Burgundy 2023

August in the Cote d’Or started with two weeks that were unseasonably cold. This was a headache and worry for producers who were scrambling around to re-arrange picking teams and worrying about achieving correct ripeness in a critical time for the vine. A nervous few days gave way to a new issue, with a heatwave forecast for the end of August and into the first weeks of September. The safety of the pickers was a primary concern with temperatures hitting north of 30 degrees by midday, and indeed sadly there have since been reports in Champagne of 5 deaths due to the heat. Many harvested early in the morning as soon as light enabled and stopped before 1pm. Alongside safety, this also had the benefit of preventing the grapes from getting too hot before pressing and avoiding early fermentation. Indeed, many Domaine’s such as Bachelet-Monnot now store the picked grapes in their temperature controlled cuverie to cool them over night before pressing the next day – lessons learnt from hot vintages in the past. 

Harvest date is always a contentious subject, but in 2023, particularly for the whites, it was even more so. Maxime Lafouge of Domaine Lafouge (an estate who seem to improve year on year) told us that due to the extreme heat, grapes were gaining a potential full degree of alcohol each day at the latter end. Those however that chose to harvest at the correct time have achieved wines with concentrated fruit, terroir typicity and great freshness.

In the Cotes de Nuits, the later ripening Pinot Noir meant harvest date was a week or so later than the Cotes de Beaune and the weather was back to normal temperatures. Some of the best wines here are spellbindingly good. They are not brutish and bold like you would expect but pure, fresh and elegant with a vibrant energy. Sebastian Cathiard’s 1er Cru Vosne Romanee Malconsorts and Thomas Collardot’s Clos de La Roche from Coquard-Loison-Fleurot being highlights, amongst many.