It is still too early to tell the story of the 2026 vintage, and yet it is already beginning to speak. On the threshold of veraison, the grapes are yielding their first clues: a texture changing under the fingers, an acidity still biting, bunches of fine clarity. These are not conclusions, only impressions — but they are the first.

We share here what we genuinely observe in our parcels of Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran, keeping the reserve the moment demands. Between today and the first cut of the secateurs, several decisive weeks still lie ahead. A vintage is never judged before it is safely in.

Where is the vine at the time of veraison?

Veraison is the grape's tipping point. Until then, the berry swells without truly ripening: it is hard, green, acidic, all but inedible. From veraison onwards it becomes a fruit. It softens, fills with sugar, gradually loses acidity and begins to build its aromas.

On Chardonnay, this shift calls for a close look. There is no spectacular colour change as on red varieties: the berry moves from a bright, opaque green to a paler, translucent shade, sometimes with golden glints on the best-exposed bunches. The surest indicator remains tactile — a berry in veraison yields to gentle pressure.

As so often, this evolution does not happen everywhere at once. The earliest parcels have moved ahead of the cooler or deeper sectors. Such dispersion is normal, and it is precisely what will shape the order of our harvest.

Ripeness: a real advance, a steady progression

The first observation is that head start, in keeping with what we have seen since spring. The 2026 cycle began early and has known no major rupture. That steadiness is in itself good news: difficult vintages are rarely the fast-moving ones, but rather those that swing abruptly between bursts of acceleration and phases of blockage.

One must nonetheless guard against too simple a reading. At this stage, sugar accumulation is only beginning. What matters is not the level reached today, but the manner in which ripening will continue: gradual and unbroken, or disrupted by a spell of intense heat. Slow, steady ripening almost always gives more precise wines than a race finished in a few days.

Acidity: the figure we watch most closely

This is the central point of vigilance in any early vintage, and 2026 is no exception. Acidity is what gives a white wine its drive, its length and that sense of uprightness expected of a Chardonnay born on limestone soils. Without it, a wine can be rich and still lack relief.

Yet acidity naturally falls during ripening, and that decline accelerates with heat — particularly when nights stay mild. At this stage the berries retain a frank acidity, still very present on tasting. That is exactly what we hope to see before the final phase: to set out with a reserve, so that some can be spent without running short on picking day.

In a hot year, we do not try to manufacture freshness: we try not to lose it. The whole craft of the final weeks lies in that distinction.

It is also why we will not fix a harvest date in advance. The right moment will be the one when aromatic ripeness has caught up with technological ripeness, without freshness having faded in the meantime.

Concentration: berries of contained size

The berries observed to date are of moderate calibre, without excess volume. This tighter format, should it hold until harvest, works in favour of a favourable skin-to-pulp ratio: more skin relative to pulp means more aroma and more substance in the future juice.

This characteristic is typical of dry, warm years. It generally heralds dense, expressive wines with good presence on the palate. Its counterpart is a more measured crop: smaller berries, for an equivalent number of bunches, produce less juice.

Here again, geology helps us. Our clay-limestone soils hold water in their clays and let the roots descend through fissured limestone. The old parcels, whose roots have been built over decades, show remarkable consistency at this stage — an advantage we find year after year in cuvées such as the Vieilles Vignes or Les Ménétrières.

Health of the grapes: the most favourable point

If one piece of good news were to be singled out at this stage of the season, it would be this. The bunches are clean, with no notable damage. A dry, warm season naturally limits the pressure of fungal diseases, which need moisture to develop.

  • Healthy bunches: the absence of persistent moisture greatly reduces the risk of botrytis as harvest approaches.
  • Favourable airflow: our canopy work lets air circulate around the bunches, limiting pockets of humidity.
  • Intact berries: an unbroken skin is the grape's best natural protection.
  • Continued vigilance: an isolated storm on ripe grapes can change a situation in a matter of days.

Good health is a considerable asset, because it widens the room for manoeuvre. It allows us to wait for the right moment rather than pick in haste to save a threatened crop. That is a freedom not every vintage offers.

What remains to be written

The coming weeks will be decisive, and they can still change everything. A spell of intense heat would block ripening and cause acidity to fall. Cool nights, conversely, would prolong aromatic development and preserve tension. Moderate rain would relieve the most exposed parcels; a violent storm on advanced grapes would raise real questions.

We will therefore refrain from any forecast. Comparing 2026 to a past vintage would be convenient, but rarely accurate: two years can resemble one another right up to veraison and then part company entirely. The 2025 vintage reminded us of that in its own way.

What can already be said about the 2026 vintage?

That the cycle is ahead, that the grapes are healthy, that the berries are concentrated and that acidity is still present — four favourable signs, yet to be confirmed. The rest belongs to the coming weeks and to the grape itself. We will go on sharing our observations here, until the day the harvest gives its answer.