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The 2023 vintage can be described as a successful one all round. On the back of a plentiful 2022 vintage, this is the first time for many years that the Bourguignons have had the fortune of back-to-back vintages of above average quantities. It is also a big success qualitatively with both white and red wines performing very well.
Although the growing season was somewhat unstable, it was also kind. Whilst the summer months saw a lot of hot weather, there was also plenty of rain, which fortunately fell at the right time, perfect conditions for a good quantity of high quality grapes. It is a plentiful vintage with yields the highest since 2018 and the grapes arrived at the wineries in excellent sanitary conditions.
The really pleasing aspect of our barrel and tank sample tastings was the freshness and balance that was evident in both the white and red wines. The fruits are exuberant, opulent and concentrated but the acidities are also surprisingly good for a hot vintage. That said, our view is that this is a vintage that can, and possibly should, be enjoyed at a relatively youthful age. The immediate pleasure that these wines offer is exceptional, so why wait?!
THE GROWING SEASON
The winter of 2022-2023 was generally mild, a continuation of the trend over recent years that has seen the growing season starting well in advance, with all the risks associated with spring frosts front of the vigneron’s mind.
Fortunately, the early months were fairly dry and there were minimal frost episodes, which until last year seemed to cause havoc at the time of budburst on an annual basis. The absence of any significant frost allowed for a steady start to the season, though vigilance was high among the growers.
Bud burst passed off successfully in April, followed by a cooler period in May slowing the vine’s growth, which until then had gathered speed due to the previous mild weather. The last week of May saw temperatures rise and they remained above the season norm. The fine weather continued through to a textbook flowering of the vine in June, with warm sunshine and dry days.
As the days went by the growers were encouraged to see the vines full of healthy bunches, with all signs pointing to a plentiful harvest. Even with green harvesting 2023 was to deliver a very strong yield. Remember, until the 2022 vintage the Bourguignons had lost the equivalent of two vintages in four, so the hopes of back-to-back plentiful harvests saw smiles all round.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing with unstable weather throughout July, hailstorms hitting on both the 11th and 15th July punctuating the hot weather. The first two weeks of August saw cooler temperatures along with some rain which quenched the thirst of the vines, veraison arrived and from the 16th August the temperatures rose…and rose again! By the end of August, the vines were beginning to block due to the excessive heat. The key decision was ‘when to pick’. After veraison you would expect the harvest to take place 30-40 days later, but it was so hot that there was a danger of overripening. 2½ days at 40°C can raise alcohol levels by 1%.
Once the decision to harvest was made, the challenge was to pick the grapes as quickly as possible. Temperatures soared to 40°C and the backbreaking work of the pickers was to be carried out in a heatwave, at temperatures that were dangerous to the pickers. Picking started very early in the morning and also at night but speed was of the essence. 2023 was one of the shortest harvests on record with a race to pick the grapes before over ripeness set in and freshness and acidities were lost.
As the laden baskets were unloaded at the wineries the vignerons were excited to see the high quality grapes that the vintage had bestowed upon them – no rot, healthy, clean and beautifully ripe with high natural sugars. Both the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir looked in perfect condition. Gaëtane Carré of Domaine Denis Carré was quick to reflect “Mother Nature was really kind to us in 2023”.
The 2023 vintage delivered an abundant crop of excellent fruit; however, such large vintages do come with a warning sign of potential dilution, lack of intensity and complexity. It was that in mind that we set out on our week of tastings at the end of October, working from to cellar to cellar to form our own judgements of this vintage.
THE WINES
The sunny weather during our weeklong visit to the region at the end of October was the perfect setting to taste the barrel and tank samples of the 2023 vintage. We tasted some lovely wines – beautiful, opulent Chardonnays and succulent, luxurious and fruit packed Pinot Noirs.
In Chablis we tasted some wonderfully vibrant wines. The malic acid was relatively low, a positive outcome, as the acidity levels after the malolactic fermentation did not drop markedly. The naturally high sugar levels have delivered wonderful rich and ripe wines, brimming with green apple and a classic minerality. It is the hottest vintage since 2018 in Chablis but we feel the acidity levels are better providing a finer equilibrium. Pick of the bunch was Cyril Testut’s ‘Chablis Côte de Brechain’, make sure to snap up a case or two. The wines of Samuel Billaud seem to get better and better and also deserve a place in every Chablis lover’s cellar.
Further south in both the Côte d'Or and down into the Chalonnaise and Mâconnais, the timing of the harvest was crucial, with those timing it well producing wines with good concentration of flavour, whilst maintaining freshness and acidity. However, some left it too late and we tasted some overripe wines that were heavy in the mouth and lacking energy and vitality.
The Chardonnays show beautiful perfumes, fragrant and flowery with notes of pear and peach filling the palate. Despite the hot weather the top growers have managed to lock in the acidities and there are some electrifying white wines, riper than the 2022 vintage and extremely approachable when young. The pithy, citrus tang of acidity provides wonderful balance to the wines. My experience tells me that when they taste this good at such a young age, don’t wait to get stuck in. Leave the 2021’s and 2022’s in the cellar to develop and immerse yourself in this rich and lush vintage as soon as they arrive. As Antoine Vincent of Château Fuissé commented as we tasted, ... “this is a beautiful millésime solaire – drink the sunshine”. Up in Chassagne-Montrachet the feelings of Fabrice Amiot were the same.” Ah John these are such sunshine wines!” as we tasted through his wonderful 1er Crus.
We also tasted some wonderful Aligoté, a late ripening grape that benefited from the hot summer – 2023 is a good year for this often maligned varietal. Remember though, “He who does not know a good Aligoté…. does not know Burgundy!” Overlook the Aligoté from Château de Chamilly at you peril!
Turning to the red wines, we were presented with some absolutely delicious Pinot Noirs that displayed a great depth and complexity, oozing dark blackberry fruits and super ripe tannins, but the great surprise was the balance and freshness that provided equilibrium to the wines. The hot weather during the summer of 2023, most notably in the run up and during harvest, lulled us into expecting over ripe, heady wines akin to those produced in 2003. The vignerons have learnt over the last ten years or so how to manage the higher temperatures, with a closer eye on the protection offered by better canopy management, along with the introduction of a percentage of whole bunch ferment during vinification. Stylistically this vintage is similar to 2017 but with a concentration more akin to 2019. It also reminds me of the 2009 vintage in terms of its fruit character and structure. One thing is for sure, I agree with Nathalie Tollot when she says simply… “people will love this vintage!”
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