Reflections on Harvest 2026

by Ben Mayo - Le Vigne Winemaker

In the vineyard, the first picking crews arrive before sunrise, their headlamps moving through the rows as bins begin to fill. By midmorning, the grapes are already on their way to the winery, cool and fragrant, carrying the character of the season with them. Every load brings a new set of decisions—when to press, how gently to handle the fruit, and how best to preserve what the vineyard has given us.

It comes every year—sometimes late, sometimes early, but never quite on time. Harvest follows its own schedule, and once it begins, everything else falls away. As the days get shorter and the mornings cooler, our days become longer and busier.

Grapes are usually a fall fruit, but this year they became a summer crop, with picking beginning in August. The 2026 vintage is the earliest harvest California has seen in the last 70 years, and certainly the earliest in my 30-plus years of making wine. The yields are low, but the fruit is intense: the flavors are mature, the acids are present, and the balance is promising.

We won’t have a lot of wine from this year, but what we do have should be pretty special. Grapes don’t recognize weekends or holidays, so neither do we. Harvest begins as a sprint and settles into a marathon.

The winery fills with the fruity scent of fermentation as cellar workers move quickly from task to task—checking temperatures, moving hoses, cleaning equipment, and making dozens of small decisions that will shape the finished wines. Even through the long hours, they remain in good spirits. We are tired, fortunate, and grateful. We love what we do.