Burgundy 2024, a Vintage of Resilience and Precision
Fresh from a week of intensive tastings in Burgundy, Fine Wine Sales Manager Bryn Stephens and Director of Prestige Sales Matt Wilkin MS share their insights into the 2024 vintage. Their report explores the growing season, harvest challenges, and the character of the wines, offering a clear perspective on what buyers can expect from this highly unusual year.
Vintage takeaways
- Losses were severe, but the results from meticulous producers remain to be exceptional quality.
- 2024 wines fall into a ‘classic Burgundy’ vintage: gastronomic, structured, and expressive of terroir.
- Forecast good ageing potential of Premier and Grand Cru wines.
Growing conditions
If Burgundy’s weather in 2024 could be summed up in one word, it would be elusive. There was no escaping the abnormalities of this vintage. December and January brought more than double the average rainfall, followed by warmer-than-usual temperatures in February and March, which triggered an early budbreak. And that was only the beginning: persistent rain, severe localised frosts, and destructive hail all played their part in what many growers described as a punishing season.
Chablis suffered the most extreme impact, with frost and hail wiping out entire harvests in some vineyards, making it the hardest-hit area in Burgundy and limiting supply as a result.
This relentless combination of challenging factors created ideal conditions for mildew, forcing viticulturists to invest extraordinary amounts of time, effort and resources to protect their vines. For organic and in-conversion estates, the struggle was even greater, as repeated rainfall washed away protective treatments.
Surprisingly, viticulturists found a silver lining. The mildew acted as a natural selection process, eliminating weaker fruit that dropped off, leaving behind bunches of quality. Then in August, a crucial reprieve arrived. The first two weeks with beautifully warm dry weather assisting the grapes to ripen before rains returned.
Harvest
Most growers began picking around 12 September, and with few exceptions, the harvest was completed by 24 September. Losses were severe: in the Côte de Nuits (in particular Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St-Georges), yields were down as much as 80% compared to average. In the Côte de Beaune, losses ranged from 10 to 20% for Chardonnay and up to 50% for Pinot Noir. Unsurprisingly, sloped Premier Cru and Grand Cru sites fared better than lower-lying village sites.
As expected, meticulous attention was paid during harvest. Winemakers exercised great vigilance when picking in the vineyard, followed by rigorous, conscientious sorting at the winery to ensure only the healthiest fruit made it into production. The use of fine lees was highly selective, with only the very best retained. Oak handling was equally considered, often resulting in less new oak being used.
Wine Characteristics
The whites display remarkable purity, savoury tension and zesty freshness. While many were lightly chaptalised, typically by just half a percent, this has contributed to an appealing texture and precise fruit expression. There is a lovely tension and vibrancy to them, making them exceedingly drinkable.
The reds are more selective, yet for producers who managed their vineyards with relentless care, the results are impressive: elegant, fragrant fruit profiles, good ripeness, and complexity, all at modest alcohol levels. Aided by diligent chaptalisation, the finely poised tannin structure and overall harmony shine through.
These are gastronomic wines, built with structure and flavour profiles destined to pair beautifully with food. The opulence of warmer years like 2023 is absent; instead, these are more focused, fresh wines that true wine lovers will adore. Both white and red wines from Premier Cru and Grand Cru sites show promising ageing potential, while village-level wines are approachable and attractive in their youth.
Comparison to 2023
As anticipated in last year’s report, the 2024 vintage was among the most challenging of the past 30 years. The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) has noted the 2024 vintage as scarce but flavourful, with yields to be approximately 25% down from the 2023 harvest. This stands in stark contrast to 2023, a year marked by warmth and generosity, where many reds showed ripe fruit, soft tannins, and attractive concentration, and whites balanced richness with freshness despite heat spikes before harvest.
Where 2023 offered opulence and approachability, 2024 is defined by tenacity and precision. The extreme weather conditions of 2024 demanded relentless vineyard work and meticulous sorting, resulting in wines that are taut, fresh, and gastronomic rather than plush and ripe. For buyers, this means that while 2023 wines will provide early and mid-term pleasure, 2024 will deliver smaller volumes of more focused, terroir-driven wines with notable ageing potential, particularly from Premier Cru and Grand Cru sites.
In Summary
The 2024 vintage provides the latest in a succession of abnormal weather events that have challenged Burgundy’s resilience for decades. The determination and skill of its winemakers and viticulturists remain truly inspiring, as they harness experience and modern techniques to master conditions reminiscent of the previous decade, delivering wines of impressive character.
On our recent visit, we tasted around 300 wines and were pleasantly surprised by the quality achieved under such adversity. Our trusted producers have crafted wines with precision and poise. The style of 2024 falls firmly into the realm of ‘classic Burgundy’ - gastronomic, structured, and expressive of terroir. These are wines that will shine at the table and reward thoughtful selection. Choose wisely, and you will not be disappointed.
What the producers said
2024 reminded me of the 1996 and 2007 seasons in terms of making the decision to harvest later. From what I learnt from seeing and experiencing vintages like 1970 and 1980, I knew exactly what to do and how to control whatever the weather threw my way. I worked round the clock, reacting to each day as it came, treating mildew as soon as it started, working day, night, weekends, whatever it took; to control mildew, you need to stop it taking hold!
Jean-Philippe Fichet, based in Meursault, reflected on the season’s challenges.
Jean-Philippe Fichet at Domaine Jean-Philippe Fichet, Meursault.
All canopy management was done by hand, including trimmings, with most of my crop lost during flower set. What we harvested was ripe and healthy; there was limited juice, but for the most part very good quality indeed. We destemmed everything and took gentle care in the cellar.
Alexandrine Roy of Domaine Marc Roy in Gevrey-Chambertin described the painstaking work in the vineyard.
Alexandrine Roy at Domaine Marc Roy.
I harvested last, on the 29th of September, with some vineyards cropping between 2 and 4 hl/ha. The fruit was ripe and healthy, and I continued to work with whole cluster vinification. There’s absolutely no green elements or harshness to whole bunch vinification in any vintage if you manage your vines well, handle your fruit gently and don’t split the stems. The 2024 wines remind me of 1985.
On the timing and approach to harvest, Yves Confuron of Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot in Vosne-Romanée.
Yves Confuron at Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot.
In Saint Aubin, we’re aided by winds with a cleansing effect that helps reduce the spread of mildew. I had very good lees for maturing the wines in 2024. This is a vintage for the viticulturist; you will see next year when I present the wines!
Olivier Lamy of Domaine Hubert Lamy in Saint-Aubin highlighted the role of nature and his outlook for the wines.
Olivier Lamy at Domaine Hubert Lamy.
If you’re interested in our upcoming Burgundy en primeur offer or would like to know more about our extensive fine wine list, please get in touch.
Written by Bryn Stephens, Fine Wine Sales Manager,
and Matt Wilkin MS, Director of Prestige Sales.