The 2026 Cabernet Franc harvest in the Loire Valley is likely to begin on September 1st for many producers across the region — one of the earliest harvests on record for reds. The year has been described as “compliqué,” but the conditions are the opposite of those of the compliqué 2024 vintage. This year has brought record-breaking heatwaves and drought to the Central Loire (like much of western Europe), and while that means disease pressure has been minimal, these conditions do present their own challenges, such as uneven maturities, tiny berries and bunches, raisining, and sunburn.
Vignerons I’ve spoken to have shared some of what they’re seeing in their own parcels, but this is the first time I’ve been in the Loire this close to harvest, and naturally I wanted to see some parcels first-hand. So, with less than a week to go until harvest, over the last few days I hit the road in my little Peugeot 208 to visit a wide variety of vineyards across the major appellations in Touraine and Anjou-Saumur to get a sense of how the vintage is looking for Cabernet Franc in the Loire. My goal was to visit as many different lieux-dits and terroirs as possible to see if there are any common patterns or themes that define 2026.
Over 500km and dozens of parcels later across 17 communes in 8 appellations, what follows is a visual account of my visits, with some of my observations and insights as to what these images tell us about the 2026 vintage for Cabernet Franc in the Loire Valley.