(WineSpectator) - As vignerons across France pick this year’s grape harvest, they can only wonder at what might have been if Mother Nature hadn't been so cruel. A year of chaotic weather across France has produced the nation’s smallest wine grape crop since 1945. But while volume suffered, winemakers remain optimistic about quality after an early start to the harvest.

"We've already finished with the Merlot and we're picking the Cabernet little by little," Sophie Schyler, a co-owner with her family of Château Kirwan in Margaux, told Wine Spectator. "The quality—the color, concentration and alcohol level—is very satisfying. The weather is stable, allowing us to pick at the optimal grape maturity."

Bordeaux was hard hit by April’s frost, unusual for this maritime region. Schyler said that the lower-altitude vineyard parcels used for Kirwan’s second wine suffered from the frost, but in general they escaped the bitter cold felt elsewhere. "We weren't hit hard—that's true in the Médoc. We were fortunate compared to other regions like the Graves, Sauternes and St.-Emilion."

Philippe Dambrine, CEO of Château Cantemerle in the Haut-Médoc and Château Grand Corbin in St.-Emilion, echoes that. "At Cantemerle only a few parcels were hit. It's too early to make a precise estimate [of losses]. Maybe 30 percent overall?” he said. “Our vineyard of Château Grand Corbin has been severely impacted by the frost. We expect 90 percent lost this year."