Top Pauillac and Saint-Julien Estates Complete Harvest Over Past Week

Leading wine estates in Pauillac including Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Chateau Pontet-Canet and top producers in Saint-Julien including Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases completed their harvests over the past week as Bordeaux basked in mid-October sunshine.

Barrel cellar at Chateau Mouton-Rotschild. Photo: Guy Collins

Mouton completed its harvest as early as last Saturday, Oct. 5, according to Managing Director Philippe Dhalluin, who was speaking yesterday at a tasting for 2017 wines organised by the Union des Grands Grus de Bordeaux. The harvest at its neighboring vineyards Chateau d'Armaihac and Chateau Clerc-Milon were completed on Oct. 9. Dhalluin said there was ``quantity and quality'' in the harvest, with good tannins, and while he would have a clearer idea of its potential in two to three weeks, ``we are happy.'' At neighboring Chateau Pontet-Canet the pioneering biodynamic estate conducted a fully manual harvest for the first time, with no use of machinery. ``We finished the harvest yesterday,'' Justine Tesseron, a member of the family that owns the estate, said at the same event. ``It's very promising wine.'' And at Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases in Saint-Julien, Antoine Gimbert, who is estate owner Domaines Delon's Export Manager for Europe and America, said the harvest had also been completed this week ,with both quality and quantity looking good, although he said it was too early to judge in detail.