The 2026 Harvest at the Domaine Henri Bourgeois

The final snips of the pruning shears could be heard this Saturday at Domaine Henri Bourgeois. After three weeks of intense harvesting, which began on August 19 under exceptionally early-season skies, the last cluster of grapes made its way to the winery. The spring drought and summer heat waves weighed on yields—which were lower than usual—but they also concentrated the very best the vines had to offer: healthy grapes, ripe to the core, that arrived at the winery in remarkable condition. A first impression is already taking shape, and it’s promising. The 2026 vintage promises to be a year of character, tension, and precision—one of those climatic setbacks that sometimes work in the wine’s favor.

This harvest belongs, above all, to our teams: the grape pickers, drivers, sorters, and all those who, from dawn and sometimes in the rain, carried their baskets row after row until the very last day. To them, we extend our warmest thanks.

The harvest is coming to an end, but the story of this vintage continues. This page remains open: it will now follow the work in the cellar—punching down, pumping over, devatting, and the first days of fermentation—until the wine finds its form. A more comprehensive harvest report will also be published in a few weeks, providing further details on the 2026 vintage.

On the Côte des Monts Damnés, the Graveron holds a special place. It is one of the few Pinot Noir plots on the hillside, harvested by hand as is customary on this demanding slope. This Wednesday, the teams are fully focused on it, continuing a week of harvesting that has shown no signs of slowing down.

The morning light touches the hillsides as the crews take their places on the slope. Below, Chavignol is waking up. In the distance, the silhouette of Sancerre takes shape on the horizon.

On the Monts Damnés, the work continues. The silence of the hillside quickly gives way to the bustle of the harvest: voices, pruning shears, and buckets being emptied. Another day on one of the appellation’s most demanding and iconic plots.

This morning, the teams are tackling Chavignol’s most iconic hillside. The Côte des Monts Damnés—steep, exposed, and demanding—yields its Sauvignon Blanc grapes under the watchful eye of the estate across from it.

Here, the harvest is done entirely by hand; the terrain leaves no other choice. The cut bunches cross the road and enter the gravity-fed winery directly. No pumps, no mechanical stress. The grapes flow naturally, level by level, down to the tanks. A simple principle, designed to bring out the best in the fruit.

Last night, a thunderstorm brought 20 mm of rain to Chavignol—twice as much as in Saint-Satur, where 40 mm fell in just a few hours. This morning, we take to the skies between two showers and fly over Chavignol and Sancerre, capturing from above what the eye on the ground can never quite perceive: the mosaic of vineyards, the village rooftops clustered around its bell tower, and the unique light of our landscapes. The sky, heavy and shifting all day long, is a spectacle in itself—wide beams of light pierce the clouds and sweep across the hillsides, alternately casting them in shadow and bathing them in golden light. The grape pickers continue their work amid this magnificent spectacle.

It takes stamina to harvest the slopes of Maimbray. Here, the vines cling almost vertically above the valley, and each row must be climbed before the grapes can be picked. This morning, the sky remains overcast, almost calm after yesterday’s storm—a respite the teams have no intention of letting slip by. No machine can venture onto such a steep slope: everything is done by hand, with pruning shears, basket after basket carried on the shoulder down to the bottom of the hillside. The Sauvignon here takes on a distinctive character—mineral, almost salty—inherited from these stony, south-facing soils.

It takes stamina to harvest the slopes of Maimbray. Here, the vines cling almost vertically above the valley, and each row must be climbed before the grapes can be picked. This morning, the sky remains overcast, almost calm after yesterday’s storm—a respite the teams have no intention of letting slip by. No machine can venture onto such a steep slope: everything is done by hand, with pruning shears, basket after basket carried on the shoulder down to the bottom of the hillside. The Sauvignon here takes on a distinctive character—mineral, almost salty—inherited from these stony, south-facing soils.

The air is heavy this morning on the hillsides of Sancerre. Not a breath of wind; a low, heavy sky heralds the storm expected later in the day. The most exposed plots will be harvested before the sky breaks. In this oppressive heat, the grapes are rapidly finishing their ripening, and every hour counts. The teams work with almost silent concentration. In the cellar, the harvest keeps coming in nonstop. Tonight, when the first raindrops finally fall, the day will already have delivered what matters most: healthy grapes, brought in on time, before the storm breaks.