If you can read French, I urge you to check the Perrin family's (of Beaucastel fame) 2005 harvest blog. This year they have shot some great photos and each day has news of a new grape being harvested. Even at 8 a.m., reading about the Rousanne harvest made me crave that aromatic white wine!
As of today, several white grapes have been brought in --viognier, rousanne, marsanne, bourboulenc. Syrah and grenache have begun to come in and the Perrins say the grapes are very beautiful.
The harvest changes day-by-day with some days being hot and calm, others sprinkels of rain or blustery with the Mistral.
Here's a shot I took at Beaucastel in January 2005 of 50,000 bottles of 98 Beaucastel Chateauneuf to wet your appetite!