2024 Burgundy Vintage

2024 brought unusual weather to Burgundy, with rainfall well above normal though unevenly spread, plus localized but violent episodes of frost and hail. Late winter was mild: February ran 3.6 C above normal on average and March 1.5 C above, and the first green tips appeared in early Chardonnay sites around 22 March, leaving the year 10 days ahead of the 20-year average at bud break. A warm first half of April pushed growth fast, which left the vines exposed to frost when temperatures dropped from mid-April. Frost-prone sites were damaged on the nights of 18, 21, 22 and 24 April, and on 29 April a harsher frost scorched vines in the Clunisois, Couchois and Maranges. On 1 May a violent storm dropped 35 mm of rain in 15 minutes on the Chablisien and Tonnerrois, with hail that hit nearly 2,000 hectares, including some Chablis Grand Cru and Premier Cru Climats. More hail followed in May, June, July and very early August. Flowering slowed in cool spells and only finished in most areas after temperatures jumped from 17 June; mid-flowering was estimated at 13 June, close to 2019 and 2021. Rain during flowering left partial fruit set, with coulure and millerandage in many areas but airy bunches. The first veraison appeared in the Cote d'Or around 20 July and got under way in strong heat and high humidity, while downy mildew, under constant pressure since flowering, kept trimming yields. A warm, relatively dry August cleaned things up and let mildew-hit berries dry out, which made sorting easier. After more autumnal weather in late August and early September, picking began on 2 September for Cremant de Bourgogne Pinot Noir and on 12 September for still wines, under strong sun, finishing at the end of September, later than in recent years. By the end of September, total rainfall was already close to the average for a full year (756 mm). The final 2024 volume was well below average, at 1.21 million hectoliters.

• Mild late winter and early bud break around 22 March, 10 days ahead of the 20-year average
• Frost on the nights of 18, 21, 22 and 24 April, then a harsher frost on 29 April in the Clunisois, Couchois and Maranges
• Hail from 1 May hit nearly 2,000 hectares around Chablis, with further storms through very early August
• Harvest from 2 September for Cremant and 12 September for still wines, ending at the end of September; volume 1.21 million hectoliters

The damage was localized but severe, and crop loss varied significantly from one area to another. Frost damage after the April cold snap was visible in the Cote Chalonnaise, Chatillonnais, Chablisien, Auxerrois and the southern Cote de Beaune, and the Clunisois, Couchois and Maranges were hit much more severely, including by a more significant frost on 29 April. Hail hit hardest in the Chablisien and Tonnerrois on 1 May, where damage ran from 60 to 100 percent in some communes. Later storms struck, to varying degrees, the Cote d'Or, Chatillonnais, Chablisien, southern Maconnais and Beaujolais. At flowering, cooler weather slowed the less early southern Maconnais and Cote Chalonnaise.

• Chablisien and Tonnerrois: 1 May hail, with damage of 60 to 100 percent in some communes
• Clunisois, Couchois and Maranges: hit much more severely by frost, including a more significant episode on 29 April
• Cote d'Or, Chatillonnais and southern Maconnais: hit to varying degrees by storms from May to early August

The BIVB's November 2024 release called the vintage scarce yet flavourful. Vinification went smoothly, with fermentations starting easily and quickly. Sorting was severe, the harvest was quick because volumes were small, and alcohol levels were lower than in recent years. The BIVB described the whites, which had sunshine until mid-September, as well-balanced and refined, with fresh fruit and citrus notes, freshness and purity. It described the reds as aromatic and indulgent, with raspberry, blackcurrant and gooseberry flavors, a garnet hue and fine, delicate tannins, and the Cremant de Bourgogne base wines as having excellent balance. In an updated release, the BIVB said the wines will generally be enjoyed young, though some can develop for a few years in the cellar. These are general statements, and each wine has to be tasted on its own.

• Whites: fresh fruit, citrus, freshness and purity
• Reds: raspberry, blackcurrant and gooseberry, with fine, delicate tannins
• Lower alcohol levels than in recent years; fermentations started easily and quickly
• Generally for drinking young, with some able to develop for a few years, per the BIVB

The 2024 crop of 1.21 million hectoliters followed a 2023 harvest of around 1.9 million hectoliters, which significantly replenished stocks, with more than 2.9 million hectoliters available at wine estates at the start of the 2023 to 2024 season. The BIVB expected prices to stay "fairly reasonable" with this vintage, avoiding the surge seen after the 2021 spring frosts, as Gambero Rosso International reported. "The abundant 2022 and 2023 vintages have ensured ample stock and reasonable prices," BIVB president Laurent Delaunay said. The 164th Hospices de Beaune auction was held on 17 November 2024 in Beaune's covered market with Sotheby's, offering 51 cuvees across 438 barrels.

• 2024: 1.21 million hectoliters, against around 1.9 million in 2023
• BIVB expected prices to remain "fairly reasonable", per Gambero Rosso International
• 164th Hospices de Beaune auction on 17 November 2024: 51 cuvees across 438 barrels