Description
Burgundy’s 2024 vintage stands out in the history books. Never before have I so often heard, “Even the old folks have never seen anything like it.”
The misery behind, I hope wine lovers will appreciate the vintage not just for its deliciousness at face value but also for the many, mini miracles and astute grape-growing and winemaking choices made. It’s a sort of heroic vintage in the esprit de suite (the spirit of tenacity and obstinacy) and the esprit de corps (a collective sense of unity) against Mother Nature.
Some growers lost 50, 60, even 80% of their crops. Others lost them all. Getting up every day to fight disease pressure and watching vines struggle under gray skies—by far the least luminous vintage so far of the 21st century, wears on the soul.
After visiting 165 producers for over four-and-a-half weeks and tasting 2,277 wines—2,079 of which are from the 2024 vintage, I think the 2024s are worth buying. This report includes 822 tasting notes on 2024 wines scoring 93+ points.
This report is doubly special in that it includes wines from the 2023 vintage as well as a dedication in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Crémant de Bourgogne appellation.
Select wines from 2023 are included for a few reasons. First, a small handful of producers age their wines longer and only show them after bottling. Second, many had fewer 2024s to taste and wanted to revisit the 2023s in bottle. For the 2023 wines, there are an additional 56 notes for wines scoring 93+ points. For more on the 2023 vintage, please refer to my Burgundy 2023 Special Report.
For the Crémant de Bourgogne feature, I wrote notes for 43 Crémants scoring 90 or higher, amounting to 47% of the 91 Crémants tasted. Almost half of the wines scoring 90+ points shows just how exciting this category is!
To accompany the total of 921 tasting notes, I highlighted 150 value wines from 2024. Value is relative in Burgundy. I’ve selected particularly interesting wines that are priced below £75 / US$100, limiting the regional-level wines.
This is my longest Burgundy report to date, running 222 pages. It begins with a close-up on the vintage’s style and quality with 2024 added to the star ratings for vintages back to 1999: Reds, Chablis, and Whites from Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais. There are the 2024 “Top Producer” rankings, lists of best UK and US Burgundy importers, updated restaurants by sub-region and some new wine store suggestions. Finally, there are the vintners’ portraits and photos of the region.
Pricing is the elephant in the room. Resistance toward the escalation of Burgundian wine prices continues. Dozens of producers commented on the slowdown in orders. But it is well worth noting that the entire supply chain is responsible, and it seems to be more and more the case that margins beyond the cellar door—not to mention tariffs and duties—are stunting sales.
Christy Canterbury MW
