2024 Northern Rhône Vintage

A mild winter was followed by early budbreak, but the weather turned cool and wet in April. In Crozes-Hermitage the rain was incessant through spring and into summer; as Yann Chave put it, "We had English weather up until July!" Domaine Clape in Cornas recorded 600mm of rain from April to July, against a yearly average of 820mm, and Cote-Rotie received more than 800mm since April, a record. The rainy weather demanded a lot of vineyard work everywhere in the northern Rhone. The wet start caused uneven ripening, poor fruit set (millerandage and coulure), downy mildew and black rot throughout the northern Rhone; coming early in the season, it hit yields more than quality. Organic growers such as Domaine Gonon had fewer options, and Gonon carried out a record number of vineyard treatments in 2024, something Clape and others echoed. The rain often came on Thursdays and Fridays, forcing weekend spraying, though there was bright weather between the showers, unlike the even gloomier 2021. At Hermitage, June and July were gloomy. The sun finally arrived in August and dried out the vineyards; it was hot, but the mercury did not rise above 40C, and the ground held enough water to sustain the vines. August at Hermitage was very mild, with beautiful sunshine, contained heatwaves and nice diurnal ranges of temperature. In Cote-Rotie, three weeks of August sunshine and a very cold north wind at the beginning of September generated concentration, fruit and colour. September turned cool and windy, and with rain forecast some growers were forced to pick earlier than they would have liked. Picking began around 10 September at Hermitage, with a sometimes low harvest volume, especially in white, and Cote-Rotie was harvested mid-September. Yields in Cote-Rotie were very varied even within individual parcels, and several estates had to chaptalise; Condrieu saw a slight drop in yields. Quantity across the Rhone Valley as a whole was set to be low.

• Mild winter and early budbreak, then cool, wet weather from April, with millerandage, coulure, downy mildew and black rot
• Rain: 600mm April to July at Domaine Clape in Cornas against an 820mm yearly average; more than 800mm since April in Cote-Rotie, a record
• August sun dried the vineyards without passing 40C; September turned cool and windy
• Harvest from around 10 September at Hermitage and mid-September in Cote-Rotie

Decanter's Matt Walls ranked the more southerly red appellations, Hermitage, Cornas and southern Saint-Joseph, as the most successful of 2024. Cote-Rotie saw the worst of the weather, and its wines are more disappointing, though with some notable exceptions. In his Cote-Rotie and Condrieu report, Walls wrote that the northern pole of the northern Rhone struggled the most, that quality in Cote-Rotie is heterogeneous, and that blends often showed better than single-vineyard wines. Stephane Ogier is not making his single-vineyard Cote-Roties this year. Crozes-Hermitage also struggled, with vineyards on the slopes tending to fare better in wet weather. Condrieu is mixed: many wines are fresh and balanced, but some lack enough concentration and length, while the best stand head and shoulders above the rest, showing intensity, vitality and no excess alcohol. David Duclaux, co-president of AOC Cote-Rotie, called 2024 a very good vintage with balances reminiscent of wines from the early 2000s. Pierre-Jean Villa, co-president of AOC Condrieu, said that in the last 30 years no vintage had been so trying for winegrowers, though Viognier again showed resilience. Michel Chapoutier, co-president of AOC Saint-Joseph, said the granite hillsides of Saint-Joseph did well, and Caroline Moro, a negociante in Cornas, described Cornas grapes of surprising maturity, less sweet than in recent years but with accomplished phenolic maturity.

• Most successful reds in Decanter's assessment: Hermitage, Cornas and southern Saint-Joseph
• Cote-Rotie: worst of the weather, heterogeneous quality, blends often ahead of single-vineyard wines
• Crozes-Hermitage struggled; slope vineyards fared better in the wet
• Condrieu mixed, though the best wines show intensity, vitality and no excess alcohol

Decanter rated the northern Rhone 2024 at 3.5/5. Walls called it a lighter vintage for the reds, with many well-balanced, fresh and immediate wines, largely for drinking young and into the medium term, and some reds lacking full ripeness, particularly in Cote-Rotie. Cool, wet weather at the end of the season, mildew-affected vines, excessive crop loads and occasional use of unripe stems all contributed to the lack of concentration and a herbaceous streak in some reds. With relatively delicate tannic structures, the majority of reds will be ready to drink on release or soon after, and this will not be the longest-lived vintage for reds. White wines are excellent throughout, with countless Marsanne and Roussanne wines to choose from and many good Viogniers from Condrieu. Decanter's northern Rhone wines of the vintage were M Chapoutier's Le Pavillon Hermitage (red) and Domaine JL Chave's Hermitage (white). Pascal Fayolle, speaking for AOC Hermitage, described reds with red fruit, violets, peppery tones and dense, velvety tannins suggesting good ageing potential, and Caroline Moro expected balanced, elegant Cornas suitable for ageing. Condrieu alcohol levels sit around 13 to 13.5 degrees.

• Decanter rating: northern Rhone 2024 3.5/5
• Reds lighter, fresh and largely for drinking young; some lack full ripeness, particularly in Cote-Rotie
• Whites excellent throughout, with countless Marsanne and Roussanne wines
• Voices from AOC Hermitage and Cornas see ageing potential in their reds