Harvest Report2024
Tribute to Nature
Despite the many challenges of the 2024 viticultural year, the vineyard has shown great resilience and a promising harvest potential, which the Champagne AYALA team eagerly awaits to discover during the tasting of the still wines.
From mid-October 2023 until the end of July, the rain never stopped. This climate instability led the vineyard to battle an outbreak of downy mildew, particularly affecting the vineyards in southern Sézannais and Aube, making the 2024 winegrowing season challenging
Between the frost-prone nights in Côte des Bar at the end of April and the hail that destroyed 500 hectares of vines in the western Vallée de la Marne, the quantitative potential of Champagne was revised downward.
The flowering took place in difficult conditions, with cool and wet weather. The vines suffered from a lack of sunlight and an excess of water in the soil, limiting their nutrition and growth. The heavy rains in June and July further reduced the harvest prospects in terms of quantity, with noticeable downy mildew damage on grape clusters.
Fortunately, the return of sunny and dry weather in August helped stabilize the sanitary conditions, although the intense heat further impacted yields through sunburn, without raising concerns about a grey mold outbreak.
The Harvest Time
Despite yields being 10 to 15% lower on average compared to July forecasts, the 2024 harvest shows great qualitative potential in many regions.
The vines’ sanitary condition has been preserved thanks to cool nights and sunny days at the start of the harvest, limiting the development of grey mold. However, the weather conditions worsen towards the end of the harvest, making the work of pickers more challenging.
Ultimately, acidity levels are higher than the decade average, and the aromatic balance appears very promising.
Agility in the vineyard
The phrase “It is urgent to wait” takes on full meaning this year. Despite the official start of the harvest, AYALA’s partner winegrowers showed patience, delaying picking by 3 to 5 days to allow the grapes to reach better maturity.
This adjustment in the harvest schedule perfectly illustrates the commitment and agility of AYALA’s partner winegrowers in ensuring the quality of their production.
This flexibility is particularly remarkable, given that one of the greatest challenges of manual harvesting in Champagne is labor management.
Chardonnay takes center space
A grape variety that Champagne AYALA’s teams have identified for years as having strong potential in the light of climate change, Chardonnay once again confirmed in 2024 its ability to adapt to variations in climate and temperatures. After a late start, the ripening process gained strong momentum, reflecting an excellent physiological state of the vines. Unlike 2023, the harvest ended with Chardonnay, reaching an average degree of 10, with more moderate ripening due to the rains that contributed to increasing the weight of the grape clusters.
At Champagne AYALA, quality is prioritized over quantity. This year, the House welcomes 61 distinct crus from the greatest Terroirs of Champagne: Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, Vitryat, Sézannais, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Bar, and Massif de St-Thierry. Although this number is lower than in 2023, the House stands out with a remarkable diversity of Chardonnays, with more than 50 different crus from these same Terroirs. This fully aligns with Champagne AYALA’s wine project, aiming to embody the excellence and expertise of Chardonnay in Champagne.
Could 2024 be “the vintage of the decade”?
“When we look at the analytical parameters, they resemble the bases of 2008, 2012, and 2016, three exceptional vintages. We have a beautiful level of acidity right now .” said Julian Gout, the House’s Cellar Master, to Yves Tesson for Terre de Vins, during the harvest. He added, “I truly believe we may have the finest vintage of the decade in our hands, but we must not waste it. The challenge is having the wisdom to wait. The final answer will be in the potential alcohol level.”
Despite the many challenges of the 2024 viticultural year, the vineyard has shown great resilience and a promising harvest potential, which the Champagne AYALA team eagerly awaits to discover during the tasting of the still wines.
