The 2024 vintage is shaping up to be a real ray of sunshine on the Var coast. While some French regions were severely affected by mildew, damp, hail and frost, Château Sainte Marguerite was fortunate to benefit from favourable conditions.

Château Sainte Marguerite began its harvest the night of August 19th, starting with its signature grape variety, Grenache, in plots along the Mediterranean coast. Harvest continued with Rolle - also called Vermentino - concluding on September 11th with Cinsault.

The harvest is looking good at Château Ste Marguerite

2024 was a harmonious year, with a rainy spring followed by a hot, dry summer. August brought hot days and cool nights, excellent conditions for the harvest. As always at Château Sainte Marguerite, the harvesting took place at night, benefitting from the cooler temperatures.

Organic viticulture requires particular attention to be paid to the risks of mildew and powdery mildew during periods of high humidity. Château Sainte Marguerite's extra vigilance and know-how have enabled it to produce top-quality wines that reflect the quintessence of its terroir.

Harvest began as soon as the grapes reached an optimal maturity – the right balance between levels of sugar and acidity – and demonstrated both a beautiful aromatic palette and a lively freshness. Olivier and Enzo Fayard, brothers and winemaking duo behind Château Sainte Marguerite, worked closely with their teams on a rigorous analysis of the grapes before deciding on the perfect moment to begin the harvest.

Olivier Fayard winemaker and managing director

“Despite the challenges of the weather, we were able to extract the full quin- tessence of our terroir, thanks to our know-how and massal selection, which enabled us to fully express the richness of our terroir. We are delighted with the quality of our harvest, which has reached perfect ripeness and promises to be an exceptional vintage,” says Olivier Fayard, winemaker and managing director of Château Sainte Marguerite.

An exciting challenge this year has been the harvesting of the most recent addition to Château Sainte Marguerite: the Aux Yerres de Ravel estate and its 280 hectares of
vineyards. Even before the acquisition, the Fayard worked closely with the Ravel family to get to know the terroir and begin its conversion to organic viticulture. Yhe protec- tion of the environment is very important to Château Sainte Marguerite and all of its vineyards are certified organic.

For Château Sainte Marguerite, each of its emblematic grape varieties - Vermentino, Grenache and Cinsault - expresses the nuances of the terroir in which they are grown. These grape varieties, combined with the unique terroir of Château Sainte Marguerite, give birth to wines that are delicious, fruity and mineral, offering authentic pleasure every time you taste them.

The Fayard family's know-how, perfected since the first harvests in 1977, continues to guide the estate's viticultural and winemaking practices.

The 2024 Harvest

“The 2024 harvest has all the characteristics that we look for: an aromatic palette with a lot of finesse, hints of white fruit, white ßowers and citrus, and ezcellent overall potential for our wines,” says Olivier Fayard.

A 2024 vintage that embodies the passion, dedication and excellence of the Château Sainte Marguerite.