It is probably premature to judge the quality of the 2004 vintage at this stage. Nevertheless as every year, we suggest to read the pro's reports on the recent harvest and how they assess the potential of their wines.

Click on the appellation's name for more details on the region

Frédéric Engerer - Château Latour - Pauillac 

Jean-Philippe Delmas - Château Haut-Brion - Pessac-Léognan, Graves 

Nicolas & Christophe de Bailliencourt dit Courcol - Château Gazin - Pomerol

Fabien Teitgen - Florence Cathiard - Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte - Pessac-Léognan, Graves

Corinne Reulet - Château La Tour Blanche - Sauternes - Barsac

Frédéric Engerer - Château Latour - Pauillac

Weather and phenological conditions  - Vintage reports
The harvest started on September 23 with the Merlots during five days. Then we picked the first Cabernets Sauvignon from October 6. Recent controls of maturity, carried out at the beginning of the week, confirmed the potential of this vintage and the excellent balance of the grapes in sugar, acid and phenolic elements. Consequently, the average degree for the Merlots is of 13.5°, which was unexpected three weeks ago. 

Once again, nature was very “moody” this vintage year. After a rather warm and dry winter, there was a lack of rain right at the beginning of the vegetative cycle, and expression of hydric stress was noticed on nearly all of the areas of the estate. Fortunately, the rainfall was brought back to a normal level in May, which enabled the vine to develop fully, setting off the flowering, which took place in exceptional weather conditions: heat, clear weather with light winds. 

Within a week, all of the bunches had completed this important stage, which determines a good harvest and great consistency of ripening. By counting the bunches on all the plots of the estate, we were able to rapidly estimate that the yield would be of a good level (similar to that of 2000). Drought came back in June, depriving the vineyard from 50mm of water, the average of the last thirty years. As a result, the berries began to grow slowly. The first ten days of July were rainy, but was followed by warm and sunny weather until the end of the month. This warm and dry climate allowed the “veraison” to begin from July 20, and we presumed a normal harvest date for the region. 

August was much more inconsistent, when the sun often gave way to the rain. In fact, the quantity of rainfall which slowed down the ripening process is not of real importance as the vine had suffered since the beginning of its cycle; but it was more a question of the number of days without sun. Cool temperatures for the season made the “veraison” longer, especially on the sandy plots. 

Almost miraculously, the weather which failed to appear in August arrived from the beginning of September. Beautiful cloudless days with some easterly wind, perfect for the ripening of the grapes, rapidly favoured the production of sugar in the berries. The range of temperatures in the day and in the night also softened the grape skins and offered great flavour to the tannins. 

As usual, the difference in maturity between the Merlot and Cabernets Sauvignon was important this year. However, our aim is to harvest the first when it has reached its peak in fruitiness and to preserve all its freshness. The seeds are tasty and dense with a fine tannic structure. The first tastings of the Cabernet Sauvignon berries lead us to believe that a good potential is on its way. However, we are patient and prudent…The sanitary state is perfect and the good weather sems to set in for a while.

http://www.chateau-latour.fr/index_fra.html

Une Jean-Philippe Delmas - Château Haut-Brion - Pessac-Léognan, Graves

First impressions of the 2004 vintage

It is obviously too early to have any positive convictions regarding the quality of this vintage but we nevertheless can share our first impressions with you.
This winter, though not terribly harsh, was quite cold and was noted for its relatively small amount of rain. In February one recorded only of the usual rainfall. This lack of water was accentuated throughout the spring culminating with an extremely dry month of June (11mm instead of the usual 65). One observed that the extreme heat and sunlight during this month permitted a rapid and uniform flowering.

The month of July was completely normal, regarding both temperature and rainfall. At this point one could already assess the abundance of the coming crop. In early July, 70 people began the green harvesting (removing clusters of grapes) and leaf zrimming throughout our vineyards. This work continued right up until the onset of the vendanges. This crop certainly required more attention and was far more labour intensive than any other in a very long time.

August was slightly warmer and a little more humid than the averages gleaned from the past fifty years. This vintage features the dearth of water recorded during the winter and spring. Thanks to this lack of humidity, the vine stopped growing and instead regularly nourished the fruit.
At this point, due to the damp weather we began to worry about the evolution of the grapes and the potential dangers that the excess humidity might bring if these conditions persisted. We therefore decided to remove the leaves situated on either side of every vine in order to allow better aeration and avoid possible rotting. Any existing anxiety dissipated and was replaced with optimism at the onset of the superb, very warm and dry month of September. The vendanges began on September 6th with the Sauvignon Blanc. We found an excellent balance between the sugar and the acidity. As this is being written, the fermentation of all our lots of white wine is finished. Although one does not find the same richness as last year, we do find a wine of remarkable freshness. We began our harvesting of the reds with the Merlots on September 16th. We have already noted that these Merlots are of a better quality to those of the past three vintages.

Just over a month has passed since we finished harvesting. We put a great amount of time and effort into deciding which parcels (depending on many variables such as varietals and age) should go into which vat. The next challenge is to follow the alcoholic fermentations as closely as possible. To do this properly we must check every individual vat many times throughout the day. This year the fermentations took their time, but we are very pleased by the result. The fermentation completed, we can finally taste this wine now resting beneath its cap of amber foam. The nose; though still marked by the fermentation process, reveals a great presence of red fruit. The wine is very dense with good colour and a decent tannic concentration. These tannins are far from being aggressive, in fact they show a great softness and ripeness which is bound to be one of the hallmarks of this vintage. With good colour, structure and these round and mature tannins, there is no doubt that we have all the premices of a very good vintage.

After having extracted enough of the good qualities which we seek from the skins we run off the vats before this extraction goes too far. Now comes the time for a second fermentation: the malo-lactic fermentation. At the moment I write these lines, some vats have now completed this second phase and others are still in the fermentation process. Soon we will be able to begin our first blending trials, the magical moment when we will start to discover the outline of what will eventually become our Grand Vin

Jean-Philippe Delmas - November 12th 2004

http://haut-brion.com/home/en/langflash-en.php

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Moueix Thomas Duroux - Château Palmer - Margaux

September 29th, 2004 - 100% pure merlot juice
After spending the morning in the Merlot vines with the Château's team, they were initiated to winery tasks and tasted the first must, which is so fruity and rich in sugar, and very promising. They ended their day tasting a few vintages. We are in fact currently harvesting from the property's best Merlot patches. Fifty days have elapsed since the veraison and have led to an ideal maturity. The juice is rich and concentrated, the coating is supple and highly coloured with non-aggressive tannins.

Pumping over on the very next day after the first harvests revealed a bright red juice very rich in sugar and with an omnipresent fruity character. These pure Merlot juices, which have only just been pressed and vatted, are already revealing their personalities, which vary greatly depending on which plot they're from. They are always surprising at first sight, much like the juices produced from vines on the "La Chevalière" and "La Pièce Chai" plots, which are, despite the differences, next to each other. A visitor tasting them will wonder why La Chevalière produces such a refined and complex must, while La Pièce Chai produces something more structured and extremely powerful, when the soils appear to be identical. There are in fact differences in the structure of the subsoil, which are only revealed by pedological analysis.

It was in the days leading up to the harvest, while tasting the fruit, that we decided to proceed with two different vinifications in separate vats. This is an excellent method, which helps us make the right choices for the most appropriate harvest technique. We spend some time at this every day, and it really is the first tasting of the "primeur" Palmer or Alter Ego.


October 5th, 2004 - Last of the Merlot, first of the Cabernet
The first part of the harvest is drawing to an end with the last of the Merlot vines to the west of the Route des Châteaux. The summery conditions over the past 3 days have enabled these plots to finish ripening. As the days go by it is becoming clear that the 2004 harvest is extremely even, both with respect to the bunches on any individual vine and with respect to the vines on any particular plot. The earliness of the terroir seems to be the only factor affecting the maturity, and this has therefore been guiding our harvesting strategy. The end result is that we were able to harvest the Merlot in no rush over 9 days with a few breaks.

These summery days have been doubly beneficial in that the Cabernet Sauvignon also needed time to complete the maturation of the tannins in the skins, even if the tannins in the seeds were ripe a fortnight ago. While tasting the fruit this morning it became clear that the first of the Cabernet vines on the hilltop bordering the château have progressed hugely and that they are close to optimal conditions. The skins have become supple and soft, their tannins are silky and consistent. We should be able to start picking them on Thursday.

While the grapes are being picked in relative tranquility, the vat-house team has been buzzing with activity carrying out the tasks of the winemaking process according to the choices made for each plot. Temperature, pumping over, extraction... all of these parameters are monitored and adjusted daily after tasting each vat. The smell of fermentation in the vat-house is enchanting and, as in the vines, there is a high-spirited atmosphere which describes well the feeling of optimism we have for this 2004 vintage.

October 12th, 2004 - The harvest draws to an end!
The harvest started on September 27th and will have lasted for 3 weeks! This Wednesday marks the end of the harvest with the teams from outside. Only a late plot remains to be harvested, and our own workers will take care of it once the grapes have reached their optimal ripeness. An important characteristic of this year's vintage is that the Merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes ripened in very different manners despite the closeness of their respective veraisons. I think that 2004 will be first and foremost a terroir vintage, and that it will become a winemaker's vintage if the winemaker was able to understand the multiple facets of his land.

Here at Palmer, the huge amount of effort put into controlling the amount of foliage on the vines and regulating the number of bunches on each vine, and therefore the yield, in July will have played an important part in allowing each plot to achieve full potential. This year more than previous years, we tailored the vinification for individual plots because the soil, subsoil and topography played a major role, which we demonstrated while tasting the fruit on the vines. That is when the winemaker or the œnologist really starts making the wine.

The fermentation is going well in the vat-house. Most of the merlots have finished fermenting by now and are undergoing a slow and controlled maceration. Their composition reminds me more and more of 2002's concentrated, full-bodied and powerful wines, well-balanced and therefore rather classic. 

The Cabernets are just beginning to ferment and we have great expectations for them given how ripe the skins are - as well as the seeds. The seeds often ripen with difficulty with these late vintages but this year, curiously enough, they were ripe before the skins, which is rather rare.

The year is drawing to an end for the winemaker. Meanwhile, the new vintage is developing in our winery and receiving all of our attention.

Once again, the harvest comes to an end with everyone in good spirits. There was only one rainy day, yesterday, and we're finishing on October 13th like we did in 1983 (we started a day earlier this year), another late vintage which was a success at Palmer! 

http://chateau-palmer.com/fr1

Nicolas & Christophe de Bailliencourt dit Courcol - Château Gazin - Pomerol

The 2004 harvest is over
We just finished the job on October 12th, with the Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlots had been picked up from September 22nd up to October 4th. Nowadays we can talk a little bit more about the quality of the vintage… And this quality could be outstanding, in Pomerol ! 

Indeed, due to a lot of heavy rains, in August, we feared that 2004 could have been a disaster. Not at all !! The weather conditions during the first week of September were splendid. And since then we have had terrific sunny and sometimes summer conditions, excepted on September 23rd and October 12th. As the wine specialists know it the quality of a vintage not only relies on August weather conditions – even if this period is crucial – but also on September. Today it is raining cats and dogs… but we don’t care.

The Merlots look very ripe, sweet and fat. The colour, very easy to extract, is black. A lot of sweet fresh fruit and gingerbread fragrances fill in the vat room as the cellar master pumps over the vats… The Cabernets are fruity. The tannins are ripe. The heavy proportion of pips in the grains will involve a short maceration period to avoid any bitterness. As for Gazin, the first vats of Merlot have already been racked and the wine has started its malolactic fermentation in casks. The wine will reach a natural 13 alcoholic degree. 

The success of this 2004 vintage, which could make a splendid wine, was achieved thanks to the work we have done in the vineyard during the July and August months. The yield was over 100 hectolitres per hectare, early July, due to a good blossom period, in June, and following two half-yield vintages, in 2003 and 2002 (respectively 25 and 28 hl). In 2004, mother nature compensated its gift. 
We loaded down the vines by 50%, and removed the leaves to easy the air circulation and the sun exposure: very costly operations indeed, in terms of manpower, but decisive ones, in 2004. In 2004 our yield should not exceed 45 hl per hectare.

Presently, the difficulty will be to convince the consumers that a heatwave plus a drought, in August 2003, do not necessarily mean a great wine and that some rains, in August 2004, do not necessarily involve a poor quality wine. 

Further more it could be the contrary… 2003 was THE vintage of the century, the journalists said. What are they going to write in 2004? 

http://www.chateau-gazin.com/

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Fabien Teitgen - Florence Cathiard - Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte

Pessac-Léognan, Graves

The 2004 harvest at Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Picking got off to a gentle start with the white wine grapes on September 8th 2004. We waited twelve days for a plot of old Sauvignon Blanc vines to reach full ripeness. These were picked between September 20th and the 27th.

The excellent degree of ripeness in the skins was accompanied by good acidity. This resulted in aromatic, rich, concentrated, well-balanced must. Fermentation took place normally and the vats that finished first displayed fine balance (13.5% and 4-4.5 total acidity) with beautiful texture and power. The red wine grape harvest stared relatively late, on September 27th, in the young Merlot vines. Drastic crop reduction (green harvesting) helped to aerate the grape bunches, conducive to healthy ripe fruit.

A taste test of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot leads us to believe that we can start picking in the middle of next week. As for Cabernet Sauvignon, it is to early to tell.

Alcoholic fermentation in the first vats of Merlot is drawing to a close, enabling us to make a preliminary appraisal of the new vintage: 
- fermentation is taking place normally
- the alcoholic degree is fairly high ( average 13% by volume)
- the colour is very deep
- the fermenting must has very interesting red fruit (raspberry and blackcurrant) and black fruit (blackberry) aromas.

We picked the Merlot grapes under good conditions between September 27th and October 7th, continuing immediately afterwards with the Petit Verdot, which were perfectly ripe. We then waited a few days before harvesting the Cabernet Franc and starting on the Cabernet Sauvignon. Then we had to play hide-and-seek with the weather, rushing out to finish picking the Cabernet Sauvignon during the sunny spells between showers from October 11th to 15th and managing to finish before the heavy rains at the weekend. Most vats of Merlot are now finishing fermentation and the first vats have already been run off. They have all the fruitiness of the grapes, as well as good body and structure. On tasting, the wines are well balanced with quite high acidity (malolactic fermentation has not yet started). The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon have started fermenting nicely.

The white wines have not yet completely finished fermenting and we are very pleased with the way it is going. The balance, structure, and body of the whites match up to the high hopes we have for this vintage. For the moment, the whites are relatively closed in, but they still show excellent potential.

Fabien Teitgen, Technical Director , Oct. 10, 2004

http://www.smith-haut-lafitte.com/fr/sommaire.html

Paul Pontallier - Château Margaux - Margaux

Harvest Chronicles - September 7th
Summer is now coming to an end without really having caused much excitement nor anything to get concerned about. Throughout the months of July and August the weather was moderately warm, and there was some rain, but not in excess amounts. Around August 25th, anything was still possible, including the prospect of a great vintage. And now, for the last ten days, the dry, hot weather we had been longing for has finally settled in! And at exactly the right time.. 

September 23rd
The harvesting of the white grapes continues in a fine weather and amid great optmism. Today, we are finishing off our first sorting, which involves selecting the ripest grapes in each plot. These grapes are always more gold-coloured than the others. The results are quite incredible: the must is reaching a potential alcoholic degree of 14.5 together with a perfectly balanced acidity. As for his year's yield, it would already seem that the crop is slightly less abundant than we first thought. (..) We are starting to turn our attention with great interest towards the plots of Merlot whose grapes are displaying a nonchalant good health and firmness at only days from their sheduled picking. Maybe this is a sign that their optimum ripeness has not yet been reached, even though the classic indicators, such as their potential alcoholic degree and their acidity, appear to show the reverse. But we are quite used to these kinds of doubt. In the end, it comes down to human judgement and experience: they, rather than laboratory analyses, will have the last word. 

September 27th
The grapes are slowly perfecting their delicate ripeness in an atmosphere free of constraints and rush. Cast your mind back to 1990, 1996 or 2002 when the harvesting of a wonderful crop was easily spun out over the whold of a tremendous period of late summer weather! (..) The weather forecast is very optimistic for all the week and even if there is some rain, we know very well from experience (eg. 95 or 96) that rain, even heavy rain, at the last minute does not have any bearing on the ripeness which has already been achieved. 

October 1st
It's underway! Somce this morning, our five harvesting teams have been sent out to the ripest Merlot plots. The first one was the parcel close to the church, where the gravelly soil and the superb exposure always accelerate the ripening of the grapes. The weather forecast is most reasuring for the next few days. On Monday we'll start the Merlot in the enclosure where the soil is more clayey and late-ripening. All the grapes are now beginning to show very good ripeness.

October 6th
The last two days have proved to be a good test for our new harvest reception equipment! We haven't picked so many grapes in such a short time for many years. The lovely weather, the continuing good spirits amongst our pickers, the perfectly healthy state of the grapes and.. their sheer quantity, all these factors have made a contribution to the amazing crop we have brought in. Since the abundance of the crop is going hand in hand with a remarkable level of quality, we would perhaps have to go back to the 1990 or 1982 vintages to find such a combination. Monday we will begin the picking of the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the heart of our vineyard and the soul of our wine.

October 11th
Well, we've finally got there. (..) For the last few days we jave been waiting on tenterhooks, in hope but also in fear, particularly when the weather forecasts were pessimistic. It was the eternal dilemma: should we risk losing everything in trying to gain just a little bit more? However, those fears soon turned to joy at the weekend as the weather became hot and sunny, enabling the grapes to finish off their ripening without any adverse effect on their excellent state of health. This evening a strong wind is chasing away the dark clouds which jave threatened but have remained innocuous. 

October 14th
Since Monday morning, the weather has not been so kind to us; it has constantly been raining on and off. Enough to bother us, but not sufficiently to cause any concern. Rain.. that old adversary which accompanies so many greater and lesser vintages. It is easy to forget past fintages, fortunately perhaps. 80 mm fell during the 1995 vintage, 110 in 1996, 60 in 2000 and... 0 in 1997. Up till now in 2004, we are at 45 mm. Through many years of experience, we have learned that rain during the harvest does not have any adverse effect on the quality of the grapes, as long as it doesn't lead to rot. 
The first samplings of the Merlot vats have given us great heart, as their quality seems to be up to the standard of last year. They are almost as powerful, but more classic; very fleshy at the same time as being very fresh, thanks to a good, high acidity.

October 19th
90 mm of rain have fallen since the picking started. (..) Tasting the vats of Merlot is a pure delight, they are perhaps better than last year. The Cabernet Sauvignon is still hiding its charms behind the discreet veil of a few grams of sugar. Patience, patience..

October 21st
The picking will be over this evening. As from tomorrow, all that will be left on the vines. (..) By the end, it is the wine which will prove to be true witness of the vintage, ot that necessary and mysterious compination of sun, heat, and coolness which determine the quality of a wine. The veil which was hiding the silhouette of the first Cabernet grapes is slowly lifting. Their power, purity and finesse are reminiscent of the 1996 vintage. But we should wait a few days more to gain a clearer impression of their personality. 

Paul Pontallier - General Manager of Château Margaux

http://www.chateau-margaux.com/fr/

Oct. 7th, 2004 – Grape harvest 2004 has just begun

The grape harvest has just begun this week at Chateau La Tour Blanche. Since Monday, the pickers carried out the first "trie" (sorting) on the grapes through out the vineyard. After a succession of early harvest periods (even exceptionally early like last year), the vintage 2004 began in a more traditional way.

The rains of mid-September gave way to nice sunny weather and high temperatures, making it possible for the noble rot to develop gradually. However we have had to remain vigilant since some sour rot has appeared, due to the large presence of grape flies wounding some bunches. This phenomenon forces us to make a very severe selection and throw a large quantity of grapes away.

But it is the price to pay to obtain juice of a very high potential. Such as with the Muscadelle, which has performed particularly well this year.

All these factors contribute to a promising final product to be bottled.

Nov. 4th, 2004 – The grape harvest continues
After the first "trie" (selective picking), which took place from October 4th to October 15th, the second "trie" was held from October 20th to October 24th, under rather good conditions and high temperatures. This allowed the grapes to dry after the abundant rains of mid-October. A third "trie" just began on November 3rd. We do not yet know if it will be the last or not. It depends on the weather conditions and the state of the grapes.

Currently, nearly 80% of the crop has been picked, but quality comes with many sacrifices. As a matter of fact, depending on the plots, an average of 35% of the grapes have been thrown away, due to infection by mould or sour rot. The quality selection by the pickers has thus been crucial so far this year.

http://www.tour-blanche.com

Sincerely Alain Bringolf

Harvest 2005 - Harvest 2003 - Harvest 2002 - Harvest 2001

Grapes and Varietals - Regions

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