2023 vintage

Despite the strong fungal pressure at the start of summer, the health of the harvest seems to have been generally well controlled in the Loire Valley. The vineyard has not suffered major water stress. The weather conditions at the start of the harvest promised a relatively early vintage compared to the last 10 years and a good vintage. The high summer heat accelerated ripening, pushing the harvest to start earlier than expected.

The results of the harvest are rather positive, although contrasting depending on the wine-growing areas of the Loire Valley. The yields are quite high, but the quality varies depending on the appellations.

In 2023, France would produce 45 million hectoliters of wine according to the second estimate note published by the Statistics and Foresight Services (SSP). This figure confirms average production, down 2% compared to the 2022 vintage, but up 1% compared to the five-year average (2018-2022).

Below this average there are strong dispersions linked to climatic hazards between wine-growing areas, and even within regions, not to mention estates. While certain terroirs gather high volumes, others see their yields marked by hail, drought, mildew, powdery mildew or gray rot.

In the Nantes vineyard, winegrowers appreciate finding volume again, beautiful acidity, freshness, promising well-balanced Muscadet. The mix of sunshine and rain allowed the 2023 harvest to be quite a success in terms of volume and quality of the grapes harvested.

In Anjou and Touraine, the Sauvignons reveal rather traditional thiolated flavours, with Loire typicity but without too much acidity. The reds turn out to be a good surprise, the Gamay are very ripe with good alcohol potential, the Cabernet reveal delicious fruity notes of cherry, blackcurrant or strawberry. The two heat waves surrounding the harvest for around two weeks accentuated the "breathing" of the vines which consumed a lot of sugar and therefore limited the sugar loading in the berries. The juices, which are now beginning their winemaking process, should produce fruity wines with moderate alcohol levels.

On another hand, the results are more mixed in Centre Val-de-Loire, depending on the plots and micro-climates. In Indre et Cher, the 2023 harvests began on an almost “normal” date after years of early harvests. The slightly cooler weather at the beginning of August slowed down the ripening of the grapes. There were no devastating climatic episodes this year but winegrowers had to watch out for the threat of mildew and black rot, but it seems that the winegrowers did rather well.

To sum up, 2023 year was marked by a diversity of climatic conditions and harvests within the different wine-growing regions and even the estates. The 2023 vintage remains promising but will require all the expertise of winegrowers for vinification like it was in the vines.