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2023-burgundy-vintage

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2023 Burgundy Vintage

Filed from: VFTC #115 (John Gilman, Jan-Feb 2025)

Summary

The 2023 Burgundy vintage produced a large, healthy crop across virtually all appellations, resulting in wines of outstanding quality with rich, succulent fruit, great terroir transparency, and very good to excellent aging potential. After the frost-and-mildew disasters of 2021 and 2024 and the drought stress of 2022, 2023 is a gift: generous quantities at every level, from Bourgogne to grand cru, with quality that rivals the finest vintages of the past quarter century. Gilman calls it one of the most successful large-crop vintages in Burgundy history.

The Growing Season

Spring: Normal to favorable flowering conditions across most of the Côte. No significant frost events (unlike 2021 or 2024). Mildew pressure was manageable — conventional and biodynamic producers alike achieved normal crop levels, in sharp contrast to 2021 and 2024.

Summer: Warm and generously sunny through July and August. Good ripeness was achieved early. Some concern in late summer about potential overripeness, but the vintage’s natural acidity kept wines fresh. Harvest generally occurred in late September, with some domains starting as early as August 31st (e.g. Chartron).

Chablis: Unlike 2024, no catastrophic spring frost or hail events. The 2023 Chablis crop was large and healthy, with grand crus and premiers crus all produced. Structures are excellent and the wines are built for extended aging despite the vintage’s general approachability.

Côte de Nuits: Very good to excellent yields throughout. Biodynamic producers had no particular disadvantage this year. The Nuits-to-Chambolle corridor, devastated in 2024, was fully productive.

Côte de Beaune: Excellent yields, with many domaines (e.g. Chartron) reporting essentially normal crops. White wines, particularly in Puligny and Chassagne, are among the finest produced in decades.

Côte Chalonnaise (Mercurey): Excellent results. Domaine Juillot reported one of their finest lineups in memory, with whites in Mercurey and Corton-Charlemagne rivaling any vintage.

Yield Impact by Zone

ZoneYield situation
ChablisNormal to large; all grand crus produced
Côte de NuitsNormal to large; biodynamic producers on equal footing
Côte de BeauneNormal to large; Chartron reported ~normal yield
Mercurey / ChalonnaiseExcellent; near-normal yields across region

Biodynamic vs. Conventional

Unlike 2024, biodynamic producers had no systemic disadvantage in 2023. Mildew pressure was present but manageable. Producers who farm organically or biodynamically (Dauvissat, Rossignol-Trapet, Chandon de Briailles) reported full ranges.

Wine Quality

Whites: Outstanding across the board. The 2023 whites combine succulent, ripe fruit with fine acidic structures and excellent minerality. Chablis grands crus are structured for 20–40+ years. Côte de Beaune whites (Puligny, Chassagne, Meursault) are benchmark examples — both generous in fruit and precise in structure. Corton-Charlemagne from Juillot (96 pts) and Carillon’s Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet (96 pts) are highlights. Chartron’s Clos des Chevaliers reached 98 points.

Reds: Equally superb. Unlike 2024 (which was lean and high-acid), 2023 reds show a more opulent, richer fruit profile while retaining fine soil transparency and aging structure. The vintage is larger in scale than 2024 but no less serious at the top level. Grand crus across Gevrey, Chambolle, Vosne, and Nuits all show exceptional promise. Mercurey reds (Juillot’s Corton “Perrières” reached 95 pts) are outstanding values.

Style Signature

  • Rich, succulent, perfectly ripe fruit — never overripe or hot
  • Very good natural acidity throughout — wines will age
  • Excellent terroir transparency at premier and grand cru level
  • White wines: pear, apple, chalky minerality, crème pâtissière, citrus blossoms
  • Red wines: sappy, complex, mid-palate depth; fine-grained tannins
  • Overall “generosity” — a vintage where village and Bourgogne levels overperform
  • Comparison vintages: 2005 (generous fruit with fine structure); notably different from the “solar” style of 2009/2015 and the austere high-acid profile of 2024

Pricing & Market Context

Gilman notes that the large 2023 crop arrived as a potential relief after tight allocation in prior vintages, but Burgundy pricing remains elevated. The combination of strong quality and ample supply may ease some pressure at the négociant and village levels. Watch allocations carefully: the small 2024 crop (devastating yields) means 2023 will remain the primary release vintage for many estates well into 2025–2026.

  • Buy 2023 Chablis grands crus and lay them down — Dauvissat “Les Clos” and “Les Preuses” both scored 97
  • Buy 2023 Côte de Beaune whites: exceptional value at premier cru level; Carillon, Chartron, and PYCM are all outstanding
  • 2023 Côte de Nuits reds are approachable earlier than 2024 but are still serious cellar candidates
  • Mercurey from Juillot: extraordinary value — premiers crus scoring 92–93+ that cost a fraction of Côte d’Or prices
  • Do not ignore village-level 2023s: the large, healthy crop means even entry-level wines have unusual depth

Top Scores from VFTC #115

WineScoreDrink
Chartron Chevalier-Montrachet “Clos des Chevaliers” 2023982030–2075
Chartron Bâtard-Montrachet 2023972031–2075
Dauvissat Chablis “Les Clos” 2023972030–2070+
Dauvissat Chablis “Les Preuses” 2023972032–2075+
Chartron Montrachet 2023962030–2075
Juillot Corton-Charlemagne 2023962033–2075
Carillon Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet 2023962031–2070
Juillot Corton “Perrières” 2023952040–2100
Chartron Clos des Caillerets (blanc) 2023952030–2065+
Chartron Clos de la Pucelle 202394+2030–2060+
Dauvissat Chablis “La Forest” 2023942030–2065+
Dauvissat Chablis “Montée de Tonnerre” 2023942028–2060+
Carillon Puligny “Les Referts” 2023942030–2060
Chartron Corton-Charlemagne 2023942030–2065+

Top Red Wine Scores from VFTC #115

WineScoreDrink
Rousseau Chambertin 2023972040–2100
Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 2023972040–2100
Rossignol-Trapet Chambertin 2023972042–2100
Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin VV 2023972040–2100
Mugnier Musigny 2023972042–2100
Drouhin Musigny 2023972042–2100
Dujac Clos de la Roche 2023962040–2100
Vogue Musigny VV 2023962040–2100
Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot 2023962040–2100
Drouhin Chambertin Clos de Beze 2023962040–2100
Drouhin Chambolle Amoureuses 2023962040–2100
Hudelot-Noellat Richebourg 202396+2040–2100
Hudelot-Noellat Romanee-St-Vivant 202396+2040–2100
Meo-Camuzet Richebourg 2023962040–2100
Meo-Camuzet Cros Parantoux 2023962040–2100

Producer Highlights — Reds

  • Denis Bachelet: Called 2023 “the greatest vintage of my career” — Charmes-Chambertin VV scored 97
  • Domaine Dujac: Fascinating red/black fruit role reversals — Echezeaux red fruity, Malconsorts black fruity; Clos de la Roche at 96
  • Domaine Mugnier: “Among the highlights of my nearly three weeks” — Musigny 97, Bonnes-Mares “finest I have tasted chez Mugnier”
  • Domaine Rousseau: On a “hot streak since 1979” — both Chambertin and Clos de Beze at 97
  • Chevillon: Les St. Georges and Les Vaucrains both at 95 — “pure magic”
  • Lafarge: Clos des Chenes and Clos du Chateau des Ducs both at 95 — “magical wine in the making”
  • Voillot: Pommard Rugiens at 94+ — “grand cru quality without a doubt”
  • William Kelley: Wine journalist’s debut Burgundies “extremely impressive” — Corton-Charlemagne 94+

Producer Highlights — Whites

  • Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche: 98 — “pure magic in the making”
  • Comtes Lafon Montrachet: 98 — “brilliant young wine”
  • Comtes Lafon Meursault Perrieres: 96 — finest depth of any premier cru in the lineup
  • Raveneau Chablis “Clos”: 97 — “bottomless depth at the core”
  • Fevre les Clos: 96 — among the raciest and most tensile of Chablis 2023s
  • Gouges Nuits “la Perriere” Blanc: 94 — “one of the finest young vintages I have ever tasted”

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