Winehog reports from Nuits-Saint-Georges that Burgundy’s 2026 harvest is producing exceptionally low juice yields, in some cases 50% to 70% below normal, while grapes are showing abundant colour, tannin and extract. Steen Öhman argues that these conditions make restrained vinification particularly important, warning that excessive extraction could produce Pinot Noir that is unusually heavy and powerful rather than characteristically fresh and elegant. He links the issue to global warming and suggests that lighter winemaking, earlier-drinking styles and varieties such as Aligoté may become increasingly important as Burgundy adapts to warmer vintages.
Pinot Noir
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Medieval Grape Seed Reveals 600-Year Lineage of Pinot Noir
The Drinks Business reports that a 600-year-old grape seed found in a 15th-century hospital latrine in Valenciennes has been identified as genetically identical to modern Pinot Noir, with the underlying Nature Communications study describing it as evidence of clonal continuity over nearly 600 years. The finding strengthens the case that Pinot Noir was already being cultivated in France in the 1400s and adds to broader evidence that sophisticated vine propagation techniques were in use much earlier than many non-specialists might assume.