2026 Harvest: an early, intense, and promising vintage

The story of an August like no other

On August 25th, the first snips of the pruning shears echoed through our high-altitude vineyards. Three weeks later, the last grapes were arriving at the winery. 2026 was an early harvest, dense, sometimes challenging — and yet, one that we will remember for a long time.

A generous winter, a summer of fire

The 2026 vintage was built on strong contrasts. Winter and spring were generously rainy, with total precipitation of around 660 mm between September 2025 and March 2026 — data for Vinça, www.meteociel.fr. That is 35% more rain than the average between 1991 and 2020. The vines drank, and the soils replenished their reserves. Then summer arrived, dry and hot, with an intensity that shook our usual benchmarks, with one heatwave following another. The arrival of maturity across the different plots happened all at once, without our usual delays between the different grape varieties. No more breaks between those considered early and those that are late-ripening.

Result: a harvest that started much earlier than usual for a high-altitude estate, almost 3 weeks ahead of our harvests from the 2016-2020 period. Every plot, every grape variety — everything was decided day by day, by eye and by palate.

"We had to follow the development of each plot carefully and consistently. The right time to harvest is often a window of just a few days. There was no way we were going to miss it."

Dominique Génot

Superb grapes

What delighted us day after day was the exceptional health of the grapes. Despite a tense summer marked by heat and some concerns, the clusters arrived at the winery perfectly healthy. For us at Mas Llossanes, this is essential: we use no additives during fermentation. It is impossible to "fix" a tired or unbalanced grape. No commercial yeasts, no acidifiers, no pectin enzymes, no texturizers. Nothing that could disguise or compensate.

Our approach — faithful to our Biodyvin certification — demands impeccable raw materials.

Thanks to manual harvesting, every cluster passes through our hands. We look, we sort, we choose. We move quickly, but never in a rush.

Three intense weeks, yes, but three weeks where nothing was left to chance. Just precision, patience, and that respect for the fruit that is the signature of Mas Llossanes.

Starting at dawn to protect the team

Harvesting in 35°C (in the shade!) is not tenable in the vineyard under the scorching sun. So we adapted. Our days began at sunrise, when the air was still cool. We finished by midday, before the most scorching hours of the afternoon. Short days that forced the harvest to stretch out over time. It wasn't always easy to organize, but it was obvious to us: the health of those who work by our side comes before everything else.

Our harvesters woke up while it was still dark, arrived in the vineyard before dawn, and picked with an energy and good humor that touched us every morning.

Solenn Génot

🔥 A thought for our region

 

On July 4th, a large fire broke out near Trévillach, not far from the estate. This 2026 harvest will remain linked to this event, and to the solidarity that was expressed for all those who were affected — residents, farmers, livestock breeders, winemakers. We are very lucky not to have suffered any damage during these fires, unlike most of our fellow winemakers in Tarerach.
Vines, just like cultivated or grazed fields, help keep the territory alive and act as firebreaks against the advance of the flames, thus facilitating the titanic fight of the firefighters. Without this work by the peasants, the territory, full of wastelands, is more exposed. And this year reminded us of that forcefully. Let’s support peasant farming!

In the winery, the work continues

Once the grapes are harvested, the transformation begins. Reception, sorting, preparing the vats, monitoring fermentations — the winery has been running at full capacity since the first day of the harvest. When ripening tightens up like this year, everything happens quickly. You have to be ready to receive the freshly harvested grapes while emptying another vat that has finished its maceration, all while ensuring pump-overs on those fermenting at full speed! Our oenologist Dominique was on all fronts until late into the evening to leave the cellar ready to start again the next morning.

This is also our favorite moment, in a way. After months spent in the vines, seeing the grapes enter the winery and begin their transformation — it is always a bit magical.

❤️A huge thank you to our team of harvesters and carriers. For the early morning wake-up calls, the courage in the face of the heat, the energy, and the good humor throughout these three weeks. Without you, none of this would have been possible.

Solenn & Dominique Génot

And now, we wait

The vats are fermenting, the wines are developing. Our role now is to taste, to accompany, and to give them the time to express themselves. It is too early to know exactly what the 2026 vintage will yield — but the material is beautiful, and our intuition is good.

One thing is certain: the story of these wines began in the vines, under the sun of this particular summer. The rest will unfold in the cellar over the coming months. See you at bottling time. 🍇