2023 Southern Rhône Vintage

Across the Rhone Valley, a historically dry winter was followed by a particularly rainy spring, with some stormy episodes, especially in the north. Weather conditions were more chaotic in the north than in the south. The drought and late summer heatwave did not affect the vineyards, which benefited from a large diurnal range and cool nights. In Chateauneuf-du-Pape winter rainfall was very low, May and June brought good rain, and the summer was dry and hot, with 195 to 250 mm of rain between 1 January and mid-August depending on the sector. The protective Mistral kept the appellation free of disease in 2023, at a time when mildew was affecting vineyards nationally. A Syndicat des Cotes du Rhone drought notice dated 28 April 2023 listed prefectoral water-use restrictions: in the Vaucluse, the Sorgues, upper Calavon, Nesque and South-Luberon basins were on alert, with a 20 percent cut in water withdrawals, while in the Gard the lower Ceze zone was in crisis, with only priority water uses allowed. In Cairanne, the rainy spring, then drought and a few rainfalls in July and August, helped maintain good vineyard health, and in Gigondas water reserves from the spring rains limited the hardships of the drought. In Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the harvest stretched over more than two months, from mid-August for the whites to the end of October; the federation called its length exceptional, as black varieties ripened differently by terroir. In the Cotes du Rhone the white harvest was rather rushed and the reds needed more patience. In the Ventoux the harvest was long-lasting, with a day-night temperature swing that was particularly important at the end of September. Chateauneuf-du-Pape yields were generous at 32 to 35 hl/ha on average, and quantity in the Costieres de Nimes turned out relatively abundant.

• Across the Rhone Valley: historically dry winter, particularly rainy spring, and a drought and late summer heatwave that did not affect the vineyards
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape: very low winter rain, good rain in May and June, a dry, hot summer, and no disease thanks to the Mistral
• Drought notices of 28 April 2023: alert in four Vaucluse basins, crisis in the lower Ceze zone of the Gard
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape: harvest from mid-August to the end of October, yields of 32 to 35 hl/ha on average

The Chateauneuf-du-Pape federation called 2023 a great vintage of fine, long, saline wines. The whites are balanced, round, rich and complex, with citrus, pear, peach and exotic fruit and long saline finishes. Among the reds, syrah and cinsault gave ripe fruit, structure and colour, while later-ripening grenache and mourvedre gave elegant profiles; the federation described the reds overall as saline and very drinkable, with red-fruit, liquorice and ginger aromas and melted tannins. Damien Gilles found powerful, structured Cotes du Rhone reds and mineral, fruity, fresh whites. Samuel Montgermont called 2023 a great vintage for the Ventoux. Pierre Amadieu found present, fleshy tannins in Gigondas reds; 2023 was the first Cru vintage of Gigondas white wines. Xavier Vignon praised the elegance, fine tannins and salinity of Beaumes-de-Venise reds and called it a very good year for Muscats. Laurent Brusset found Cairanne whites a little higher in acidity than in 2022 and reds with black cherry and raspberry notes. Francois Miquel said Lirac made rich wines without excess, and Henri Bour described fleshy, velvety reds in Grignan-les-Adhemar.

• Chateauneuf-du-Pape: fine, long, saline wines in a vintage the federation called great
• Gigondas: the first Cru vintage for its whites