2026 vintage journal

Every vintage takes shape long before the harvest. This first journal traces the decisions made in the vineyard and in the cellar from January to the end of June 2026.

We would like to share the key moments that shape Château Clarisse’s 2026 vintage, month after month. Understanding the year means anticipating the vintage.

January

Pruning season

Pruning opens the year, plot by plot, following the Simonit & Sirch method. This gentle pruning respects the flow of sap, limits large wounds and builds a balanced vine structure. It is slow work, done by hand, that protects the estate against trunk diseases.

Of the estate’s 24 hectares, 4 are woodland and 4 are left fallow: 16 hectares are in production, with vines averaging 20 years of age and two plots planted 75 years ago, which give rise to Cuvée Vieilles Vignes.

The month is wet and the soils of the Libournais are saturated. Every pass of machinery is timed to the windows when the ground can bear the weight: we would rather wait than compact soil that would take years to restore. On the night of 5 to 6 January, the Gironde sees a spell of snow and black ice.

In the cellar, the 2025 vintage completes its malolactic fermentations: acidity softens and the wines gain roundness.

February

The first signs of awakening

Chardonnay is the first to wake. An early-budding variety, it opens its buds before the reds: the 4.3 hectares spread across seven plots, planted since 2020, are closely monitored from the first signs of budburst.

In the rows, pruning continues and trellis repair begins: damaged stakes and wires are replaced, anchors are checked and wires re-tensioned. In the first Merlot plots, the pruned canes are pulled from the wires. A first pass of the rotary mower keeps an already vigorous cover crop in check.

The month remains damp, with temperatures unusually mild for the season. This combination brings the vines’ return to growth forward by several weeks: the entire spring schedule is adjusted accordingly.

March

Protecting the Chardonnay

On 27 March, temperatures drop sharply. The Chardonnay vines, already in bud, are on the front line. Frost candles are set out in the most exposed plots on two consecutive nights. These same plots will open the estate’s fifth Chardonnay harvest on 17 August.

For the rest of the month, work intensifies as the soils finally drain: pruning is completed on the last plots, canes are tied down along the fruiting wire to space the future bunches evenly, the soil ridge beneath the vines is ploughed away (décavaillonnage), and cultivation between the rows begins. Plot 32 is prepared for a new planting of Chardonnay.

The estate’s hedgerows are maintained, both for their contribution to the landscape and for their role as a refuge for biodiversity.

April

Back in the rows

The trellising is renewed across every plot. Delayed by the March rains, trellis repair is finally completed: it had to be finished before the foliage grew too dense, as this renewed trellising will support the shoots throughout the season.

Soil work between the rows continues, and the under-vine cultivator passes beneath the row, as close to the vines as possible. This mechanical weeding, slower and more demanding than spraying, limits the use of herbicides: it is one of the tangible markers of the sustainable viticulture practised on the estate.

The month is dry, mild and sunny, with an early spell of heat from 4 to 10 April. These conditions make it possible to make up all the time lost over the winter.

May

The vines gain height

Canopy work begins. The first wire-lifting takes place in the Merlot: the movable wires are raised to hold the shoots upright, space them better and limit breakage. Suckering at the foot of the vines removes the non-fruiting shoots that compete with the fruit-bearing ones. Every task prepares the harvest to come.

The month opens with unsettled weather which, combined with rising temperatures, creates conditions favourable to downy and powdery mildew. Preventive protection is put in place without delay. From 20 May, very hot, dry high-pressure weather settles in and restores the health of the vines.

In the cellar, the emblematic large oak vat (foudre) in which Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is aged is tightened: its hoops are drawn in around the staves to keep it watertight.

June

A new Chardonnay plot

Plot 32 is planted with Chardonnay. The young vines come from Pépinières Guillaume: a massal selection grafted onto 420A rootstock, reserved a year in advance. Planted after the preparatory work in March, they extend a project begun in 2020: 4.3 hectares across seven plots, more than one hectare coming into production this year, two hectares expected in 2027, and ultimately 30 to 40% of the vineyard.

The end of the month brings exceptional heat across the Gironde. The young vines are watched constantly, and soil management between the rows becomes a question of water: limiting competition from the grass means preserving water for the vines.

In the face of these extremes, the terroir acts as a regulator. The limestone soils of the plateau have maintained steady ripening and preserved the freshness the estate’s team is looking for.