(USAToday) - Near this medieval town in southwestern France, the Château Rochebelle and its Grand Cru vines have been producing red wines under the watchful eye of the Faniest family since 1847.

The current owner, Philippe Faniest, has high hopes for his latest stock, thanks to a warming climate's beneficial impact on the Bordeaux wine-producing district.

“The 2015 vintage is one of the very best years,” he boasted. “It will be a wine that can be kept for 30 years.”

Faniest said he also anticipates that the 2016 grapes, yet to be picked, will go down in history, too:  “The 2016 vintage will be a great year because we had so much sun.”

Bordeaux’s fortunes have been on the rise in recent decades, as “good years” like 2015 have become more frequent.

That's because warmer summers mean the fruit ripens quicker. So instead of October, the grapes can be harvested sometimes in September, which is more likely to be dry. If there are heavy rains just before or during harvest, the fruit swells and dilutes, which inevitably makes the wine less palatable, according to wine experts.