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Burgundy En-Primeur wines 2024 and 2023 : Key Points

Buy the great 2024 wines of Burgundy through En Primeur! As every year, Millésima offers its entire range of En Primeur wines sourced directly from the estates.

The Burgundy En Primeur Wines of 2024: A Vintage Marked by Climatic Challenges

The 2024 vintage in Burgundy stands out as one of the most complex of the decade. Burgundy’s vineyards had to cope with a succession of climatic hazards that greatly impacted yields, while nevertheless offering interesting qualitative prospects.

The 2024 Vintage in the Chablis Vineyard

Climatic Conditions

The year 2024 will remain etched in the memories of Chablis winemakers as particularly trying from a climatic standpoint. The region endured unfavorable weather: spring frosts affecting young shoots, followed by hail, and then heavy rains in spring and early summer. These conditions favored the spread of downy mildew, which affected numerous plots.

Harvest and Production

The harvest began during the week of 23 September 2024, with increased vigilance during grape sorting. Although the climatic conditions clearly reduced the volumes harvested, the berries nonetheless show promising aromatic qualities.

Characteristics of the Wines

The 2024 Chablis wines reveal a marked aromatic expression, dominated by fresh citrus aromas. This characteristic freshness defines a style of great purity, combining clarity, tension, and pronounced minerality, suggesting great ageing potential.

The 2024 En Primeur Wines in the Côte d’Or

Climatic Conditions

In 2024, the Côte d’Or experienced contrasting weather that greatly influenced vine development. Following a spell of intense heat, rainy periods favored the onset of disease. These extreme alternations required constant vigilance from winegrowers to maintain the health of the plots and to optimize the ripening of the grapes under sometimes complex conditions.

Harvest and Production

The harvest began on 2 September, starting with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plots destined for the production of Crémant de Bourgogne. The harvest of grapes for still wines followed from 12 September, under generous sunshine, allowing each plot to reach optimal ripeness.

Characteristics of the White Wines

For the white wines of the Côte d’Or, the 2024 vintage looks promising, marked by beautiful tension and pronounced minerality. The harvested Chardonnays show subtle balances between freshness and aromatic concentration, heralding wines that are both lively and structured. We can expect expressive whites, borne by elegant freshness, emblematic of the great terroirs of Burgundy.

Characteristics of the Red Wines

As for the reds, the vintage should yield elegant wines—perhaps less powerful than certain recent solar vintages, but with beautiful aromatic finesse. This suggests a balanced wine profile where the freshness of the fruit harmonizes with a well-integrated tannic structure.

Specific Features

The 2024 vintage in the Côte d’Or is characterized by a certain heterogeneity, reflecting microclimates and varying exposure to climatic hazards. This diversity calls for vinification adapted to each batch and thus promises a beautiful diversity of expressions.

The 2024 Vintage in the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais

Climatic Conditions

In 2024, the vineyards of the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais had to contend with difficult climatic conditions. In the Mâconnais in particular, hail episodes severely hit certain areas, damaging a significant part of the vineyard. These storms, added to the year’s other meteorological challenges, made production particularly demanding for winemakers.

Harvest and Production

The 2024 harvest began in the Mâconnais at the very beginning of September, especially for grapes destined for Crémants de Bourgogne, with an official launch around 3 September. In the Côte Chalonnaise, yields remained average, demonstrating good resilience to the weather conditions. In contrast, the Mâconnais recorded a more marked decline in production.

Characteristics of the White Wines

The white wines should display an expressive aromatic profile, marked by notes of citrus and white-fleshed fruits. Tension and minerality appear to be the dominant traits of the vintage, with wines likely to be more vibrant and less opulent than those of previous years.

Characteristics of the Red Wines

For the reds of the Côte Chalonnaise, the 2024 vintage should offer balanced cuvées. The cool climate throughout the year favored the crafting of moderately alcoholic wines, supported by silky tannins and an aromatic expression focused on red fruits—revealing delightful freshness.

The 2023 vintage in the Chablis vineyards

The 2023 vintage in Chablis was marked by exceptional quality and a plentiful harvest that delighted winegrowers.

Weather conditions

The year began with a mild winter, followed by an early budburst in March. A late frost in April, fortunately, had little impact, thanks to generally favourable conditions. The summer was hot and dry, but some welcome rain in August helped to maintain the necessary hydric balance for the vines.

Harvest and production

Harvesting began around 10 September, with above-average yields for the second year running. Generous yields enabled us to harvest grapes of excellent quality.

Wine Characteristics

The wines of this vintage have an expressive aromatic profile, dominated by notes of citrus and white-fleshed fruit. The tension and minerality typical of Chablis are clearly present, with a remarkable balance between freshness and ripeness. The ageing potential is promising, particularly for the Premier and Grand Crus.

Special Features

Some plots required rigorous sorting because of mildew pressure. Alcohol levels are moderate, generally fluctuating between 12.5% and 13%.

The 2023 Côte d'Or En Primeur wines

2023 was an exceptional year in Côte d'Or, for both red and white wines.

Weather conditions

The mild spring saw a few bouts of frost, which were well managed by winegrowers. The hot, dry summer was punctuated by welcome rain, which helped the grapes to ripen to perfection. September offered perfect conditions for the harvest.

Harvesting and production

Harvesting began in the first week of September, with generous volumes of grapes, particularly for the white wines.

Characteristics of the white wines

The white wines of this vintage reveal intense aromas of ripe white fruit (peach, pear) and white flowers like Meursault. Their acidity brings a welcome freshness and interesting ageing potential, while their structure is full and generous, especially in Meursault.

Characteristics of the red wines

The profiles of the red wines vary according to terroir and harvest date. They are characterised by aromas of fresh red fruit (strawberry, raspberry) and floral notes, particularly delicious in Chambolle-Musigny. The silky tannins are well integrated, and the colours of the wines are deep, particularly in Gevrey-Chambertin. The balance between fruit, acidity and structure is remarkable, with alcohol levels between 13% and 14% depending on the appellation.

Special features

Careful sorting was necessary in some parcels affected by rot. The small berries harvested produced wines of excellent concentration.

Another exceptional vintage in Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais

These regions also enjoyed an exceptional 2023 vintage, in terms of both quality and quantity.

Weather conditions

The early spring and hot summer followed a similar pattern to the Côte d'Or. A few localised hailstorms in June had a limited impact on the overall harvest.

Harvesting and production

Harvesting began very early, from September 1 in the Mâconnais, with generous volumes, particularly for white wines.

Characteristics of the white wines

The white wines of these regions display expressive aromatic profiles, dominated by yellow-fleshed fruit and citrus. They are distinguished by their tension and freshness, especially Pouilly-Fuissé wines, while the wines of the Côte Chalonnaise, such as Rully, are fuller and more generous.

Characteristics of red wines (mainly Côte Chalonnaise)

The red Mercurey wines in particular offer aromas of ripe red fruit and mild spices. The ripe tannins and balanced structure give these wines excellent ageing potential for the best vintages.

Special features

The red grapes in the Côte Chalonnaise have reached perfect phenolic ripeness, while the Mâconnais stands out for its remarkable balance between freshness and ripeness.