Bordeaux harvest is finished this week and high alcohols are a concern

Sunshine is usually considered a good thing but in 2018, too much sunshine and not enough water may result in wines with alcohol levels at 14% or higher!

The Bordeaux harvest finished this week and the talk is of high alcohol wines. The lack of rain in the summer meant that concentration was very high, with Merlot based varieties achieving 15.5% abv. Expect the top estates to increase the amount of Cabernet in their first label blends to keep alcohols lower, with their second wines perhaps having higher alcohol. And with such high alcohols there is also concern over the amount of volatile acidity in the wines.