years, and 55 years ago was the legendary 1961. It's a 'wow' vintage," said Guigal.

The Burgundy 2015 by Domaine Leflaive and DRC / The grapes maturation was exceptionally swift this year. This will lead us to start the harvest on August 28. This is the third time in history that we will begin the harvest in Puligny in August and the second earliest harvest ever (2011 began August 25 and 2003, on August 30).

After a flower that went very well, under a bright sun, at the beginning of June, the vines grew rapidly, helped by a few days of rain fall in the middle of the month. July brought a strong and lasting heat wave in Puligny for most of the month. Temperatures rose steadily with many days above 30 degrees Celsius during the day and often up to 35°C and 36 °C.

The rainfall of early August re-started the maturation process in Puligny. The Macon estate, on the other hand, did not benefit from the rainfall and berries were a little less fleshy than Puligny. The fact remains that, just before the harvest, the vines were beautiful in both vineyards and in an excellent state of health.  The Domaine team fully anticipated this early harvest and organised a seamless logistical support for the team of over 70 pickers plus a dozen people in the winery.

The harvest began in Puligny in a scorching atmosphere the first three days. It continued in a cooler environment after a slight stormy episode punctuated with a few raindrops initially announced as more violent and abundant than it eventually arose.

The yield in Puligny this year is very satisfactory and above that of the previous three years. The heat wave during the summer and low rainfall in the spring limited the yield of the Premier and Grand Crus while the vineyards at the foot of the hill (Bourgogne and Village) have maintained a good performance. In Macon, the yield is slightly more modest than that of last year as the estate did not benefit from the June rainfall as Puligny did. 

The grape's health was simply spotless this year with no trace of botrytis, oïdium or mildew. Maturities across both are accomplished with an excellent degree and a good acidity given the accelerated maturation of the end of August. All the right conditions are met to make of 2015 a great vintage.

2015 Harvest report by DRC - The vineyards celebrate their inscription to the Unesco World Heritage list.

This harvest does not resemble any other one: the berries are small and compact with no sign of millerandage and their skins are tight and full of anthocyanins and ripe tannins. There is average quantity and the early and ultra-fast flowering ensured an exceptionally homogeneous and complete maturity, without ever reaching over-maturity.

As always, we are delighted - but perhaps even more so this year as the vintage is most impressive - to give our thoughts on the harvest and to highlight the most important elements that created this exceptional vintage. If we send this report later than usual, it is because the vintage was so outstanding and amazing in every way that we preferred to wait until we had a clear idea of the wines after the fermentations in barrels: Nature has indeed taken to the extreme all the factors that are necessary to make great wines, but without ever going beyond the balance point.

Let us remember first that 2015 was marked by a great moment full of emotion for Burgundy: last July 4th in Bonn/Germany, the 21-member countries of the Unesco World Heritage Committee announced the inscription of the "Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne" to the World Heritage list. The Committee recognized that it is in Burgundy that was born, that developed and prospered a viticulture rooted in a long history that represents a model for all the terroir-based viticultures all over the world and that created a Culture that one has to respect and preserve in order to pass it on to the next generations.

It was as if the vineyards had wanted to celebrate this prestigious distinction in being more beautiful than ever throughout the year and in being also more generous by giving us some of the most beautiful grapes ever produced. Still today, at the time of this writing, they show their most beautiful autumnal dress and their leaves that summer has left intact are glittering like never before with shades of fawn, purple and gold announcing their coming dormancy. These colors are also at the origin of this name of Côte d'Or that it bears now for eternity.

Winter was mild: the lowest recorded temperature was -6° C around February 12th and the heavy rains provided a reserve of water that was very useful as we experienced a dry season.

This trend of hot and dry weather first announced itself in the mild and dry spring, except for two episodes of violent rains on May 1st and June 15th that arrived at the right time to bring humidity to the vineyards.

This dry and hot weather accompanied by a persistent friendly North Wind had a determining impact on the harvest in creating the conditions for an early, very rapid and homogeneous flowering. We could also observe some "coulure", but almost no millerandage. 

July was hot and dry, even scorching between July 2nd and 8th with night temperatures of 30° C. During the whole month only 14mm of rain were recorded. Heat was such some days that the evolution of the grapes was stopped. But we could see berries beginning to change color (veraison) in Romanee-Conti and in Corton as of July 27th. 

The first two weeks of August were humid and mild, without any heat peaks. The vineyards breathed again and ripened quietly. Mid-veraison occurred around August 9th and we knew then that the harvest would take place in early September.

During the second fortnight of August, the North wind set in with beautiful dry weather and unseasonably high temperatures, especially at the end of the month when we went through a three-day heatwave. 

All along, the vineyards remained perfectly green, healthy and connected to all the astral and telluric forces that give life to them. They liked the dry weather in 2015. The July heat-waves stopped their evolution at least twice, but each time these were counterbalanced by stormy episodes that brought the needed humidity. As a result, the evolution of the vineyards was nearly ideal and thanks to these exceptional weather conditions, 2015 was a rather easy vintage for the vigneron. We could always intervene in the right place at the right moment, whatever the work to be done: compost supply, manual work, work of the soil or phytosanitary treatments.

But nothing is perfect and the treatments, although exceptionally few, were essential at a time when there was a cloud on the horizon: oidium. This fungus that thrives during cold and damp nights took advantage of the rare rainy episodes of the spring to develop in the area of Nuits-St-Georges, Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Echezeaux.

This attack forced us to be very vigilant, even if the dry weather and the North Wind were of great help in eradicating this fungus. Our wineyards manager, Nicolas Jacob, and his team triumphantly managed a situation that was complicated by the fact that the sulphur that we use against oidium loses its efficiency above the 30° temperature we often experienced in 2015.

At harvest time the grapes were in excellent sanitary condition, rather compact, but average in quantity. The skins of the berries were extraordinarily thick and full of anthocyanins. These had been forged by the sun whose intensity went so far as to burn some of them, and the slaps of the successive storms. No botrytis at all. But the most remarkable fact, which was also linked to the early and rapid flowering, was the level of maturity of the grapes. From this homogeneous flowering resulted a homogeneous and extreme maturity without ever reaching over maturity as in 2003. We noticed this balance in the analysis of the grape must at harvest time and today in the wines, the acidities being in perfect balance with the tannins and the rather high alcohol level.

We started the harvest in Montrachet on September 4th. The weather was dry and mild. The Chardonnay vineyards ripened very fast due to the very hot days of the second part of August and the very fast consecutive increase of sugar content led us to harvest this vineyard first. As a result, the grapes were ripe, of the highest quality and superbly golden predicting a very great white wine. This was also confirmed by the first tastings of the wine that is finishing its malolactic fermentations in barrels.

On September 5th we harvested the Corton and noticed that our pre-harvest impressions were right i.e. the Pinot Noir grapes that we picked were in perfect sanitary condition and very ripe. Thanks to the resistance of the grapes, there was no trace of botrytis, even on the second generation grapes (verjus) that we left on the vines and that waited until the end of October to ripen and make the dabbler vignerons happy!

After a day off, on Sunday 6th, we started the harvest in Vosne-Romanée on Monday 7th. Our instructions to the harvesters were as simple as ever since there was no botrytis and only the burnt berries were to be removed from the clusters that had been the most exposed to the sun. There were also some "figgy" berries, i.e ultra-ripe, but we had of course to keep them.

The beautiful, dry and mild weather lasted until September 12th, a day of heavy rains, but we were already in the Echezeaux, the last vineyard harvested that we finished on the 14th.

Here are the harvest dates and approximate yields:

Romanée-Conti: September 10                    22 hl/ha
La Tâche: September 7-8                            25 hl/ha
Richebourg: September 8-9                         24 hl/ha
Romanée-St-Vivant: September 9-10-11       26 hl/ha
Grands-Echezeaux: September 11-12            30 hl/ha
Echezeaux: September 12-14                       25 hl/ha
Corton: September 5                                  22 hl/ha
Montrachet: September 4                           30 hl/ha

The phenolic maturity was fully completed and we chose to make the vinifications with the whole clusters, i.e. without destemming. Such vinifications are always a challenge. These were masterfully carried out by Bernard Noblet and his team.

Fermentations were rich, powerful and extremely long (21 to 23 days depending on the wine) due to the important polyphenol contents and the richness of sugar. Many small berries, whose skins were exceptionally resistant, released their juice only at the end of fermentations and even, for some of them, only under the force of the wine press.

The wines were put into vats with a little sugar which continued its fermentation in barrels bringing more suppleness and smoothness to the wines. Still today, in the silence of the cellar, we can hear the barrels whispering the song of the wine coming to life.

The wines have deep purple colors. On the nose, there is fruit and tannins are ample in the mouth. There is no trace of over-maturity as in 2003, but all the opulence and richness of extreme maturity.

The typical characteristics of the finished wines take shape: power and balance for the Richebourg, strength with a note of liquorice for La Tâche, elegancy and length in the mouth for the Romanée-Conti that is already above all the others.