Expectations are high following a sunny and dry summer. While a little rain would be welcome, they are praying September does not spoil what could be a great year.

Emmanuel Cruse, owner of Margaux property Château d’Issan told decanter.com, ‘So far it’s the greatest season since 2005. We are crossing our fingers September will be as good as last year.’

Cruse added, ‘The Merlot grapes are aready tasty and we expect the beginning of the harvest to be much earlier than expected – perhaps the 15-20 September. The Cabernet Sauvignon is not far behind.’

Gavin Quinney, owner of Entre-deux-Mers estate, Château Bauduc, was one of the many that suffered hail damage in May.

‘If I hadn’t have lost 80% of my crop I would have been jubilant about the season. The weather has been unbelievably good,’ he said.

St Emilion, on the Right Bank, was the worst affected by May’s hailstorms but Château Teyssier escaped damage. Owner Jonathan Malthus said, ‘In terms of volumes and quality we are in the best position since 2005.’

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Rebecca Gibb MW
Rebecca Gibb MW
Decanter Magazine & DWWA Judge

Rebecca Gibb MW is a wine journalist and editor who has also founded Bamboozled games, ‘the world’s first wine and spirit puzzle makers’. Having spent six years living in New Zealand, she has recently returned to her native north-east England. While in New Zealand, she became a Master of Wine, graduating top of her class and winning the Madame Bollinger medal for excellence in tasting. A former winner of both the UK’s young wine writer of the year and the Louis Roederer Emerging Wine Writer, her first book The Wines of New Zealand was published in 2018. She also runs wine events and has her own consultancy business The Drinks Project. She was a judge at the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).