Mâconnais and Côte Chalonnaise: 2023 and 2022 Vintages
Synthesis from John Gilman’s VFTC #116 (March–April 2025), pp. 17–40.
2023 Vintage — Overview
The 2023 vintage in the Mâconnais and Côte Chalonnaise was marked by excellent overall quality and high consistency. Disease pressure during midsummer required vigilance, and a significant heat spike arrived at the end of August and lasted through the second week of September — meaning growers had to time harvest carefully to avoid overripe fruit. Véronique Drouhin noted that Drouhin’s Mâconnais team harvested at night for the first time to pick fruit that was not too warm.
Character of the 2023s: The vintage produced wines of fine vibrancy, excellent acidity, and bright, succulent fruit. The best examples are already highly pleasurable out of the blocks while also possessing enough structure and acidity to age gracefully. Gilman considers 2023 the more charming and accessible of the two recent vintages, while 2022 carries more depth and muscle.
“The 2023 vintage in Beaujolais looks to be the more consistent of the two most recently-released years, with some high water marks that are truly magical.” — Gilman, VFTC #116
2022 Vintage — Overview
A drought year that produced deeper, more concentrated wines than 2023. Because many vines shut down temporarily during the worst drought, alcohol levels remained surprisingly normal, but the wines show the characteristic sugar/acid concentration of drought conditions. These are less charming than the 2023s out of the blocks and will require more patience, but the finest examples will be very long-lived.
Key Themes from Gilman’s Notes
- Pouilly-Fuissé premier crus: Gilman remains skeptical of the 2020 classification. The warmest microclimates — which earned premier cru status based on historical reputation for full ripeness — are now ironically the least suited to elegant, high-quality wine in an era of global warming. Machine harvesting of premier crus was a further mistake, in his view.
- Mercurey Blanc: Gilman argues the best 2023 Mercurey Blancs from Juillot are superior to many Meursault and Puligny bottlings on the market.
- Old vines are key: Across both appellations, producers with significant old vine holdings (40+ years) consistently outperformed.
Top-Scoring 2023 Whites (94+ points)
| Wine | Producer | Score | Drink Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pouilly-Fuissé “le Haut de la Roche” | Domaine Jacques Saumaize | 94 | 2025–2050 |
Top-Scoring 2023 Whites (93 points)
| Wine | Producer | Score | Drink Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montagny “Premier Cru” | Maison Joseph Drouhin | 93 | 2025–2045 |
| Mercurey “En Sazenay” 1er Cru Blanc | Domaine Michel Juillot et Fils | 93 | 2025–2045 |
| Mercurey “Les Champs Martins” 1er Cru Blanc | Domaine Michel Juillot et Fils | 93 | 2027–2045+ |
| Mercurey “Clos des Barraults” 1er Cru Blanc | Domaine Michel Juillot et Fils | 93+ | 2028–2050 |
| Viré-Clessé “Vieilles Vignes” | Domaine Pascal Bonhomme | 93 | 2025–2035+ |
| Viré-Clessé | Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon | 93 | 2027–2040 |
| Pouilly-Fuissé “en Chatenay” | Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon | 93+ | 2028–2045+ |
| Pouilly-Fuissé “les Bouthières” 1er Cru | Maison Pierre Meurgey | 93 | 2025–2045 |
| Pouilly-Fuissé “les Courtelongs” | Domaine Jacques Saumaize | 93 | 2027–2045 |
| Pouilly-Fuissé “les Creuzettes” | Domaine Jacques Saumaize | 93+ | 2025–2050 |
| Pouilly-Fuissé “la Marechaude” 1er Cru | Domaine Jacques Saumaize | 93 | 2025–2040 |
| Pouilly-Fuissé “les Vieilles Vignes” | Domaine Jacques Saumaize | 93 | 2025–2040 |
| Saint-Véran “les Cras” (85yo vines) | Domaine Jacques Saumaize | 93 | 2025–2040+ |
| Saint-Véran “la Vieille Vigne” (50yo vines) | Domaine Jacques Saumaize | 93 | 2025–2040 |
Top-Scoring 2022 Whites (94 points)
| Wine | Producer | Score | Drink Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pouilly-Fuissé “Clos de la Chapelle” 1er Cru | Domaine de la Chapelle | 94 | 2025–2045 |
Top-Scoring Reds (Mercurey 2023)
| Wine | Producer | Score | Drink Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercurey “Clos du Roi” 1er Cru | Domaine Michel Juillot et Fils | 93+ | 2035–2075 |
| Mercurey “Clos des Barraults” 1er Cru | Domaine Michel Juillot et Fils | 93 | 2035–2070+ |
| Mercurey “Les Champs Martins” 1er Cru | Domaine Michel Juillot et Fils | 92+ | 2033–2070 |
| Mercurey “Clos Tonnerre” 1er Cru | Domaine Michel Juillot et Fils | 92 | 2033–2070 |
Sources
sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC March-April 2025 #116.txt(pp. 17–40)