Bordeaux producers fear recent rains will dash hopes for the 'great' vintage that has looked almost possible during the growing season, reports Decanter.com.

On the Left Bank this past weekend, chateau owners donned the decorative robes of the Commanderie du Bontemps to formally announce the start of the 2006 red wine harvest. But, clutching umbrellas under a grey sky, some couldn't hide their disappointment as rain fell on their vines.

"2006 will not be a great vintage," was the flat assessment of Yann Schÿler of Chateau Kirwan in Margaux. "Already this year we have had the inverse of what is normal: a hot and dry July and a muggy and cold August, instead of the other way around. But if the sun returns in the next two weeks, it could be a good vintage."

"We did not need this," Jean-Rene Matignon, wine-making director of Château Pichon Longueville in Pauillac told Decanter.com. "In just the past few days, we've had 55mm of rain. We really need sun and wind now to dry the vines, and hope that the grapes do not get bloated."

More rain is expected in the next two weeks, according to recent weather forecasts for Bordeaux.

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