Home > Editorial > Northern Rhône: 2023 Vintage Report

 

Published: 18th February 2025

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Catriona Felstead MW, Rhône Buyer

 

Faced with heavy spring rain and intense August heat, growers in the Northern Rhône had their work cut out for the 2023 vintage. Here, our Rhône Buyer Catriona Felstead MW explains the challenges – and ultimate triumphs – of 2023 in the Northern Rhône.

The 2023 vintage was challenging for the Northern Rhône, with inverted weather patterns to the norm creating headaches for many growers. The severe drought conditions of 2022 caused many problems, so growers welcomed the heavy rainfall between October and December that same year. However, the remaining winter months were then very dry, so the 2023 growing season started with worryingly low water reserves in the ground.

When the spring rains finally hit, they were intense and earlier than normal. The growers were unprepared, and the Mistral wind was not blowing to dry the vines. As such, there was significant mildew pressure in the region. Those who reacted quickly were able to control its impact – but many suffered badly. It’s imperative to react quickly to contain mildew or it spreads like wildfire. Smaller producers with hillside vineyards and fewer year-round viticultural staff found it very hard to keep on top of it. Pierre Rostaing in Côte-Rôtie said the use of a drone helped him significantly at this time as he was able to spray the vines five times faster than by hand.

Those who work organically struggled the most, and many suffered losses. As an organic grower, Franck Balthazar in Cornas reports having to spray treatments eleven times across the season versus three sprays for those who were conventional. With very few staff, he was physically unable to reach all his vines in time and is 33% down overall for his Cornas wines in 2023.

As summer arrived, the weather remained mixed, with periods of dry, warm weather intermingled with a few thunderstorms, necessitating even more hard work in the vineyards. Hailstorms were localised, hitting Cornas on 12th July and Crozes-Hermitage and St Joseph a couple of weeks later. Then, a heatwave settled in between 10th and 23rd August with temperatures persisting over 40 degrees Celsius during those two weeks. This heatwave affected the maturation of the grapes, reducing final yields even further. Growers became concerned about the ripeness of the grapes, and many started to pick early.

As harvest progressed, there was an initial, small bout of refreshing rain. Then, a few weeks into harvest, around 18th September, a storm was announced. For those up in Côte-Rôtie, this storm was perfectly timed, bringing a much-needed 20mm of rain for the vines, and evening out the effects of the drought. However, the forecast for Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage did not give any warning to growers there that rain would be significantly heavier: 70-80mm fell that day during harvest, versus the 20mm they expected. This caused a lot of infrastructure damage on the hill of Hermitage and impacted many Crozes-Hermitage growers with vineyards on the flat. However, despite the stress at the time, many in Hermitage and on the hillside slope of Crozes ultimately welcomed the beautiful freshness that this rainfall brought to the grapes.

The 2023 vintage was a year that almost perfectly encapsulates the struggles of vine-growers in times of a changing climate. Many were down by around 20% in 2023 due to the combination of spring mildew and intense summer heat, making this the shortest vintage (aside from 2021) in recent memory for Pierre Rostaing.

Nonetheless, there is something about the variable conditions throughout the year, the rainfall offset by the heat, which has made for absolutely delicious wines. Across the board, the balance in our range is wonderful: perfectly poised wines with freshness mixing with the ripe fruit, making them a joy to taste. These are so lovely right now, even in their extreme youth – yet they have the structure and freshness for this to be a vintage for the long haul too. I absolutely love 2023 Rhône; this is a vintage of gorgeous, succulent and approachable wines with finesse, charm and star quality written all over them.