Jim's Loire: 2017 Promising Loire harvest in Bourgueil and Chinon

A picker at Domaine de la Butte, Bourgueil

testing the quality of this year's Cabernet Franc

As this week is the big week for picking Cabernet Franc in Western Touraine – Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil – we made a quick visit there today to see how the picking of the Cabernet Franc is going.

We popped into Lamé Delisle Boucard, Pierre and Catherine Breton, Domaine de Chevalerie and Domaine de la Butte in Bourgueil. Then across to Chinon to see – Charles Joguet, Baudry-Dutour and finally Domaine Bernard Baudry, where not only saw Bernard Baudry but also Chris Kissack (The Wine Doctor) and his wife Kim.

Overall the vignerons are happy with the way the harvest is going, with the grapes coming in clean with little rot, especially on the limestone coteaux. After a some rain on Monday morning this week has been fine – this afternoon temperatures wer up to 26˚C. The good weather is mainly due to last, depending on which forecaster you follow. Météo-France now has some light rain during the afternoon for Bourgueil but further east in the Cher Valley no rain is forecast until at least Saturday 7th October.

Although many are picking this week: the Bretons finished yesterday, Bernard Baudry will finish tomorrow, Jacky Blot at Domaine de la Butte will finish Saturday and I hear that Philippe Alliet finished last Friday. In contrast, however, Baudry-Dutour have only just started on their reds. The bulk will be picked next week with the prestige cuvées picked the following week. There seems to be considerable divergence between producers this year over the ideal ripeness. Time will tell....