Domaine d'Aubigny, Aluze — Côte Chalonnaise
Burgundy Harvest 2026 — The Year of Surprises
Everyone expected it. So did I.
2025 had been a year of exceptional heat, one of those years that brings a wave of tension to the vineyards as early as July. 2026 promised to be worse — much worse. The summer temperatures far exceeded those of the previous year, and I already had a clear idea of what lay ahead: an early harvest, a tense vintage, grapes on the brink of overripeness.
So I set off on holiday to Brittany — my native Brittany — with this quiet certainty at the back of my mind. August 15th, the harvest begins. It's a done deal. And I confess I harboured a secret hope: the Fête des Filets Bleus in Concarneau. A festival I love deeply, one of those breaks that does you good.
The call from the vineyard manager came in.
The sample analyses were done. It would be the 17th of August.
Two days gained. Concarneau, the blue nets festival, the celebration. Then back to the vines.
The Cellar Comes Alive
While I was enjoying the last days of Brittany, the cellar was buzzing with activity. Everything needs washing, everything needs preparing, everything needs checking. The equipment must be flawless to withstand hours — and hours — of relentless work. Everyone knows their role, and it's one of the things I appreciate most about this team: you don't need to say much. Everyone knows.
Jules in charge of the vines, unflappable.
Fafa washing the crates, methodical as ever.
And the cellar team, tense as a bow, ready to go.
The teams head into the vineyard at 6:30am and finish around 12:30-1:00pm. Meanwhile, in the cellar, we're working hard. Nights stretch until 3am. The alarm goes off at 6am. An afternoon nap becomes a physiological necessity, not a luxury.
The Surprises of the Vintage
And that's when 2026 began to surprise us.
The Mercurey 1er Cru Champs Martin is harvested first. The must analyses and yields arrive. And they are... better than 2025. Significantly better. The tasting confirms what the figures suggested: ripe grapes, perfectly ripe, but with no trace of overripeness. The balance we always seek. The one we don't always achieve.
Then come the Rully Formanges. Ultra-high quality, once again — and it's always surprising with this parcel. The musts are magnificent. The lees, which you can taste straight from the vat, are clean and precise. The sorting table? We don't even bring it out. Pointless. Everything is pristine, everything is there.
A Generous Vintage
Early September, the harvest ends.
The figures come in, and this is the year's real big surprise: the yields are significantly higher than 2025. In a year that promised thermal stress, the vineyard produced more, and better. Organic conversion, soil work, the decisions made year after year in the vineyard — it all shows up in the vats.
2026 will be remembered as the year when we expected the worst and the vineyard delivered the best.
What Comes Next
The wines are now in the cellar, at rest, in Rousseau foudres, terracotta jars and barrels. They're taking their time. So are we.
See you in a few months for the first tastings. We can't wait to share them with you.
Domaine d'Aubigny — organic viticulture in Côte Chalonnaise since 1132
Aluze, 71510