The Burgundy 2023 Vintage Report by Oliver Sharp
Bordeaux Index
16 December 2024
An overview of the 2023 vintage by Oliver Sharp, buyer at Bordeaux Index
After my quick in-and-out trip to Burgundy this time last week, I felt it fitting to reflect on my time away, producers met and the 2023 vintage.
In an age where information is so easy to come by, Burgundy remains somewhat of an enigma, indeed one has to work hard to understand it and work hard to acquire its wines. But that is all part of its charm. At its core are the four ‘Vs’: village, vineyard, vigneron and vintage. Theirs is a symbiotic relationship, beholden to nature and maddeningly difficult to get right, personified by its principle grape variety, Pinot Noir.
The 2023 Vintage
2023 in Burgundy was marked by an abundance of precipitation after the drought-fraught growing season of 2022 saw the vines overcompensate. Temperatures were relatively high to boot, when combined with excessive rain meant that early spraying against mildew was very necessary early on. For those who managed to nip it in the bud production is high, as seen at Clos des Lambrays where 2023 is 40% above average, while 2024 is around 50% below.
Early to mid September saw a heat spike in the region which rapidly increased ripening and pHs, precipitating a swift harvest to maintain the grapes' overall balance.
Both the whites and reds in their best form are juicy ripe generous versions of themselves with refreshing acidities that suggest they’ll be approachable in their youth though with stuffing enough to age happily for another 5-10+ years.
For a facile, easily-digestible comparison, I’d liken 2023 to the warm generous 2015 vintage in Bordeaux while the 2022s are more akin to Bordeaux’s 2016 vintage, showing greater precision, a degree more energy and the structure to evolve long into the future
Chablis
Domaine Christian Moreau was established in 2001 by the eponymous Christian with his youngest son Fabien at the helm – 2023 being his 22nd vintage in charge. Of their 11.6 hectares under vine, a significant portion is Grand Cru of which they farm 4 of the 7 official GCs including their ‘Moreau Monopole’ which they consider an 8th Grand Cru.
Viticulture here is 100% organic, and they use a percentage of barrels in the vinification of their top wines. The wines go through 100% malolactic fermentation, an exception occurring in 2023 as a third of the grapes blended into the Chablis Villages were blocked from malo to retain freshness.
2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon – 50 year old vines cropped at 64ha/hl – ripe, juicy mineral stylish Chablis with energy and citrus fresh finish – eminently boshable now but no rush to pull the cork
2023 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur – from a single hectare plot – rich powerful reductive style with real palate presence – textural exotic lime citrus tension with spiced ginger on the long mineral finish – tightly wound will benefit from time in the cellar
2023 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos – from 2.9ha parcel - 40% barrel aged) - luxurious fruit style with chewy textural palate weight and an intensity of flavour one might associate with the finest vineyards of the Cote de Beaune – seriously good Grand Cru Chablis
Domaine Gilbert Picq is based in the charming hamlet of Chichee and run by the effervescent, charming Didier and Pascal Picq. This domaine has an ever-growing reputation for pure, cellar-worthy Chablis amongst afficionados.
Despite its ‘classic’ monicker, however, DGP is one of the very few domaines in Chablis to bottle individual lieux-dits as is common practice further south. In fact, if you were to imagine what is going to shake up the staid, backwards image the market has of Chablis, it would surely be dynamic producers bottling climat-specific wines that express their place rather than blending together disparate plots to have enough volume to win a listing at a Harvester.
DGP bottles three separate lieux-dits – Dessus La Carrière (from massal-selected vines planted in 1970 and 1972 on limestone soils in the lieux-dits of Paradis and Champboisson), En Vaudecorse (Kimmeridgian rich vineyards planted under 1er Cru Vaucoupin) and Vauclaire (1.66ha plot just below 1er Cru Vosgros first bottled in 2022).
2023 Chablis Villages – brilliant, stylish ‘basic’ Chablis with classic minerality and juicy come-hither rizz – yum!
2023 Chablis Villages ‘Dessus La Carriere’ – explosive mineral palate energy with exotic citrus spice and juicy length on the steely finish – properly impressive for a Village Chablis
2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vosgros – from 40+ year old vines planted on 1.43ha plot in this cool, stony site – serious palate presence showing ripe mineral energy framing the sappy palate – spice and salinity resonate on the particularly long finish. Excellent.
Chassagne Montrachet
Domaine Bruno Colin was formed when Bruno’s father, Michel Colin, split the family holdings between his two sons in 2003 – the final slice of vineyards was handed down in 2016 giving the estate a total area under vine of 8.55 hectares.
Amongst an extensive portfolio of 22 individual red and white wines, Bruno will bottle eight individual 1er Cru Chassagnes, two 1er Cru Pulignys and three of the six Cote de Beaune Grands Crus in the 2023 vintage.
Bruno likes his flash – his renovated estate rather resembles a nightclub (black toilet paper, anyone?) while his choice of cars (currently an AMG G Wagon and (purportedly) a Ferrari) display a penchant for excess. His wines, similarly, are exciting, crowd-pleasing versions of their respective appellations and at the top level are seriously impressive, energy-laden, terroir-transparent wines that compete with the very best of the Cote de Beaune.
It’s difficult to pinpoint favourites, but ignoring the three Grands Crus which are spectacularly good, these are excellent examples of their type:
2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Vergers – from a 0.33ha plot in the ‘Les Pasquelles’ lieu-dit – ripe spice-laden fruit with power on the mid-palate and an exotic citrus zing on the juicy fresh finish – seriously stylish Chassagne
2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot – from a 0.41ha plot in the ‘Francemont’ lieu-dit – elegant, refined, intense, spice, citrus fresh, precise, long. Yum
2023 Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Demoiselles’ – miniscule 0.07ha plot in this tiny Montrachet-abutting enclave of Le Cailleret – mineral, saline, intense, energy-laden, seriously impressive, stylish Puligny – amazingly from only 4-year-old vines!
Morey-St-Denis
Domaine des Lambrays was sold to LVMH in 2014 since when they’ve rebuilt the cellars and appointed to consummately capable Jacques Devauges. The Grand Cru vineyard itself is divided into 11 separate plots which are farmed, harvested and vinified as individual wines before being blended back together – er – I mean “reunified” after their elevage.
The domaine also produces other wines in Morey, NSG and Vosne as well as two Pulignys. The CDL23 itself is sleek, elegant, surfeit of pure Pinot fruit, spice, dark cherry, beautifully stylish, fresh and long. The brilliant 2022 tasted alongside is, however, a notch above.
Domaine Lignier-Michelot needs little introduction – Virgile Lignier himself is rizzing Burgundy and forming a reputation as an address to follow – everyone wants to know him!
His 2023s are, from his Coteaux Bourgignon to his Grand Cru Clos St Denis, nothing less than stylish, sumptuous, serious Pinot Noirs of the highest calibre – they display a silky texture and luxuriant mouthfeel that one associates with the likes of Rousseau and Dujac.
All going to plan, Virgile will come to show us his wines early next year – in the meantime herewith a selection of personal favourites (ignoring the obviously exceptional Grands Crus):
2023 Morey-St-Denis Villages ‘Rue de Vergy’ – another brilliant vintage of this ‘mini Clos de Tart’ (the vineyard perches just above the Grand Cru) – it is a stylish, silky, juicy, spicy, joyous Morey that will drink straight off the bat but last a decade
2023 Chambolle-Musigny Villages Vieilles Vignes – from vines planted in 1924 and 1936, there are an amazing 33 barrels of this wine – it is floral, elegant, silky, prancing Chambolle with exceptional style for its Villages level – utterly delicious
2023 Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru Faconnieres – entirely predictable but this is yet again the finest of the MSDs – impressively intense, earthy, tea spice, dark bitter cherry and long pure energy-laden finish – another must-have iteration
Meursault
Domaine Francois Mikulski was established as recently as 1992 when Francois took over from his uncle Pierre Boillot. His Father, as his non-Burgundian surname suggests, was born in Poland whence he fled to England in 1939 before pitching up in France after the war. Francois was born in Dijon and studied viticulture before decamping to the US – he worked at Calera for the 1983 vintage and returned to Burgundy with newfangled technical knowledge and a determination to implement a more modern approach to winemaking. Anna, his and Marie-Pierre’s daughter, and their son-in-law, Thomas Boccon, will take over the domaine in due course.
The wines – from the Aligote (planted in 1929) up to the 1er Cru Charmes VV (from vines planted in 1913) and including the reds – to a drop are all top quality versions of their respective types.
Difficult to pick favourites, but these stood out in particular for their respective charms:
2023 Monthelie Les Toisieres (rouge) – a vineyard that’s perched up on the hill behind Meursault – a medium-bodied juicy fresh crunchy raspberry pepper zing – yum!
2023 Meursault Villages – this is sourced from 4 separate lieux-dits (Mikulski also bottles 4 other lieux-dits individually) – floral intense mineral exotic citrus ginger spice hazelnut fresh lime tangy finish – brilliant villages
2023 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrieres – from a 0.55ha parcel – ripe rich with luxuriant juicy enveloping palate intensity walnut pith and mineral grip on a long citrus fresh finish – tres bon!
Maranges
Domaine Bachelet-Monnot is fast approaching its two decades in existence with an extensive 23 hectares of vines under the auspices of brothers Marc and Alex Bachelet, producing equal parts red and white. Based in the beautiful hilltop village of Dezize-les-Maranges in the region’s southerly confines, they have helped put the lesser-spotted Maranges on the radar of quality-seeking consumers.
The whites are perhaps the superior colour quality wise, with vines in some of the Cotes de Beaune’s more prestigious crus, but the reds have been getting better and better over the years. All the wines presented were of the highest quality and come highly recommended – and if I were forced to highlight three favourites:
2023 Bourgogne Blanc – 2/3 Puligny and 1/3 Chassagne fruit – stylish juicy pear peach with mouthwatering ripe citrus acidity – another extremely boshable BB
2023 Puligny Montrachet Villages – a blend of four lieux-dits: Les Meix, Houlieres, Corvee des Vignes and Le Noyer Bret – intense powerful spice weight palate presence elegant citrus fresh finish – properly classy Villages
2023 Maranges 1er Cru La Fussiere – 9 individual plots within their 5 hectare holding are harvested and vinified separately before being ‘reunified’ (cf. Lambrays) after racking and before bottling – serious refined red/black cherry with spice and weight with ripeness bright persistent finish (vinified with 30% whole cluster). Incidentally the white Fussiere, planted on the upper limestone slopes near the Santenay borders, is also top notch…