2023 Rhône Vintage — JLL Assessment
Summary
A good but not spectacular vintage across the Northern Rhone, with wines that present and drink easily. Another solar-inclined vintage in the Southern Rhone following the path of 2022, 2020, and 2019. The growing season lurched from drought to rain to extreme late-August heat (40-44 degrees C), creating a stop-go pattern. Reds have reasonable tannin levels and are not massively structured. JLL slightly favors Cote-Rotie over Hermitage. The whites are a definite buy across both halves.
JLL on the North: “2023 is a good vintage across the Northern Rhone, not a spectacular one, with wines that present and drink pretty easily.”
Northern Rhone Overview
Growing season: Dry winter conditions, then rainy spring and early summer, followed by drought and a heat spike. This stop-go pattern did not set up supreme balance, but results were good given the circumstances. Reds have reasonable tannin levels, are not massively structured. Whites are successful and offer really good drinking.
Key appellation notes:
- Cote-Rotie: JLL’s most positive Northern appellation assessment. Received less rain initially than Hermitage, experienced less of a ripening blockage. A successful vintage.
- Hermitage: Slightly less favored than Cote-Rotie per JLL — received more rain and experienced a greater ripening blockage.
- Cornas: Sound, more on elegance than profound substance.
- Crozes-Hermitage: Degrees around 12.5-13%, solid balance. Similar character to 2024 in terms of balance.
- Saint-Joseph: Solid, with wines in the 12.5-13% range.
Southern Rhone Overview
Growing season: Drought in April and part of May, followed by stormy, rainy weather in June that prompted mildew pressure at Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. A tremendous late heat spike in the last week of August — 40-44 degrees C for four to five days. High sugar levels caused some growers fermentation difficulties. Degrees can be substantial.
Character: Solar vintage with richness that can spill into concentration. Soft vinifications were essential. Multiple growers compare it to 2020 — similar balance, good acidities from the spring rainfall, but with the concentration derived from the late August heat spike. Average degrees around 15% in some appellations. 2023 is the first vintage of Gigondas blanc.
Key appellation notes:
- Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Mixed. Spring rain helped. Green harvest in late July was vital — overcropping made optimal ripeness difficult. Mildew was not severe but came close. Syrah suffered in the high heat; Mourvedre, Counoise, and Grenache fared better.
- Gigondas: A real challenge — significant difference between plots that suffered from drought (sandy soils, low garrigue) and those that didn’t. Pierre Amadieu experienced grilled grapes for the first time in his career. First vintage of Gigondas blanc.
- Cairanne: “Super year” but fermentation challenges from high sugar. Degree around 15%. Compared to 2020 by multiple growers.
- Vacqueyras: Good, solar, aromatic; degrees reaching 16% at the tail end.
- Tavel: Francois Lafond: “I adore 2023.” Balanced, with good acidity and fresh nights. Joli colours.
- Cotes du Rhone: Variable. Some fragile, open wines low on acidity; others elegant with pedigree but tricky fermentations.
- Beaumes-de-Venise/Ventoux: Very complicated — spring rain induced mildew, brutal late heat spike shocked the vines. pH advanced quickly with low degree — a rare combination.
Top Producer Quotes
| Producer | Appellation | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Thierry Usseglio | CdP | ”Very beau, fresh and elegant… across the board it is mixed.” |
| Antoine Daumen (Vieille Julienne) | CdP | ”A lot of concentration because it was very hot and very dry. Syrah suffered in the high heat, while the Mourvedre and Counoise were perfect.” |
| Eric Michel (Cros de la Mure) | CdR | ”2023 is elegant, has pedigree… a Grand Vintage, but the fermentations have been tricky. Superior to 2022.” |
| Francois Lafond (Roc-Epine) | Tavel | ”I adore 2023… belle acidity — there was still malic acidity at harvest time.” |
| Pierre Amadieu | Gigondas | ”In all my career, I have never had grilled grapes before.” Late August: 5 days at 43 degrees C. |
Key Themes
- The heat spike defines the South: The late-August 40-44 degree C heat for four to five days concentrated the crop dramatically. Growers who had done proper soil work and green harvesting navigated it; others ended up with over-ripe, difficult-to-ferment fruit.
- Fermentation struggles in the South: High sugar levels from concentration caused stuck or slow fermentations. Some wines still had 8-10 grams of residual sugar after eight months.
- Mourvedre and Grenache over Syrah in the South: Syrah suffered most from the extreme heat; Mourvedre and Grenache handled it better.
- Northern elegance over power: The North produced accessible, food-friendly wines rather than blockbusters. Cote-Rotie edges Hermitage.
- 2023 whites are a buy: JLL is enthusiastic about whites from both halves — “a definite buy” in the North, “fine fruit and elegance” in the South.
- First vintage of Gigondas blanc — a new category to watch.
Sources
sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— “2023 Northern Rhone” and “2023 Southern Rhone” entries (John Livingstone-Learmonth, drinkRhone.com)