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This Autumn, the Armit team returned to Burgundy to meet our producers with mixed emotions. While two generous crops in 2022 and 2023 offered reason to celebrate, they reflected on the most recent and incredibly challenging 2024 harvest. With high levels of rainfall and disease pressure, particularly in the Côte de Nuits, and devastating hail in Chablis, our producers were pleased to discuss the happier times of the 2023 vintage. They were delighted to share a triumphant vintage with expressive, thrilling whites and elegant, structured reds.
“A generous year, easy and warm. We have been spoiled… I loved the vintage from the start, which offered us perfect conditions.” – Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard
The 2023 vintage ranks among the warmest on record, closely following the 2022 and 2020 vintages, both defined by drought and hydric stress. However, 2023 benefited from sufficient rainfall, resulting in an almost perfect crop.
“There was sun at the right time, rain at the right time, making this a continuation in the great years of 2020, 2022 and now 2023 with superb levels of thrilling acidity.” - Nicolas Potel, Maison Roche de Bellene
The winter was very warm and dry but a later budbreak in mid to late April protected the crop from potential frost damage during a few very cold days at the end of March. Temperatures above the norm throughout spring resulted in a rapid and near perfect flowering ensuring excellent fruit set with the promise of a generous yield. “Almost every flower gave a grape”, noted Alexis Aubin at Domaine Roumier.
Understanding Pinot Noir’s delicate nature and risk of dilution, many of our producers deemed it essential to green harvest, such as at Domaine d’Eugenie, performing two green harvests to retain concentration. June and July were above normal temperatures followed by a cooler August with an unheard-of heatwave reaching 35 degrees lasting until the 10th of September. Harvesting in a heatwave posed many challenges, with high temperatures threatening the loss of delicate aromas, a higher risk of oxidation, and even spontaneous fermentation.
We were thrilled – and relieved – to find that our producers navigated the challenges triumphantly. They picked early in the morning and in some instances were able to cool the grapes before pressing. Good volumes allowed for vigorous sorting and resulted in pristine juice, reflected in the precision and purity of fruit in the wines we tasted.
It was imperative for winemakers to choose their picking date carefully. As Michel Mallard explained, in these temperatures “just a few days could make a difference of 2-3% abv.”
“The whites will be approachable earlier than the 2022s”, says Sabine Mollard at Marc Morey, while they have retained sufficient acidity and concentration to age. The reds benefited from thin skins from little disease pressure and large grapes from sufficient rain, resulting in silky textured wines that are “elegant and fresh” (Aurélien Verdet).
The 2023 vintage retains a strong sense of place and expression of terroir: limestone-dominant climats are discernible in their tension and electricity, whilst clay-dominant parcels favour generosity, grip and density to the palate. The character of the wines is also impacted by the date of harvest: from precise, mineral and linear wines for those who picked earlier, to fleshy, richer, indulgent wines for those who picked later. Therefore, the 2023 vintage offers a variety of styles to suit all palates.
The vintage demonstrates the resilience of winemakers and their vines, as both adapt to the solar conditions we have witnessed in recent years. Village and Regional appellations offer beautiful expression and approachability, reflecting a shift in style towards wines that are a joy to taste young. At 1er and Grand Cru level, several winemakers made comparisons with 2017 and 2020, two vintages that offer a compelling balance of youthful drinkability but also ageing potential (as the 2017s, especially, continue to prove).
Ahead of the challenging and low-yielding 2024 vintage, we warmly recommend adding some 2023s to your cellar. Thanks to an abundant crop and the favourable exchange rate, we anticipate pricing stability and good accessibility. There will always be exceptions, however, and the most sought-after domaines will be sold by allocation.
We foresee 2023 to go down as another magnificent vintage and one would be remiss to overlook the wines, whether you intend to enjoy them either in their youth or reward them with patience in the cellar. We would be delighted to discuss this with you further, so please contact the team if you would like to learn more.
