Burgundy 2024 En Primeur

Last week we made our annual autumn visit to Burgundy to taste the latest vintage from barrel.  The 2024 wines were truly exciting to taste, and the whole experience reaffirmed our love for this beautiful region.  If we can convey even a fraction of this experience, we are certain you will want to have 2024 burgundies in your cellar.   

In simple terms, 2024 in Burgundy was wet but warm.  Spring flowering is a key time in any growing season, as wind, rain, or cold can damage the delicate flowers that will determine the potential quantity of fruit.  Flowering began in early June, but the continual rain caused coulure (poor fruit set) and millerandage (uneven fruit sizes), particularly for Pinot Noir in the Côte de Nuits.  This was very uneven, with some plots unaffected and others seeing almost total losses.  The rain continued, and, as temperatures rose later in June, mildew became a threat.  Most growers we visited told us they had to spray anti-mildew treatments up to twenty times, compared to five or six times in a normal year.  This was where really hard-working vigneronnes distinguished themselves.  At Château de Chamilly, Arnaud Desfontaine told us his brother Xavier (who looks after the vines) fitted extra lights to his tractors and was out spraying organic treatments whenever the weather allowed, day or night, limiting any adverse impact on the grapes.  

Thankfully, the rain abated in August, and warm weather arrived, continuing into the harvest in mid-September.  The exact decision of when to begin picking was another moment full of risk, with braver growers like Etienne Chaix at Joseph Voillot in Volnay and Benôit Eschard at Jeannin-Naltet in Mercurey harvesting up to a week later than their neighbours.  This gamble on the good weather holding out was repaid with perfectly ripe fruit.

Diligent work at the sorting table was another key quality factor in 2024.  Having lost in some cases 70% of the crop, it must have been very hard to discard another 10% at the sorting table, to remove any berries affected by mildew, but that's what our growers did, along with those at other top domaines.  At Rossignol-Trapet, we were told how Nicolas Rossignol (surely one of the gentlest souls in Burgundy) collects any workers who are injured or too aged to work among the vines to help him at the sorting table.  The eldest is 81, and we got the impression of the table as a genial council of the wise, allowing only the best berries to make it into the winery. 

Having visited last year just after the harvest and heard the winemaker's woes about the size of the harvest (50-70% down on a normal year), we were surprised this year by how buoyant they seemed.  At Hudelot-Baillet, Dominique Le Guen told us he only really realised how good the wines were when he tasted them after the malolactic fermentation was complete, at the end of last winter.  At P&L Borgeot, Laurent Borgeot (below) was clearly delighted, in particular by the white wines, which we have to say were some of the best we have tasted at this domaine.  The warm weather from August until harvest provided the conditions for the grapes to ripen, but what really sets the wines apart is how the drastic reduction in the crop size from the outset meant that, with so few grapes per vine, all the vines’ energy went into ripening a small crop, giving the wines exceptional concentration.

The white wines

The whites show the balance and freshness of a classic year, but with greater fruit intensity. Ripeness was excellent, yet flavours leaned towards ripe citrus, grilled lemon and occasional grapefruit—not the peachier, exotic profile of very warm vintages. What makes them truly compelling is the concentration from the low yields, combined with bright, seamless acidity and clear terroir expression. The Aligotés were superb: more concentrated yet still thrillingly fresh.  We tasted excellent wines from Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault, Puligny, Auxey-Duresses, St-Aubin, Corton-Charlemagne, and Montagny, so quality seems remarkably consistent (at least, from the excellent small domaines we were visiting).

The red wines

The reds were very open and easy to taste.  Fruit aromas and flavours were abundant, but balanced by subtle earthy notes like humus, or aromas of smoked meats and sometimes violets.  The tannins were fine-grained, and most reds had a deeply satisfying acidity on the finish, which we have missed in the hotter years.  We would describe most as 'very good' rather than 'excellent', but some of that is accounted for by ageing potential. 

For the most part, this is a red vintage that can be drunk and enjoyed over the next ten years, with only those at premier cru and above having potential to improve much beyond that.  You could do very well to drink the 2024 reds whilst waiting for the 2022s and 2023s to develop.  Setting ageing ability aside, the '24s are as structured and deep, and will be as enjoyable to drink as years like '20, '22 and '23, albeit with a more classic balance and moderate alcohol levels of 13-13.5%.

This year, we met visionary winemaker Charles Magnien of Henri Magnien in Gevrey-Chambertin for the first time.

The case for 2024 Burgundy

We went out to Burgundy last week not knowing what to expect, thinking we might have to think carefully about which wines to buy and to offer to you.  Such was the pleasure of tasting the 2024s, we have returned with a renewed enthusiasm for the region.  Twenty years ago, a vintage like this would have been a write-off, but with vastly improved practices in the vineyards and new techniques in the winery, 2024 has produced many joyful wines that will give you lots of pleasure.  Part of that joy comes from their distinct character, quite different from any previous vintage we have tasted and defying easy comparisons. 

The reduction in yield was worst for the generic wines, due to their position on the lower slopes, hardest hit by the rain and mildews.  For many of our customers, top-quality Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge are staples, so we suggest snapping these up while you can.  The unique 'modern-classic' style of the villages, premiers and grands crus wines will ensure they bring lots of pleasure for many years to come, so we recommend adding them to your cellar

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