Harvest will start soon!

We are ready for vintage 2025 - in fact, we expect harvesting to start early next week in our Cazal Viel vineyards at Cessenon-sur-Orb. The vignerons of Languedoc enter the harvest time with concern, resilience and cautious optimism. With the shadow of recent devastating wildfires and ongoing very hot conditions (although thankfully nothing like what's being currently experienced in Spain and Portugal), we take nothing for granted.

Vintage 2025: The story so far

This summer has defied usual weather patterns, alternating between extremes. In late June and the first few days of July, heat soared to 42 °C - overall it was the second hottest June on record in France, beaten only by 2003. Paradoxically, late July and early August brought an unseasonable cooler period. Despite this volatility, the vines have shown remarkable resilience - the benefits of older vines and good canopy management on our north-south planted vines help us manage excessive heat well. Ripening has continued steadily, and although early August saw temperatures spike again, it wasn't particularly unusual for this time of year.

Wildfires: An ever-increasing threat

Just weeks after destructive blazes in July, new wildfires erupted on 5 August, sweeping across the Corbières hills and edging toward Béziers. Driven by the hot and dry Tramontane wind - so often our friend when it comes to fighting disease in the vines - the fires ravaged more than 17,000 hectares across the Aude département, prompting evacuations and causing serious injury and at least one fatality. It was a frightening and worrying time for us all and we are so grateful to the front line fire fighters who risked their lives to extinguish the fires. It serves as a stark reminder of how climate-induced drought and land management decisions is amplifying the vulnerability of farmers and vine growers throughout France and Europe in general. The Laurent Miquel team is committed to mitigating and adapting to these challenges as best we can with a commitment to long term soil health and resilience through regenerative viticulture principles.

As we prepare for harvest next week, we reflect on a season that brought extremes: record-breaking heat in June and early July, changing to cool conditions at the end of the month, giving an unpredictable rhythm that challenged the vines and required careful oversight of our vineyards. We've completed maturity testing at Château Cazal Viel and the grapes are healthy with balanced phenols and sugars - ripening is almost complete and we are preparing to harvest, starting with the white grapes. Château Auzines will be about 10 days later based on our testing in the vineyards - the higher altitude means cooler average temperatures and a longer ripening period.

We look forward with optimism and some trepidation to the coming harvest and are hopeful that all goes to plan! Follow us for updates