2024 Rhône Vintage — JLL Assessment
Summary
A vintage defined by mildew pressure, coulure at flowering, and a crucial August heat spike that rescued ripeness. The Northern Rhone fared better than Bordeaux and Burgundy — selection and diligent vineyard work were key. Whites are fresh and lively; reds are balanced, moderate in alcohol (12.5-13%), and approachable, with some growers calling it the most balanced of the 2022-2024 trio. The Southern Rhone report is not yet available (placeholder only on drinkRhone.com).
JLL: “The Northern Rhone fared better than those obviously blighted regions, but selection will remain the key.”
Northern Rhone Overview
Growing season: Cool and rainy through spring, with heavy mildew pressure. Coulure at flowering reduced crop levels. Summer was never consistently hot — brief heat spikes followed by storms. A critical late-August heat burst of 4-5 days accelerated ripening by 1.5-2 degrees in a week. Harvest started early-to-mid September, generally later than 2023.
Character: Low sunshine-heat vintage producing fresh, balanced wines with good acidity. Alcohol degrees mostly 12.5-13%, well below the 13.5-14%+ of recent hot years. Malic acid levels were high, contributing freshness after malolactic fermentation. The wines have a “1980s expression” per Jean-Paul Jamet — freshness, matter, fruit, without the richness of hotter recent years.
Key appellation notes:
- Cote-Rotie: Lively, digestible, balanced wines at 12.4-13%. Coulure rather than mildew was the main crop reducer. Pierre Burgaud places it “halfway between 2022 and 2020, with the freshness of 2021.” Jamet: “It has the expression of the 1980s.” Yields around 35-40 hl/ha — normal.
- Cornas: Potentially the vintage that will keep best of 2022-2024 per Lionel Fraisse (Domaine Alain Voge). Small bunches, 32 hl/ha yield. Balanced, with ripe tannins and moderate alcohol. Olivier Clape notes the absence of the North Wind — greater Mediterranean influence from prevailing South winds. Lemenicier says 2024 will be a “rapid drinker, more so than 2023 or 2022.”
- Crozes-Hermitage: Good quality, some exceptional cuvees. Maxime Graillot calls it “a serious vintage” with the phenolic ripeness of 2023 allied to power from lower yields (~37 hl/ha). Whites are “a great year” with higher yields bringing more fluid, expressive wines than the concentrated 2022-2023.
- Saint-Joseph: Good acidity, fresh, “rather Burgundy in the Northern Rhone” per Joel Durand. Degrees 12.5-13%.
- Condrieu: Whites handled the difficult conditions better than Syrah. Aromatic, with good balance. Jamet: “The 2024 whites are top, nicely ripe, 13.3 degrees, magic.” Yields around 31 hl/ha with significant losses.
- Saint-Peray: Heavy mildew losses — half the crop lost by some growers. What remained is very good, fresh, with good malic acidity.
Southern Rhone Overview
Not yet reported by JLL. The 2024 Southern Rhone page on drinkRhone.com is a placeholder.
Top Producer Quotes
| Producer | Appellation | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Jean-Paul Jamet | Cote-Rotie | ”It has the expression of the 1980s, freshness, with a belle 12.5-13 degrees, matter, fruit, and not the gourmandise of the hotter recent years.” |
| Olivier Clape | Cornas | Notes reversal of prevailing winds — one day of North Wind to five days of South — a “greater Mediterranean influence.” Harvest much more attractive than 2023. |
| Lionel Fraisse (Alain Voge) | Cornas | ”2024 is the vintage that will keep best of the trio 2022, 2023 and 2024… the most balanced of recent vintages.” |
| Maxime Graillot | Crozes-Hermitage | ”2024 is a serious vintage.” Whites: “2024 will be a great year for the white.” |
| Pierre Burgaud | Cote-Rotie | ”Half way between 2022 and 2020, with the freshness of 2021.” Chaptalisation should not be feared — it brings improved balance. |
| Patrick Jasmin | Cote-Rotie | ”2024 is lively… balanced, and the wines are digestible, can be drunk quite soon, even before 2022.” |
Key Themes
- Mildew as the defining challenge: Relentless vineyard work was required; growers who fell behind on treatments suffered major losses. Organic/biodynamic producers faced particular stress.
- The return of freshness: After a run of solar vintages (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023), 2024 marks a cooler, more classically balanced year. Multiple growers compare it to 2021 for freshness.
- Chaptalisation is back: Several Cote-Rotie producers harvested at 11.8-12.5 degrees and raised to 13 via chaptalisation — a technique not needed in the hot vintages of the late 2010s-early 2020s.
- Wind pattern shift: Clape observes a reversal in prevailing winds — the Mistral (North Wind) is rarer, replaced by southern winds bringing Mediterranean moisture. This may have long-term implications for viticulture in the Northern Rhone.
- Whites outperformed reds: Viognier handled 2024 better than Syrah across the board. White wines are fresh, aromatic, and immediately appealing.
Sources
sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— “2024 Northern Rhone” and “2024 Southern Rhone” entries (John Livingstone-Learmonth, drinkRhone.com)