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As we wound our way through the villages of Burgundy to taste the 2023s, the region’s winemakers seemed weary. The 2023 vintage, with its generous volumes, was tiring in its own way; but these vrais vignerons were also recovering from the 2024 season. High disease pressure, with warm conditions and twice as much rain as normal, resulted in record-breakingly low yields – and we spoke to producers who lost as much as 85% of their crop, with volumes especially devastating in the Côte de Nuits. Many were delighted to have the year behind them, and ready for a break from the winery.
While this report is of course about 2023, it's important to acknowledge the minuscule quantity of wine that was made in 2024. Next year, expect to see extremely limited availability, smaller ranges with fewer cuvées and strict allocations – meaning 2023, with plentiful yields, offers an important opportunity both to stock up and secure potential allocations next year. Weary though producers might have been, they were happy to revisit 2023. The vintage is a rarity, offering both quantity and quality, with some stunning wines, and many that will be approachable early.
The 2023 growing season in Burgundy
It’s easy to be deceived by the statistics of the 2023 growing season. As Véronique Drouhin told me, “It’s not what people say.” On paper, it was the hottest year to date for the region (0.2°C higher than 2022 – Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne) – yet it wasn’t consistently warm and sunny, and – unlike other recent hot vintages (2020 and 2022, for example) – there was plenty of rainfall. Indeed, although it may not have felt like it (and sunshine hours in the Côte d’Or was 10% lower than normal), it was one of the hottest years in over a century for France as a whole (sitting just behind 2003, 2022 and 2018 – Météo-France).
Most of the season was far from extreme. Winter was dry and mild, with a notably warm January, average temperatures in February and March before the mercury dropped in April. Frost arrived at the very end of March and early April, but with dry conditions and prior to budbreak (which took place around 10th April), meaning it had little impact. For Henri Boillot, some of the vineyards from which he sources fruit were hit, meaning lower volumes for his négoce operation.
Even at this early stage, the vines were already showing high potential yields. At Bouchard, Frédéric Weber noted that this was likely due to the perfect spring and summer of 2022, laying the groundwork for 2023’s crop. Most producers de-bud in May, but – as Guillaume Lafon (Dominique Lafon’s son, who is now running the eponymous estate) told us – it was “drastic” in 2023. Flowering took place in early June, even and rapid thanks to clement conditions – the vines developing a high number of large bunches. Weber suggested there was some coulure on the Chardonnay, helping limit the yields and balance the fruit.
May and June were drier than normal (indeed, June 2023 was the hottest and sunniest month on record since 2003), but producers were conscious of disease risk, particularly powdery mildew. As the Louis Jadot team explained, it was a hard year to work organically, requiring more spraying than 2022. The Chardonnay saw some water stress in June, but nothing too severe in comparison to recent vintages. As the Henri Boillot team said, it was “a perfect summer”.
With the threat of disease, many vignerons deleafed in July – allowing better ventilation in the vine canopies, while also being conscious of over-exposing the fruit and risking sunburn. Some producers argue for doing this earlier, allowing the grape skins to adapt to the sun and thicken with early exposure, while others feel that it is better to avoid de-leafing as much as possible, allowing the leaves to shield the grapes from the sun.
In mid-July (11th, 15th and 16th), there was some very localised hail – striking Rully, Mercurey and Meursault. At Bouchard, they lost around 40% of the crop in their Meursault Premiers Crus (excluding Charmes). Both Remoissenet and Drouhin mentioned bloquage in Meursault – a pause in the vines’ development (due to the dry and hot conditions), with the village not seeing rain that fell elsewhere.
Green harvesting – removing fruit to balance the vine – was near-universal in 2023. Several producers described being faced with “a wall of grapes”. While in a normal year, one bud would equate to one bunch of grapes; in 2023, Bouchard’s Weber explained how buds bore two or three bunches. Even with extreme de-budding, potential yields were often massive. Richard Séguin (Olivier Bernstein) told us how their vineyards had 20-25 bunches per vine, a number they reduced to just seven. At Bouchard, they hired 40 additional people to drop half the crop; while Faiveley spent three weeks green-harvesting and still couldn’t cover the entirety of their vineyards, sacrificing a few lesser sites in Gevrey-Chambertin (where they sold off the fruit).
Some producers avoid green-harvesting, believing that it is too late in the season for a correction and indicative of unbalanced vines. Philippe Jouan told us how the plant will compensate, with the remaining fruit growing too quickly, risking the skins breaking and therefore rot (he de-budded twice instead). Jean-Marie Fourrier, meanwhile, argues that it is a sign of overly vigorous rootstocks or vine material. He works with old vines (between 70 and 110 years old), naturally reducing his yields, and he didn’t green-harvest at all. At Domaine des Lambrays, Jacques Devauges described how he will always avoid green-harvesting if possible, having worked to create natural balance in the vines – but it was unavoidable in 2023. He explained that his team left this as late as possible (at the end of July) to prevent the vine compensating with bigger bunches. The exercise, with vines of varying ages, is “a subtle art”, he said – and one that took significant time and effort.
With July and August cooler than average, and accompanied by decent amounts of rain, disease pressure was fairly steady, if manageable. Some producers noted how difficult it was to get into the vineyards. At Domaine Georges Lignier, Benoît Stehly said there was just enough rain at night to make his tractor slide in the mud; while Hugues Pavelot (Jean-Marc & Hugues Pavelot) used a potassium bicarbonate spray to battle fungal pressure.
By mid-August, concern was building about ripeness levels. A heatwave arrived on 20th August, lasting five days, but it was followed by another cool spell and 20-25mm rain. Both Stehly and Weber (Bouchard) de-leafed again to avoid potential grey rot.
The first producers started picking in the Côte de Beaune at the very end of August (27th for Alvina Pernot in Puligny-Montrachet, 28th for Henri Boillot in Volnay), but those further north waited. Cyril Audoin (Domaine Charles Audoin) told us that on 31st August, many of his parcels only had 10.5-11% potential alcohol. A second heatwave, from 6th September transformed the vintage. The mercury reached close to 40°C and temperatures stayed high for over a week, with the fruit maturity evolving quickly.
A flurry of growers picked from 4th September (including the likes of Fourrier and Duroché), but most of those in the Côte de Nuits harvested under the duress of that second heatwave, from around 7th. At Clos de Tart, they didn’t start until 12th September, while the Georges Noëllat team (who made some fantastic wines this year) weren’t out in the Côte de Nuits until 14th. All the fruit was in long before the end of the month, with many noting the need to accelerate picking as the heatwave continued, and pH and sugar levels rose in the grapes.
While Erwan Faiveley told us that the harvest date – unusually – didn’t feel like the key to the vintage in 2023, Fourrier noted how narrow the window for success was. For him, picking too early risked losing the wines’ identity, but waiting too long would mean overly high alcohols. At Bouchard, Weber found it one of the hardest vintages to harvest. While normally he would take around 200-250 samples from across the vineyards to decide on the picking order for their vineyards, in 2024 that number was 400 – with sites ripening in an unexpected way. For the first time in the producer’s 250-year history, they didn’t start the harvest in Volnay Caillerets, with the order in which plots were picked unlike any other vintage. He felt a big team was key, allowing them to keep up with the suddenly rapid ripening.
With the heatwave, harvesting generally started at dawn and finished by 2pm latest, with temperatures simply too hot to continue – for both the pickers and the fruit. Worker safety was a serious concern; as we mentioned in our first look at the vintage, five people died in Champagne due to the extreme conditions. Fortunately, no similar incidents were reported in Burgundy.
The pickers worked quickly to bring in the large volumes of fruit. Most producers harvested the maximum legal yield (which varies according to appellation), with many sitting at around 45hl/ha. Strikingly, the yield wasn’t just high because of the number of bunches of grapes, but their size. Caroline Parent (Domaine A.-F. Gros) told us how the bunches were twice the size of normal (180g versus 90g) and Frédéric Weber (Bouchard) had never seen such large bunches.
Older vines are naturally less productive and were a significant advantage this year, restricting the yield naturally. Producers that favour very low yields stayed true to this (with just 28-35hl/ha at Olivier Bernstein and 30hl/ha at Leroy, for example).
Producers were divided: many said it was an easy growing season (although perhaps the contrast with the trials of 2024 accentuated its relative ease), while others found that it was more challenging – with its high yields and moderate but steady disease pressure (if nothing in contrast to 2024). Overall, rainfall was fairly normal, so the vines didn’t shut down (apart from briefly in Meursault, as mentioned above), but August and September’s heatwaves were key, providing essential warmth to ripen the fruit.
The 2023 vintage in the winery
The sheer volume of fruit was challenging for many producers. The region’s typically small, cramped cellars were unusually full, and some struggled for tank space; indeed whole-bunch fermentation was less widespread this year, in part because some producers didn’t have the capacity to do it (with in-tact bunches taking up more space versus de-stemmed berries). Even at Jadot (an impressive and large operation), the team had to empty tanks to be able to re-fill them and get the entire crop in.
Producers with cool rooms, allowing them to chill fruit prior to processing, and often overnight, were extremely grateful for such facilities. Working with cooler fruit allows for possible cold soaks (for the Pinot Noir), better control of ferments (limiting unwanted microbial activity), as well as more aromatic precision in the resulting wines. Indeed, with the high yields, it was sometimes impossible to process it all on the day it was picked. For Maxime Cheurlin (Domaine Georges Noëllat), any fruit that came in after 10am was chilled overnight – a common practice this year. Those not as well-equipped adapted where they could, using dry ice in some instances to cool and protect fruit, and often working extraordinarily long days to process the crop.
Generally, sorting was important, with some rot and sunburnt or shrivelled berries that needed to be removed; but – with the large yields – a high degree of selection was relatively easy. The potential risk was dilution – and why it was so important for producers to address high potential yields as early as possible, ensuring sufficient concentration.
For the Pinot Noir, some producers used saignée – the process of bleeding off free-run juice. The idea is that this concentrates the remaining juice, with a higher ratio of skins-to-juice in the remaining must. An additional benefit in a warm year is that this early juice will be particularly high in sugar, therefore its removal naturally reduces the alcohol level, if only marginally.
Many producers are against the method, which is perhaps seen as old-fashioned today, partly because the free-run is the most delicate juice in terms of aromatics and texture, something that many find desirable. Among the very quality-focused producers with which we work, saignée was not widespread, but it was used by a handful – such as Charles van Canneyt (Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat) and Jadot (for the first time since 1999). Van Canneyt had never used the method before, but – for him, at least – it has helped produce some beautiful wines.
A handful of producers did a sort-of-natural-saignée, sacrificing the run-off from their sorting table or any juice collected in picking crates (Philippe Jouan, for example, used his run-off to make a rosé that he gave to his workers).
As mentioned (and as with every year), growers differed with their approach to whole-bunch. While whole-bunch adds a sense of freshness with perfume, spice and often a saline character, it technically reduces the acidity level in the wine. The potassium held in the stems is released, reacting with the tartaric acid to produce potassium tartrate, which drops out of solution, increasing the pH.
For some producers, logistics meant it simply wasn’t an option – there wasn’t the space. The Artémis-owned Clos de Tart had the luxury of being able to employ the normal portion (40%), but noted chilling was useful to ensure the interior of each grape was cool. Véronique Drouhin played with it across her range – using between 15 and 40% depending on the wine, while at Olivier Bernstein, Richard Séguin explained how they had used 80% whole-cluster – liking the sense of freshness it added.
Nicole Lamarche, meanwhile, was cautious of the impact it would have on the wines’ pH and didn’t use any (also noting that the vintage already had expressive aromatics). Cyril Audoin felt the maturity was too quick for the stems to ripen properly and that there were sufficient tannins from the grapes’ thick skins, so de-stemmed everything in 2023. Jean-Marie Fourrier always de-stems, but will then re-add a portion of stems to his ferments, depending on the year; in 2023, he used around 30%, feeling it helped absorb phenolics and reduce the alcohol level. For him, more would have been overpowering and potentially damaging to the acidity levels.
Beyond this, there was little of note for the Pinot Noir – with maceration times fairly average and producers not feeling they had to work the caps particularly lightly or aggressively.
With the high temperatures and high pHs, ferments needed to be managed carefully. At Domaine Duroché, the malolactic conversion completed before the alcoholic fermentation had finished – making for tricky ferments; while at Hudelot-Noëllat the malolactic was sluggish, only finishing in September 2025.
As for the Chardonnay, the Jadot team often plays with the malolactic fermentation, and this year blocked it on around half of the tanks, to retain acidity in the wines. Several producers commented that the warm weather had eroded the malic acid in the grapes, meaning that malolactic conversion had minimal impact on the wines.
Acidification, of both red and white, was very common in 2023; and – like chaptalisation – it’s a tool in most Burgundy winemakers’ pockets, but one wine-drinkers rarely hear about. Philosophically, some producers object to the addition of anything to the must, while, for others, it is an efficient tweak to bring greater balance to their wines – complementing nature’s bounty.
At Bouchard, Weber explained how important he thought it was to keep the final press section for the whites in 2023, feeling it was so aromatic and rich that it will be key for the wines’ ageability.
The Jadot team explained that they racked the wines off their heavy lees as early as they could, due to the powdery mildew they’d seen in the vineyards. By contrast, Véronique Drouhin has kept all the wines on their lees longer than normal – something she says they learnt from 2019, with the lees nourishing the wines and helping bring balance as each terroir gradually emerges. In general, most producers are using their “standard” portions of new oak for élevage, and generally plan to bottle at the normal time, although Charles van Canneyt noted he is likely to bottle early to capture the wines’ freshness.
One producer joked to us, “To not make good wines in 2023, you had to be a real dummy, you know?” I’m not convinced that’s true – but this is undoubtedly a vintage where success is defined by producer rather than site. As Nicolas Potel (Domaine de Bellene) told us, 2023 is “a technical vintage” – one where he needed to use everything he’d learnt over two decades.
The style of the 2023 wines
As you may have guessed, the 2023 vintage is far from homogenous. This was a year where a vigneron’s actions determined their success – especially the management of their vines. Is this a great vintage? No. Are there some great wines? Yes.
The warmth of the end of the season was essential to ripening the crop, and the high yield was essential for creating balance with that extreme heat. Picking to retain sufficient acidity was certainly important, but as was ensuring the fruit had time to ripen fully. As Maxime Cheurlin (Domaine Georges Noëllat) said, success in 2023 was about “lots of little things”. While Cyril and his father Charles Audoin were convinced that 2022 was their best vintage to date, they’re increasingly convinced that 2023 might be even better – and tasting their stunning wines this year, we’re tempted to agree.
Despite the heatwaves that closed the 2023 growing season, the wines are generally expressive – reflective of their terroir. While we haven’t tasted extensively in Chablis, some of the wines we tasted were less typical – lacking the steeliness of a great year in this northern corner of Burgundy. But, within the Côte d’Or, we found lovely definition between villages, quality levels and vineyards, with the vintage only very rarely over-riding site (as it sometimes did in years like 2018).
Alcohol levels are higher than in 2022, generally, but not high: the whites are largely around 12.5-13.5%, while the reds are mostly 13-14%. Yes, these are modern ABVs, born of climate change, but almost none felt hot.
The pH levels for the whites are generally quite classic, especially for those who picked earlier, at 3.2-3.3, although some do reach 3.45. As for the reds, the levels are much more varied – from 3.3 to 3.8, with the odd outlier at 3.9 or 4pH. These numbers don’t always match up with the style of the wines; with some higher pH wines feeling surprisingly fresh.
The whites are more consistent than the reds, with Chardonnay able to handle higher yields better – and some of them are very special. They manage to combine ripe, often peachy stone-fruit, with delicate, white-floral aromatics and citrus bite. The best have gorgeous balance with mouth-watering acidity and a moreish saline finish, yet with such concentration at their core that they look set to age beautifully.
At Faiveley, Erwan Faiveley said that, while it is very good for reds, the vintage is “extraordinary for Chardonnay” – and even better than 2022, a heralded year when it came to Burgundy’s whites. At certain addresses that is true, however it’s not universal. Some wines don’t have the pinpoint balance, softer and riper in style without the acidity to back it up, and very occasionally not having sufficient concentration.
It's a hard vintage to compare for whites, and 2022 was frequently a reference point, yet with slightly higher alcohol. Some producers suggested it combined elements of 2020 or possibly 2018, for its ripeness, yet the 2023s’ brighter acidity separates them. Henri Boillot pointed to 2016, but with more texture and energy.
The Pinot Noir is more mixed in quality – however the best producers have crafted some genuinely beautiful wines. Even with alcohol levels that sometimes creep over 14%, these are not big, bold sun-filled reds. The wines have concentration and gravitas, yet they were joyously easy to taste in youth – the best having weightless tannin structure, as well as an open, approachable juiciness and precisely defined aromatics. The fruit is deep red rather than firmly black, with a translucence in the finest wines, and often a sappy, saline, earthy finish that grounds them firmly in the Old World.
We won’t pretend that some aren’t a little disjointed or that every wine we tasted had the requisite concentration – but these were the minority. The wines are very much in the style of each producer – and, while it isn’t a vintage to buy blindly, following favoured vignerons won’t let you down.
As Pierre Duroché said at the start of our tasting, “Les 2023s sont magnifiques.” Finding an equivalent year in the past is challenging, for these are thoroughly modern wines (as Jean-Marie Fourrier said, it’s “still issued from an era of global warming”). The most frequent comparison was the much-lauded 1999 – a year that similarly offered high volumes and quality, yet the 2023s have “more matière”, as Jacques Devauges told us.
For Duroché, 2023 is possibly a mixture of 2017 for its precision and transparency, and 2022 for its density. For the best wines, this combination really resonates. Duroché also benchmarked the vintage’s approachability against recent years, feeling it’s more approachable than 2022 and ’16, but weightier than ’17, ’19 and ’21.
Although the wines are concentrated, producers all agreed that the vintage more classic and elegant than a year defined by heat (2003 or 2018, for example), with a subtlety that makes the wines extremely appealing, even now. With the almost non-existent 2024s on the horizon, there are many reasons to be grateful for 2023 – fortunately the quality is one of them.
Burgundy 2023: the vintage in brief
A year of both quantity and quality
Less homogenous than recent vintages, but with some outstanding wines produced
The best whites are concentrated and ripe yet taut, with bright acidity
The best reds are elegant, with weightless tannins, precise aromatics and juicy fruit
Alcohol levels sit between 12.5-14% and rarely stand out
While the year was the hottest on record, it was largely moderate with heatwaves in late August and early September that transformed the vintage
The whites exceed the 2022s in some instances, comparable perhaps to warmer years such as 2016, 2018 or 2020 but with more acidity
The reds were frequently compared to 1999, with more modern density; in terms of more recent vintages, the best combine elements of 2017 and 2022
Keep your eyes peeled for our report on the vintage by producer, being published next week. In the meantime, find out more about and browse all available Burgundy 2023 en primeur
