In line with the rest of France, Château Troplong Mondot, based in Saint-Émilion, has begun harvesting early. 

Located in southwestern France, near Bordeaux, the estate revealed that it began picking grapes on 19 August, nine days ahead of 2025, which was itself ahead of schedule. 

CEO Aymeric de Gironde explained that the dry and hot summer has accelerated the ripening of the berries, which is why they are harvesting now. 

“Our goal since 2017 has been to preserve the crispness, freshness and elegance of our grapes, which is why we’ve chosen to start the harvest so early,” de Gironde said. 

He continued that he had faith in the quality of the grapes thanks to the terroir at Troplong Mondot, with clay and limestone soils able to nourish the vines, even with extreme summer conditions. 

Aiming to grow its wine tourism, the estate further commented that it would be opening its cellars from Monday to Friday during the harvest period, allowing guests to tour the vineyard to check ripeness, taste through the winery and then join the harvest team for lunch. 

Part of a wider trend of early harvesting in France, the news from Troplong Mondot comes as the country experiences one of its warmest summers on record. 

From May to August, nearly 150 weather stations recorded all-time weather highs across France, happening in a spate of heat waves. 

Image credit: Château Troplong Mondot