After a rainy winter, a cool spring, and pleasantly warm summer days, the 2024 harvest turned out to be excellent, with yields in line with expectations, outstanding grape quality, and wines that will express the virtues of their places of origin.
“The 2024 harvest has been a resounding success, surpassing all our expectations and consolidating our commitment to quality and excellence. In this harvest, we have managed to meet the committed quality standards for all grape varieties. Thanks to meticulous vineyard management and favourable weather conditions, we have obtained grapes of exceptional quality,” says Max Larraín, agricultural manager of Concha y Toro, summing up what was a great 2024 harvest.
Indeed, the 2023-2024 season was quite unique. It began with a rainy winter, one of the wettest in the last 30 years, which allowed the soils to be cleansed of salts, with plenty of water available and prepared for the season. At the same time, the rains were concentrated in the winter months—an ideal scenario for vine cultivation—recording more than 600 millimetres of rainfall in the central zone.
Marcelo Papa, technical director of Concha y Toro and chief winemaker for Amelia and Marques de Casa Concha Heritage wines, explains that, given the influence of El Niño, the spring was generally cool, with more cloudiness and therefore lower temperatures, and higher soil moisture due to the winter, causing a delay in vine development. “We finished veraison two weeks later than in a normal year; however, once this stage was over, the temperatures during ripening were very favourable, thus recovering a week, reaching the harvest with only a one-week delay,” he says.
However, the 2023-2024 season was considerably different for the northern vineyards. While for the central zone this was a cycle of great freshness, noticeably wetter, and yields were as expected—or even higher—for the Limarí Valley, this was a warmer season, with scant winter rains and lower-than-usual yields. This led to an advance in the harvest date by about ten days, while in central and southern Chile, the harvest had to be delayed by the same amount.
“We are very happy with the quality of the 2024 harvest, which was a cool year with abundant winter rains, resulting in wines of attractive colour, rich fruit expression, great balance, not as high alcohol levels as in previous years, and balanced natural acidity. This harvest will result in wines with an elegance and quality of tannins comparable only to the best vintages in history,” concludes Marcelo Papa.
