2024 in Burgundy was the year the rain came. It was replete and persistent. The result of this, and its knock-on effects, is minuscule production. The good news? The wines that survived.
“...a miserable growing season does not have to translate into miserable wines.”
Firstly, the incessant rain of the summer of 2024. Very few areas survived unscathed. It seems things were harder the further North you were. Chablis took the brunt of this with several organic farmers abandoning certification to try to save some of the crop. Late flowering came just in time for another performance from the wet weather, this time hitting Pinot of the Cote d’Nuit hardest. This was followed by a difficult flowering reducing production. Of course, Mildew was always going to be rife with the rain showing up like that. The small crop of berries became smaller still. Rain finally abated in September before returning at the end of the month. This 2-week holiday from the rain allowed some time to dry out and harvest what was left. Enter the next set of challenges!
The upside of mildew was that the berries that fell to this made room for air flow protecting those that lasted. Rigorous sorting was needed in the vineyard and after such a rough run, this was a heartbreaking but necessary step to preserve quality in the vintage. It was clearer than ever that his vintage was to be miniscule.
There was some expectation for the berries harvested to be delicate, however quite the opposite was seen. The berries that made it through this assault course of a growing season were generally smaller, resilient and concentrated. With another small harvest in 2025, winemakers could afford to take their time in getting the most from these wines.
This was an enormously challenging vintage, that I can’t help but think must have felt endless. But. This miniscule vintage has been taken into the wineries, nurtured and translated into a vintage unlike any other in some time. Whites are spunky and concentrated, with elegance and tension, while reds are showing off the aromatic side of Pinot. I have so much excitement for this vintage. I think Jasper Morris put it perfectly when he said “...a miserable growing season does not have to translate into miserable wines.”