Strictly by hand and without the use of machines, the harvest in Champagne is a time of great work which involves around 120,000 grape harvesters working in the 34,000 denomination hectares.
Officially started on September 4 according to the calendar assigned by the Civc (Comité interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne) for each cru and grape variety, the 2023 harvest in Champagne is proving to be a more complicated year than expected and with many peculiarities.
The Matu network, i.e. the network for monitoring the ripening of the grapes made up of volunteer vignerons who collaborates with the Comité Champagne, had already highlighted at the end of August, in conjunction with the analysis on the grapes, the particularities of this wine-growing season, which initially had done well hope thanks to the fact that phenomena such as frosts, hailstorms and vineyard diseases had been contained. Even the cool summer temperatures seemed to have marginalized mold phenomena, however the hot and humid month of August caused widespread outbreaks of botrytis.
Fortunately, as highlighted first by the Civc and then by the vignerons involved in the harvest, the bunches throughout Champagne reached an exceptional quantity and weight never seen before (over 220 grams on average) and allowed for a careful selection in the vineyard in favor of quality of the harvest, as well as the possibility of reaching the yield set at 11,400 kg/ha without difficulty.
In general, Chardonnay gave greater satisfaction from a qualitative point of view, especially in the Côte des Blancs area, compared to Pinot Noir and Meunier which generated greater concern due to rot, mainly in some areas of the Vallée de la Marne and the Montagne de Reims.
It is difficult to give an heterogeneous assessment of the progress of the harvest throughout Champagne because the situation changes from parcel to parcel, from terroir to terroir; we can say that the 2023 harvest is overall complex but good, but to make an opinion on the vintage, we will have to wait for the tastings of the vin clair in the first months of the next year.
While the harvest in Champagne continues and we are eager to have more precise news from who is on the field, we want to talk to you about an exclusive vintage, the 2008, reflected in the refinement of Krug Clos Du Mesnil.
Krug Clos Du Mesnil 2008 is the purest expression of a single variety, Chardonnay, of a single harvest and a single plot, a true treasure protected by walls in Mesnil-sur-Oger.
2008 was one of the coolest years in Champagne and one of the least sunny in the region in almost fifty years: characterized by frequent rain during the vegetative phase and a dry summer, maturation was slow and constant. The harvest took place between 18 and 21 September 2008, offering grapes with intense freshness, an announcement of expressive and wonderfully structured wines.
Produced for only 13,160 bottles and 500 Magnums, Krug Clos du Mesnil 2008 is a revelation and profound knowledge of the Maison Krug of an exceptional terroir, aware of its intrinsic value to be enhanced and preserved over time. Krug Clos du Mesnil 2008 is a Blanc de Blancs of rare precision and elegance, vibrant concentration, power and chiseled structure, accurate even in the smallest details.
Click HERE To discover all the Champagnes in the GLUGULP! 2008 vintage collection
Click HERE To discover all the other Champagnes in the GLUGULP! collection