Vintage notes · 6 November 2025 · 5 min read
The 2025 harvest, block by block
A late spring frost, a bright September and the smallest crop in six years. What came in was very good, and here is where it is going.
We cut the last bunch of the 2025 harvest on the 17th of October, after sixteen picking days and 41 tonnes of fruit. That is about a quarter less than an average year. What we lost, we lost in one night in late April.
The frost
On the night of the 27th of April the temperature on the lower slope fell to minus two for three hours. The buds had just burst. We ran the frost candles from midnight until dawn and saved most of the upper rows, but the Bacchus at the bottom of the slope, where the cold air pools, lost about half its first shoots.
The summer
Everything after that was kind. Flowering was quick in June, July was warm without being hot, and September was dry and bright, which is exactly what sparkling-wine grapes need: slow ripening that keeps the acidity high.
Block by block
- Chardonnay, top rows: clean, balanced, some of the best acidity we have seen. This fruit is the core of a future Blanc de Blancs.
- Pinot Noir, 1979 block: tiny yield, deep colour, very concentrated. It is in barrel now and, if it keeps going the way it is, will become an Old Vine release in 2028.
- Pinot Meunier: generous and soft, perfect for Classic Cuvée.
- Bacchus: half a crop, but aromatic and ripe. The 2025 Chalk Bacchus will be small and will sell out.
What it means for you
Classic Cuvée and Coombe Rosé are blended across years, so their supply is unaffected. The 2025 Bacchus and still Pinot Noir will be about 40% smaller than usual, and club members will receive their allocation first.
