The Lord Giveth…Burgundy 2023

 BY NEAL MARTIN | JANUARY 9, 2025

Côte de Beaune: Beaune | Chassagne-Montrachet | Meursault | Pernand, Aloxe & Ladoix | Pommard | Puligny-Montrachet | St. Aubin, Mothelie & Maranges | Volnay

Côte de Nuits: Chambolle-Musigny | Fixin & Marsannay | Gevrey-Chambertin | Morey-Saint-Denis | Nuits Saint-Georges | Vosne-Romanée

Though not explicitly written in the Bible, God is a huge admirer of MC Hammer. Hoping to hear His favorite nineties rapper-turned-preacher, together with Mother Nature, they are heading to Clos Vougeot for the “Hooray for Hip-Hop!” all-nighter. Indeed, few are aware that when DJ Kool Herc invented hip-hop in ‘73, he set up a trestle table next to his decks where dancers could sample fine wine and caviar. Attired in a backwards baseball cap, MC Hammer-approved silk parachute pants and an eye-wateringly-priced hoodie woven by jobless Bordeaux winemakers in a sweatshop just outside Dijon embroidered with “BRONX2BURGUNDY” on the back, they enter the hallowed medieval walls full of expectation…

There is no MC Hammer.

It is not “Hammer time.”

His ears are assaulted by “Straight Outta Corton” by W.W.A. (Winemakers With Altitude). Its lyrics describe the turf war between “East” and “West” winemakers on the Hill of Corton; pimps selling illegal Maria Thun treatments on the backstreets of Pernand-Vergelesses and being hassled by undercover INAO officers for brandishing rusty secateurs. A guest rap by Notorious DRC, an expletive-ridden tirade against degenerating 161-49 rootstock, had caused outrage across France and prompted nurseries to refund anyone who kept their receipt from the 1980s.

God tries to enter the roped-off VIP section where flagons of 1947 Romanée-Conti are being poured with ham sandwich triangles and cold sausage on sticks. A bouncer in a tight-fitting tuxedo places a gorilla-like hand on God’s shoulder.

“Your name’s not on the list,” he snarls.

“But I am the Supreme Being!” God exclaims. “I invented the entire Universe.”

His protest falls on deaf ears. Talking of which, He can barely hear Himself speak over the din. How He rues turning down an invitation to the rival “Punk at Pommard” festival, even though that sees more spitting than an overcrowded hall during Les Grands Jours. Alternatively, there is the “Gevrey Goes Goth!” weekender, though you have to put up with Robert Smith clones looking more depressed than Bordeaux primeur sales.

The vineyards at Clos de Vougeot.

“Mother Nature,” God bellows. “What are your plans for the 2023 vintage? No frosts or hail. Nothing nasty I hope.”

“Nah darlin’,” she squawks. “I’m gonna give ‘em lots ‘n lots of lov-er-ly grapes. Mountains of ‘em!”

“That is most kind…”

“But I’m gonna slip ‘em a surprise ‘eatwave just before ‘arvest and give ‘em pickers rosy suntans.”

“Sorry. Didn’t catch that. It’s so ruddy noisy. Any plans for 2024?”

“Ha-ha,” she cackles, “Gonna screw ‘em completely. ‘ailstorms, rot and rain. Gonna be biblical. Old Testament.”

“Sorry. Can you repeat that?”

“Oh…err…don’t worry,” she mumbles and scurries onto the dance floor, where Jean-Marc Roulot and Dominique Lafon are locked in a breakdance battle, with Lafon reverse moonwalking so smoothly that he has forgotten how to walk forwards, and Roulot amid an Oscar-worthy performance of pretending to be trapped in an invisible box. Hopefully he’ll get out by next harvest.

With all that excitement, God goes outside for some fresh air. He strikes up conversation with a hipster Burgundy winemaker convinced he will revolutionize winemaking because he once brushed Leroy’s shoulder in Beaune Market.

“Her talent passed to me in that precise moment,” said winemaker gushes. A teardrop trickles down his cheek and plops onto the ground, immediately lapped by the German shepherd rented by the hour to winemakers needing a cute canine to follow them around vineyards in social media reels.

“My wine is so…brat,” he rambles on. “It is the fruitless search for my dozen bottles of fruitless 500-euro Aligoté from vines grown on their own ego, soil plowed by Steiner and watered by infants’ tears, picked by horse and matured in ceramic circles that fuels my self-belief…and my new Porsche. See that glue under my fingernails? Yep, I stick the labels on myself. Sign of a true vigneron.”

“Um…” says God, thinking that one Deity is quite enough.

“It scored 100 golden points.”

“By whom?”

“By me, of course. Everyone else is biased.”

“Well, personally, I read the annual Burgundy report in Vinous,” God retorts. “Maybe you should too, if you can put up with its blasphemous introduction.”

And with those words of infinite wisdom, God ascends back to Heaven, head nodding to U Can’t Touch This on a battered old Sony Walkman…

The Growing Season

Two thousand twenty-three was perceived to be a comparatively straightforward growing season whose headline in large font was the high volume of fruit. Whilst stats intimate an uneventful season, free of melodrama like late spring frosts, hailstorms or canicule (prolonged spells of dryness and heat), it was unequivocally not a season where you could take your eye off the ball. Trapdoors lay ahead.

At its most fundamental, the 2023 vintage pivots on a simple gamble…Would eventual yields exceed optimal levels?

If so, what preemptive measures did you enact to control them?

Whilst natural to view a vintage as one demarcated by calendar year, one of the defining factors of 2023 was already in situ, hidden in the dormant vines. Vines are like rechargeable batteries. Sun charges them up throughout the year, and they invest energy into foliage and fruit via photosynthesis. More sun equals more energy. Any surplus gives them a bit in the tank for the following growing season. Ergo, after the heat of 2022, the vines were “fully charged” come 2023 (which underlies why several winemakers fear that 2025 is predestined to be a diminished crop after the tumult of 2024). Returning to 2023, I offer a theory of my own, one that winemakers did not refute when aired. In frost-devastated years, vines tend to produce more bunches the following season—survival instinct should there be a repeat. Could the abundance of bunches be attributed in part to a latent reaction to the frost-impacted 2021? Did that exaggerate the huge potential yield after perfect flowering conditions?

The year began warm and dry, with temperatures averaging 4.5°C and rainfall of 44 mm in January. Temperatures remained above normal in February and March. The former was very dry with just 10 mm of rain, though March saw a welcome 57 mm. The mercury took a dive in April, which was cooler than usual at 9.9°C. Budbreak was around April 7 to 10. Romain Taupenot observed a lag between noting the first spots of green in buds on March 20, which he attributes to a cool phase.

It is important to examine the rainfall figures from May to July: 76 mm, 70 mm and 64 mm. Intermittent showers meant that the vines did not suffer stress and/or shut down as they did in 2020 or 2022. Meanwhile, temperatures were warm but, crucially, without heat spikes. Comparing 2023 to 2022, they were 16.1°C in May (17.4°C in 2022), 21.5°C in June (20.5°C in 2022) and 21.2°C in July (22.8°C in 2022), figures that predicate 2023’s classicism, even if not the only reason. These figures hide the fact that throughout the season, there were cool and warm spells. The weather never really settled into a predictable pattern. After a brief cooler phase between May 10 and 19, it began to warm up as the first flowers appeared in the final weekend of that month.

This photo was taken on May 25 in Corton-Charlemagne, if I recall correctly. In a few weeks’ time, this will be a healthy bunch of grapes.

Flowering coincided with an ideal warm dry spell mi-fleuraison: June 4 for Chardonnay and two days later for Pinot Noir. A potential abundant harvest in a notional 100 days’ time was in the cards, with some vines eventually heaving with more than 20 bunches. This abundance prompted many growers to conduct a vendange verte, or “green harvest,” removing healthy bunches to limit final yields. It depends on the vineyard in question, but a majority reduced bunches to four to eight per vine (specifics can be found in respective Producer Profiles). Many assumed this practice had been consigned to history after the series of depleted yields. For Amélie Berthaut, it was the first time she had undertaken green harvesting, and its novelty obliged vineyard teams to be taught or retaught before entering the vines. Except one… Berthaut recounted how an African worker could not countenance leaving healthy fruit on the ground when friends in his homeland eat to survive. Quite a few estates, Domaine d’Eugénie and Gilbert Felettig to name but two, conducted two green harvests, a second in August after véraison, by which time you could visibly weed out unevenly ripe bunches and snip them off. Due to the sporadic rainfall, there were also outbreaks of acid rot that had to be eradicated either at this stage (often detectable merely by smelling bunches), or later at the sorting table.

However, not everyone conducted a green harvest in 2023. It is not a black-and-white determining factor of whether you made a good wine (or not).

Firstly, older vines are naturally less productive. Domaines with a majority of vieilles vignes, like Xavier Horiot (Domaine Launay-Horiot), David Rebourgeon (Rebourgeon-Mure) and Sébastien Cathiard, to name but a few, all considered it unnecessary or, like Christophe Roumier, limited it to the younger vines. Secondly, winemakers such as Thibault Clerget, David Moreau and Jean-Marc Vincent undertake a stricter de-budding early in the season, or like Olivier and Guillaume Boigey, prune short. This is a gamble because you can never predict how the season will unfold. Thirdly, those like Thibaut Liger-Belair chose not to green harvest, and instead, they concentrated on taking out up to 40% on the sorting table. Lastly, as pointed out by Céline Fontaine, the type of pruning is also a contributing factor. _Cordon de Royat_ is better at limiting yields than the more commonly found Guyot, as it reduces bud fertility.

Some winemakers believe that vines react to green harvesting by overcompensating in terms of fruit. These vines produce larger bunches, so ultimately, this additional work is counterproductive and potentially makes it worse. For example, Mathilde Grivot explained how they did one green harvest. However, when they saw bunches swelling, especially amongst higher-yielding rootstock like SO4, they decided to halt, fearing that they might lose concentration.

Whilst June had been sunny with a whopping 330 insolation hours compared to 253 in 2022, July was the flip-reverse, with 221 hours instead of 362. There was one dramatic episode—the storm on July 11. Temperatures had been rising since July 7 up to 35°C, which led to a storm with a side-order of hail. Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau keeps meticulous records of the weather throughout the year and pinpointed hail at 11pm that day. Thankfully, it was localized. That said, Frédéric Weber at Bouchard Père lost 40% of his crop in Meursault; Morey-Saint-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny were also hit to minor degrees.

August was a peculiar month that began cooler than expected, disturbing véraison for some producers and encouraging that second green harvest. Temperatures averaged 21.1°C compared to 23.1°C in 2022, and sunlight hours were just 206 instead of 301 the year before. That might not seem much, but that is critical in the month where, as the French saying goes, “Août fait la moût” (August makes the must). Whereas 12 months earlier, the region was beset with heat waves, summer had ended early, causing winemakers to vex about sluggish sugar accumulation. Even after potential yields had been lowered, there was simply insufficient sunlight and warmth to achieve physiological ripeness with a comparatively large volume. The sun’s energy was still being distributed too widely. With potential alcohol levels languishing around 10.5-11.0%, Jérôme Floos at Faiveley ordered 10 tons of sugar in the prospect of chaptalization.

Then, the season went off-script. The dates of the first heatwave vary depending on who you speak to, some quoting August 24. Independent meteorological data suggests earlier. Things began to sizzle from August 17 and peaked on August 24 when it reached 37°C at precisely 3:30pm, taking everyone by surprise, since heatwaves usually occur at the height of summer. This coincided with a convectional storm on August 28 that saw 25 mm of rain, but the most important effect was that sugar levels shot up. Christine Gruère-Fontaine witnessed an astonishing 3.5% increase in potential alcohol within ten days, as if her vines had decided on a career change and wanted to become Vintage Port. Hopefully, Jérôme Floos kept the receipt for his sugar. Of course, sugar accumulation depends on multiple factors, such as orientation of vines, rootstock, foliage and so forth, but generally, this spell of heat altered the course of the growing season.

There was a sequel. Heatwave II. Again, dates vary depending on who you speak to, but meteorological data shows that it was from September 5 to 10, either on the eve or mid-harvest. Frédéric Weber had just reassured his pickers that they could wait. Doubtless he had to address his bewildered team with an opening…“Forget what I just said.”

French weather forecasters have one job to do. Alas, they did not predict this second heat wave. It posed challenges of varying degrees depending on:

1. Whether you oversee precocious meso-climates with fruit that ripens quickly

2.  The size and efficiency of your picking team or whether you could hire some hands—Faiveley dispatched some 240 pairs of hands to pick their diaspora of holdings  

3. Whether your holdings lie within proximity, making it logistically quicker to zip around your parcels

4. If your winery reception has a refrigerated unit in which to keep fruit cool, which is vital to prevent spoilage and control alcohol fermentation temperatures. This allows growers to store fruit overnight and regulate the flow that enters the vat room. Given high yields, these were of immense value and could govern decisions in terms of timing. After recent hot vintages, many of the top wineries are now equipped.

These factors amplify the heterogeneity between one grower and another. Some hastily rejigged harvest plans and prioritized their most propitious vineyards, i.e., Premier and Grand Crus. Others with larger teams had more flexibility, especially as temperatures reached the mid-30s. Others felt less urged to rush, particularly those wanting to guarantee ripeness and/or pick in less sweltering heat, like Vincent Dureuil in Rully. This led to a wide dispersal of picking dates. For example, Alvina Pernot in Puligny commenced on August 26, while Buisson in Saint-Romain did not begin until September 15. The whites were picked around the end of August as rising sugar levels forced picking teams to enter vineyards without delay. A majority started in the first days of September. Reds were a little later, around September 7, though again, there are wide variations. In Chambolle-Musigny, de Vogüé began on September 6, whilst Amiot-Servelle did not start until September 14. In Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Rousseau had their teams out in the vines on September 6, while Rossignol-Trapet waited another nine days. I also asked growers when they finished—as important, if not more so, in 2023. Narrower harvest windows meant that many started a couple of days earlier in order to ensure pickers could tackle their choice parcels at the optimal moment. As Elsa Matrot mentioned, heterogeneity in ripeness levels between parcels spun out the harvest, with theirs taking 17 days. With harvesters’ health and well-being in mind, nearly all domaines restricted picking to mornings, many blowing the starting whistle at six or seven o’clock and packing up around lunchtime, before it became hot and dangerous. Fatalities in Champagne and Beaujolais in 2023 were tragic warnings that overripe fruit is not worth dying for.

I took this photograph on the eve of harvest in Vosne-Romanée. Plenty of large bunches on the vine at that point.

As anticipated, there was a plenitude of fruit. As a reminder, the INAO sets maximum legal yields: 35-37 hl/ha for red and 40-64 hl/ha for white Grand Crus; 40-45 hl/ha for red and 45-68 hl/ha for white Premier Crus; 40-45 hl/ha for red and 45-70 hl/ha for white Village Crus; 50-69 hl/ha for red and 55-75 hl/ha for regional whites. Some producers requested special dispensation to increase those ceilings, in Morey-Saint-Denis, to name but one. Readers will find average figures within Producer Profiles. Bunches tended to have what winemakers describe as “grandes épaules,” literally “big shoulders,” shaped like a muscular inverted triangle rather than cylindrical. The fruit entering the winery was generally in decent sanitary condition, though sorting was necessary where there were shriveled berries or fruit affected by acid rot, apart from those sorting as a means of reducing volumes. Some pickers were instructed to cut only every other bunch, lest they exceed authorized maximum yields. Cold macerations were very useful in 2023 in terms of controlling the temperature of the fruit and ensuring that fermentation is gradual.

Whole clusters and the use of stems have become popular over the last decade—almost a badge of honor. The Côte d’Or always has those that follow Henri Jayer’s philosophy and fully destem, like Grivot or Méo-Camuzet, and others that use the maximum number of stems, following Jacques Seysses’ approach at Dujac. Some, like Domaine Simon Bize in Savigny-lès-Beaune, maintained 100% stems for all their cuvées. Others felt that they were not fully lignified and used less. Even Dujac used 70% to 80%, albeit following their gradual move away from 100% by rote. Jean-Marc Vincent opted to use less because the solids-to-fruit ratio was not right, deciding to reduce the former. Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Géraldine Godot at Domaine de l’Arlot and Xavier Monnot previously used whole cluster but now fully destem. The banal reason many winemakers had no choice but to use less whole bunch is that there was insufficient room in their vats, some only realizing this as the harvest got underway. A couple resorted to destemming and then sprinkled them back into the must—a little “seasoning.” You will find details of percentages of whole bunch in the tasting notes. 

Amélie Berthaut showing me her new winery in Fixin, which affords her much more space, a big benefit in 2023.

In 2023, regulating alcoholic fermentation temperatures was particularly important because ambient temperatures were higher than normal. The general trend this season was for slightly lower maximum temperatures, around 28°C, as fruit was less concentrated than the previous year and winemakers thankfully no longer equate bigger with better. A majority emphasized that they now conduct the minimal amount of pigeage (punching down) with either no remontage (pumping-over) or a little at the end of cuvaison, what many simply dub as “infusion.” A handful of winemakers, such as Sabine Mollard at Domaine Marc Morey, told me that the alcoholic fermentation was tricky to finish due to higher residual sugar levels, which could be 3 g/L instead of 0.5-1.0 g/L. Could this be down to warmer temperatures during picking that can reduce yeast populations?

Pressings were also lighter, following the trend in recent years and because skins were not particularly thick, especially when stretched on more bloated berries. Then again, Brian Sieve at Domaine de Montille did more extraction, fearing the wines would otherwise be too slender. In terms of pressed wine, many did not use the final fractions, which contain higher potassium/pH levels, in order to preserve acidity and freshness. Some producers, such as Domaines Méo-Camuzet, Xavier Monnot, de Montille and Hudelot-Nöellat, bled the tanks (saignée) to gain a bit of concentration, though again, it is not a central tenet of vinification, rather an optional means of achieving desired wines.

Barrel regimes have altered considerably over recent years, with a move away from new oak. Barrels can be ordered after flowering in early summer when most have an idea of eventual volumes, so the larger yields did not result in lower percentages compared to previous years. More winemakers are using foudres or demi-muids to reduce the impact of wood, whilst a number continue to use spherical glass WineGlobes (see Rossignol-Fèvrier’s Producer Profile) in conjunction with orthodox 228-liter oak pièces, clay amphorae and Clayvers (Italian-made ceramic eggs fired at twice the temperature of amphorae), inert vessels with lower oxygen transmission than barrels. See Cécile Tremblay posing in front of hers below. 

FWIW, I didn’t spot any ceramic circles.

Cécile Tremblay posing next to her Clayver, becoming increasingly popular in the Côte d’Or.

Charles Magnien in Gevrey-Chambertin is utilizing more foudres these days.

Some winemakers, like Céline Fontaine, told me that they used more lees to enhance flavor and depth, so they conducted less racking. Thoughts are divided on length of barrel maturation, some the same as usual, others shorter or longer. Many altered their views on their wines after malolactic, with some confessing that they had doubts about their wines until it had finished. This may well have revised some bottling dates. Most of the wines will be bottled from next year, and many were still undecided about the length of élevage.

How The Report Was Done

The tasting notes in this report were gathered during six weeks of tasting in October and November 2024: over 140 visits to Domaines from Rully to Marsannay. This is my largest report by some margin, with nearly 2,500 reviews. Yet there remain producers that I was unable to visit, despite working weekends and national holidays. There are only 24 hours in a day. Due to larger volumes, winemakers occasionally presented larger portfolios than normal, although that will be very different next year when broaching the 2024s. These notes focus on 2023, although those that release their wines later, like Lamy and Roty, showed me their 2022s. 

The 2023 reds ready for inspection at Louis Jadot in the first of two sessions at their Beaune HQ, with Head Winemaker Frédéric Barnier.

As always, my aim is to offer a gallimaufry from large négociants to one-man bands, blue chips to newbies. I feel little compulsion to gain kudos chasing the diaspora of micro-négociants. This cadre includes young winemakers with genuine passion for wine, buying fruit their toehold into their vocation. Those, I am interested in. Vanity projects where rarity and stratospheric prices are predesigned to foment mystique? Well, whatever. A few in both camps cropped up during my time in Burgundy, and I judge them with an open mind like everything else. The inclusion of Kei Shiogai and even the odd wine critic in the mix might raise eyebrows, but they are part of the Burgundy firmament. It was happenstance that I drank their wines. This is the first tranche of reviews. As in previous years, I will add more from the London round of tastings in January and subsequent visits to the region.

Tasting at Domaine Michel Lafarge in Volnay. More producers have tasting rooms these days, though here, it’s still the stack of plastic bottle carriers and laptop plonked on top.

The Wines

This is the first Burgundy vintage in a while where my positive sentiments might contradict preconceived notions insofar that high yields infer dilution and visions of skinny Chardonnays and lily-livered Pinots. Maybe some jumped to the conclusion that 2023 has to be a vintage for the whites, as Chardonnay can handle higher crop loads than Pinot Noir. Inspecting vineyards first-hand prior to harvest, clearly there would be no shortage of fruit. However, the dogma of minimal yields equating to superior wine and vice versa is superannuated, more germane to the pre-global warming era when growers struggled to achieve physiological ripeness. There’s a crucial difference between excessive and optimal yields. Read the information in the Producer Profiles, and you will see that whilst final yields are higher than normal, often close to legal maximums, they are not astronomical within the purview of this report. In fact, some producers cropped less than in 2022 once they had sorted the fruit at reception, such as Matrot in Meursault. Doubtless, beyond the purview of this report, broaching less quality-driven producers, you will find more instances of excessive yields and dilution, and maybe I will encounter those as I cast the net wider in subsequent tastings.

But Yes, I Adore the 2023 Vintage.

It is not the greatest ever, some kind of apotheosis. But I am hard pushed to think of another vintage so pleasurable from barrel—pleasure that its best growers will translate into bottle. Time and again, as I tasted unfinished wines, thoughts of relishing the same finished wine at some future date kept popping into my head.

Two thousand twenty-three is unequivocally a “vignerons’ vintage.” Those that made the right decisions in the vineyard had the potential to make great wines of either color at optimal yields. For a change, there is plenty to go around, which will oblige less frenzied chasing after minuscule allocations. Dare I say, some producers should not take it for granted that they will sell their entire crop.

The Whites

The whites lean towards a “sunnier” style of Chardonnay in that yellow fruit dominates. These are certainly not tensile or malic articulations of the variety. The whites are not as obviously tropical, like some 2018s and 2020s. More accurately, they lean into that style without veering too far away from traditional white Burgundy, thanks to the absence of summer heatwaves. Many maintain sufficient acidity levels and low pHs to counterbalance any richness delivered by that late summer climb in temperatures. Examining my notes, tropical leanings seem more prevalent within regional whites—Bourgogne Blancs—though perhaps given they are not meant for long-term aging or deep contemplation, that is not a huge issue.

Differences between appellations? No one appellation stands out from others, though you could argue that terroir underpins quality. Limestone soils counter-balanced the richness that manifested during those two heatwaves, which is important because pH levels tend to be a little higher in 2023. Also, vine age had a notable effect in terms of naturally regulating yields. Chassagne-Montrachet continues to impress thanks to the cluster of talent that has emerged there in recent years

I must mention some of the excellent Aligotés. This is not a vintage where Aligoté excelled, but there is a clutch of outstanding examples that galvanize the thought that Aligoté is no also-ran to the ubiquitous Chardonnay. Let’s name some you should check out: Elodie Roy, Jean-Marc Roulot, Thibault Liger-Belair, Nicolas Faure, Domaine Ponsot. Laurent Fournier and in particular, Boris Champy, Jérôme Galeyrand and, of course, its éminence grise, Sylvain Pataille. 

Elodie Roy in Cheilly-les Maranges produced a superb Bourgogne Aligoté that doubtlessly will represent great value.

The Reds

Looking back, the reds are the real surprise. As long as you controlled your yields, nature gave you fruit that ingeniously combines the ripeness of say, 2020, with the freshness of say, 2017. As already outlined, there are multiple ways of achieving that goal: hard pruning, de-budding, green harvesting and sorting at the winery reception. Several winemakers commented upon the reds’ unprecedented coexistence of modernity and classicism, an expression I used in the title of my report on the 2017s,  2017 Burgundy: A Modern Classic. You could argue that the 2023s share some consanguinity with the 2017s— vintage that I have appreciated more as time passes—yet I wager the 2023s are better than that.

Like the whites, 2023 is not a vintage when one single appellation rises above others. To reiterate: 2023 is a winemakers’ vintage. Nuits Saint-Georges seems to have suffered a little more comparatively. Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin are more consistent, the latter certainly a wellspring of great Pinot Noirs. I would also point to Marsannay, where quality is rising faster than prices and therefore could constitute the best value-for-money, especially amongst the talented likes of Domaine Fournier, Joseph Roty and Bruno Clair. As Arthur Clair at Domaine Bruno Clair pointed out, Marsannay had slightly less rain than other appellations, which might have given them a slight advantage.

What is intriguing about the vintage is that either by design or default, the season compels producers whose wines gravitate towards blacker, more concentrated, perhaps more opulent styles, to one that leans much more into red fruit and finesse. Winemakers such as Guillaume Tardy or Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, perhaps even Domaines d’Eugénie or de Vogüé, demonstrate a perceptible shift in style that I welcome.

Changing of the guard at Domaine d’Eugénie as Michel Mallard departs to run his namesake estate and ex-Château Grillet winemaker Jae Chu takes the helm of an expanded range.

The fruit profile in the Pinot Noirs pivots from black to red, which is where the variety reaches its zenith, even if appellations like Morey-Saint-Denis have a proclivity toward darker fruit. The reds convey a sense of transparency, more weightless than weighty. One leitmotif is pepperiness. There were a number of occasions when I had to double-check that there were no whole clusters because this trait suggested their presence, when in fact, the bunches were entirely d-stemmed. This is just a facet of the wines that I appreciate.

Acidity levels are not necessarily high, yet there is abundant freshness. Textures can often be a little crunchy, and this frequently tends to amplify frisson. These Pinots are going to be very tempting in their youth. Perhaps they will replace 2021s that are proving so delicious in infancy. As much as I will not begrudge those who wish to drink the 2023s in their youth, they also have the balance and energy to reward the dwindling numbers who uphold the lost art of cellaring.

Shortcomings? These are not wines of immense fruit concentration. Some of the reds lack backbone and grip, occasionally slender on the finish and missing length on the aftertaste. Very few come with sustain pedals. It is not consistent like the 2022 vintage, and you have to choose wisely because of aforementioned trapdoors; leaving yields unchecked or being unable to respond to the double heatwave curveball are two main ones, as well as retaining the ability to keep the incoming fruit cool before alcoholic fermentation. Such is the style of the 2023s that unwise decisions could mean your wine spun off the track, so that even within domaines’ portfolios, you can find successes rubbing shoulders with failures.

Before wrapping this up, Burgundy has gained a reputation for being expensive and unaffordable to those who really love its wines. Though most prices are not yet set, based on previous release prices, here are a dozen noteworthy 2023s that should not necessitate winning the lottery or robbing a bank:

Bouzeron Aligoté Les Clous – Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand

Bourgogne Aligoté Vieilles Vignes – Domaine Elodie Roy

Saint-Romain Sous Le Château – Domaine Gilles & Henri Buisson

Rully Chapitre 1er Cru – Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthial

Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets – Domaine Marc Morey

Rully Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru – Domaine de la Folie

Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Vergelesses 1er Cru – Domaine Simon Bize

Ladoix Les Joyeuses 1er Cru – Domaine Michel Mallard

Pommard Clos des Charmots 1er Cru – Domaine Rebourgeon Mure

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Clous 377 – Domaine Boris Champy

Fixin Les Hervelets 1er Cru – Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet

Marsannay En Grand Vaux – Domaine Jean Fournier

Final Thoughts

“The Lord Giveth…”

The unabridged title would be “The Lord Giveth and Vignerons Taketh Away.” In bygone impecunious days when quantity was the priority (difficult as it is to believe now as winemakers compare Patek Philippes), Burgundy’s wines were once a fraction of today’s prices. Two thousand twenty-three might have been a modern-day 1973, a year when yields spiraled out of control. But at least amongst quality-minded, gimlet-eyed growers, the necessity to control the number of bunches per vine, to nip them in the bud both literally and figuratively, gave rise to a veritable trove of white and reds that will drink earlier than their 2022 counterparts. The best wines can be summed up in a single word…

Charm.

Market prices aside, tasting these wines from barrel, I was reminded time and again that nothing matches a Meursault, Vosne-Romanée or Gevrey-Chambertin in full flight. Burgundy is changing, not necessarily for the better in some respects, but there is something life-affirming when encountering great Chardonnay, Aligoté or Pinot Noir, whatever the vineyard or grower. You might not like the prices, as I suspect many will maintain rather than lower them, but these wines will give immense pleasure.

The Lord Giveth. It is up to you whether to take them away.

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