Northern Rhône 2023: The Art of Perseverance

BY NICOLAS GREINACHER | JANUARY 23, 2025

In contrast to 2023, when relentless rain dominated my two-week tasting spree in the Northern Rhône, my visit in November 2024 offered a backdrop of sunny days and crisp autumn temperatures. With weather like this, it’s a beautiful time to visit the region. Producers are generally more relaxed given that harvest is over and vinifications are well underway. Exploring serene vineyards, tasting in calm cellars and having stimulating discussions in one of the world’s most coveted wine regions is hard to beat.

Vintage 2023 tested the resilience of everyone making wine in the Northern Rhône, especially in the second half of the year. The two defining events, a 16-day heatwave in August and a torrential downpour during peak harvest in September, impacted the final results. This report begins with an in-depth look at the 2023 growing season and an assessment of the first sampled wines, followed by a closer examination of each appellation. After touching on the subject of Brettanomyces, I will also share my final verdict on the 2022 vintage.

Overlooking the tiny village of Cornas.

The 2023 Vintage

Following abundant rainfall between September and December 2022, which replenished the soils after the warmest-on-record 2022 growing season, 2023 began on a notably dry note. Rainfall was significantly below average, with January down 72% and February experiencing an 81% decrease compared to the ten-year average from 2010 to 2020. March and April also recorded below-average rainfall, bringing the total precipitation for the first four months to just 88 mm. Despite the dry start, budbreak began in early April, hinting at the potential for a large crop.

April saw temperatures slightly below average, while May experienced a modest rise with marginally higher temperatures. A much-awaited rain event on May 13 and 14 delivered around 35 mm, marking a significant shift in weather patterns. This was followed by a series of moderate rains, continuing steadily through the end of June. Remarkably, June became the first month of 2023 to exceed the ten-year average rainfall, with a 34% increase. This trend persisted as subsequent months also received above-average rainfall.

From May to August, temperatures consistently exceeded the decadal averages. The combination of regular rainfall and elevated temperatures created ideal conditions for mildew, which became widespread by late May, though initially at low levels. Frequent evening rains in June maintained persistent humidity, leaving vines in a highly vulnerable state and causing damage to grape clusters. Reflecting on the challenges, Loïc Jamet remarks, “It was necessary to ventilate the vines. The wind had to pass, and humidity had to be removed.” Despite these conditions, flowering occurred in early June, consistent with recent vintages.

Véraison began in mid-July, with vegetation appearing far lusher compared to 2022. While the rains in May and June generally provided adequate water for vine growth, the combination of limited precipitation and above-average temperatures resulted in signs of drought emerging by mid-July, particularly in the vineyards’ most drought-prone areas and among younger vines. By this point, the total rainfall for the first seven months of the year had reached just 250 mm, prior to the rains on July 29, which were accompanied by a hailstorm. Jérôme Coursodon recounts, “In 2023, there was quite a heavy crop load, so I had to thin out a lot of grapes. We finished on Friday, July 28, having gone through all the vines, only for hail to damage several parcels the next day. I was disappointed because I had put so much effort into thinning the grapes, and then an entire hectare was completely wrecked by the hail. Fortunately, the arid conditions helped dry out the hail-damaged grapes and berries.”

A significant heatwave swept through all appellations in early August, intensifying around August 10. Between August 9 and 25, temperatures exceeded 32°C (90°F) for 16 consecutive days, reaching a peak of 41°C (106°F) on August 22. This extreme heat caused ripening to stall across the regions during the heat’s peak. Olivier Clape notes, “Many of our younger vines lost all their foliage and appeared visibly burned. It stayed very warm, even at night, and some vines didn’t recover. It reminded me of 2003 as the grapes began to shrivel, showing signs of severe dehydration.” Stéphane Ogier from Côte-Rôtie echoes this sentiment, explaining, “You could see that vines were suffering, especially the younger ones with less-established root systems.” Several winemakers reported that a direct effect of the heatwave the halting of sugar accumulation in the grapes, while phenolic ripening was able to progress.

Historic vineyard terraces on Hermitage Hill.

Jean-Louis Chave emphasizes the significant stress heatwaves impose on white grapes: “For [white varieties], it’s all about the pulp and juice. If a Roussanne or Marsanne vine exhausts its resources, the grapes wither without proper ripening. This is why, in Hermitage, the best white terroirs are on clay soils, which retain water better than granite. When Roussanne or Marsanne stalls, the grapes can shrivel. This is especially problematic for Roussanne, which is extremely sensitive.”

Crucial rainfall arrived on August 25 and 26, delivering around 80 mm in areas like Mercurol and effectively ending the heatwave. Jérôme Coursodon noted, “This well-timed rain really kickstarted ripening. Within six to seven days, the vines regained their vigor.” Despite this, sugar levels showed minimal evolution over the two-week period. François Ribo observed, “Although these rains didn’t fully soak the ground, the overcast skies and light moisture refreshed all vegetation—trees and vines—and helped significantly, preventing further delays in ripening.” However, Ribo also acknowledges that some ripening blockages persisted through to the harvest, with the 2023 wines occasionally showing “a slightly vegetal note, indicating a lack of full ripeness. This is because there simply wasn’t enough time for all vines to fully recover from the heatwave.” Early harvesting of white grapes began at the end of August and continued as sugar levels gradually increased during the favorable September weather.

The first half of September brought a brief respite, but the second half presented the second major challenge of the year. Delas winemaker Marco Beckmann recounts an alarming forecast for Monday, September 18th: up to 200 mm of rainfall within just a few hours. “We had to ensure that most of the grapes were harvested by midday, as the rains were expected to hit in the afternoon. I remember the cold room and all the space outside it being completely packed with grapes.” Many winemakers across the Northern Rhône rushed to complete their harvests before the rain, including Olivier Clape, who managed to finish his entire harvest by September 16.

In contrast, some winemakers, particularly in the northern sectors of Saint-Joseph, Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie, chose to gamble and wait it out. Stéphane Ogier notes, “I’m not sure exactly where the rain tapered off, but we ultimately received very little.” Meanwhile, appellations such as Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas and Saint-Péray experienced over 100 mm of rainfall in a single day, as reported by François Ribo. In these regions, the harvest required extensive sorting, both in the vineyard and cellar. Overall, September saw a whopping 126% increase in rainfall compared to the ten-year average from 2010 to 2020.

While harvest was either completed or in full swing in the more southern sectors of the Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie winemakers enjoyed ideal autumn conditions, allowing them to take their time with harvest. “Usually, we finish everything in three weeks, but in 2023, we stretched it over four weeks. We started on September 8 and wrapped up by October 5,” recalls Loïc Jamet. Stéphane Ogier extended his harvest even further, bringing in the last grapes from the Côte-Bodin lieu-dit on October 11.

Julie and Guillaume Sorrel of Domaine M. Sorrel behind a stellar line-up.

The Wines

Broadly speaking, in 2023, lower sugar levels resulted in wines with moderate alcohol content, generally below those of 2022, 2020 or 2019. In some cases, winemakers even employed slight chaptalization to raise alcohol levels in their reds from 12% to 12.5%. Natural acidities are fairly low, with pH levels occasionally reaching as high as 4.0. Yields are generous in 2023. For instance, Olivier Clape reported 38 hl/Ha, compared to just 25 in 2022. Côte-Rôtie even petitioned the INAO for an increase in permitted yields, which was granted, raising the limit by 10% from 40 to 44 hl/Ha.

Some samples exhibited noticeable volatile acidity, likely tracing back to the heavy rains on September 18. This rainfall may have caused rot in unpicked grapes, exacerbated by insufficient sorting, especially for the many machine-harvested vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage. Issues with Brettanomyces were rare in 2023—a contrast to some of the bottled 2022s I tasted during this trip.

Despite extreme weather conditions in August and September, the wines generally do not reflect those extremes in the glass. Instead, they present as surprisingly fresh, calm and balanced, with sufficiently ripe fruit and, in the case of reds, gentle tannins. While I doubt the 2023s will achieve the same longevity as the 2022s due to less apparent structure, there are standout wines in every appellation that are sure to endure. Another advantage of many 2023 reds will be their earlier accessibility compared to the 2022s.

Côte-Rôtie's Pierre Rostaing is at the top of his game.

Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie delivered the strongest performance among all red-wine-producing Northern Rhône appellations in 2023. While largely facing the same weather challenges as their southerly neighbors, the absence of flooding rains on September 18 and beautiful autumn weather until mid-October helped wineries find their sweet spots for harvesting. The wines are fresh, varietally expressive and hauntingly elegant, which is what Côte-Rôtie should be all about. Domaine Jean-Paul, Corinne & Loïc Jamet, Domaine Rostaing, E. Guigal and Stéphane Ogier came out on top. I couldn’t taste the 2023s from Domaine Mathilde et Yves Gangloff, but their 2022s are outstanding.

Hermitage

Jean-Louis Chave, E. Guigal, Maison Chapoutier and M. Sorrel are all in the race for red wine of the vintage on the iconic Hermitage Hill. Though markedly less concentrated and powerful compared to last year’s counterparts, the 2023s reflect their purely south-facing origins through ripe fruit profiles, with weights ranging from medium- to full-bodied. Readers will notice that my suggested drinking windows for the 2023 reds start prior to those of 2022, also given that the 2023s have less tannic impact to tame.

As for the whites, the exact same producers as mentioned above delivered standout results. Maison Chapoutier has already bottled their 2023 parcellaires, with both the Ermitage Blanc L'Ermite and Ermitage Blanc Le Méal delivering breathtaking beauty in the glass. There is no apparent heat or overripeness showing, just remarkable harmony and freshness.

Cornas

Many of the top producers in this historic red-only appellation picked their grapes prior to the September 18 rainfalls, bringing in abundant yields that generally range between 35 and 40 hectoliters per hectare. Standout producers such as Vincent Paris occasionally worked with lower yields, such as the roughly 20 hl/Ha for his Cornas La Geynale, mostly due to old vines generally carrying fewer grapes and soils that are poor in nutrients.

Although transparently reflecting their appellation through granite-based austerity, fleshiness, boldness and elevated flavor concentration, the 2023s are not blockbusters. Of the wines tasted during this trip, examples from Domaine A. Clape, Domaine Vincent Paris and Franck Balthazar stand out, and while the 2023s from Thierry Allemand weren’t available for tasting, I included the bottled 2020s and 2021s in this report, closing the gap with the 2019 vintage Josh Raynolds had last tasted.

Handyman (and winemaker) Franck Balthazar working in the garden.

Saint-Joseph

The nearly 50 km (30 mile) long Saint-Joseph appellation generally delivered good results in 2023, with Jean-Louis Chave, Domaine Pierre Gonon, Maison Chapoutier and Yves Cuilleron leading the pack. Elegance and restraint are hallmarks here, and the 2023s transparently convey this identity. That said, roughly half of all the 2023s I tasted, both white and red, failed to leave a lasting impression. The 2022s boast greater overall consistency. The affable Jérôme Coursodon was kind enough to open two 2003s, red and white, which were still alive and kicking, evidencing that Saint-Josephs do indeed come with extended aging potential when made by the right hands.

Condrieu

The 2023 vintage in Condrieu is shaping up to be a solid one, with only a handful of the 42 wines I tasted falling below expectations. Generally showing a little less ripeness and heft compared to the preceding 2022 vintage, most 2023s are lively, fresh and expressive, albeit not as precise and elegant as in 2021. The wines of E. Guigal and Maison Chapoutier shine brightest, while I was also impressed by the showings of Domaine Rostaing, Stéphane Ogier and Martin Clerc. Although the 2022 Condrieu Coteau de Vernon from Domaine Vernay has been bottled, it wasn’t yet ready to be tasted at the time of my visit.

Crozes-Hermitage

The 101 2023s I sampled from the Northern Rhône’s largest appellation delivered mixed results, so readers should select carefully. To some degree, the qualitative swings can be traced back to the massive rainfalls on September 18 that required all grapes harvested afterward to be meticulously sorted. As many vineyards here are harvested by machine, especially in the southern sector, this required steady sorting in the vineyard. Similar to other appellations, yields generally came in around 40 hl/ha, which translated into abundant quantities. The appellation’s current president, Laurent Combier, told me that in the meantime, 60% of the vineyards within Crozes-Hermitage appellation are certified either organic or biodynamic, higher than any other Northern Rhône appellation.

Saint-Péray

Saint-Péray fared well in 2023, generally turning in good to very good results. Top producers, such as Domaine Alain Voge, Domaine du Tunnel/Stéphane Robert, Maison Chapoutier, Yves Cuilleron, Domaine Bernard Gripa and Mickaël Bourg, were able to capture vivid expressions of both Marsanne and Roussanne, although Marsanne excelled a bit more. Readers should note that Saint-Péray also produces delicious sparkling wines, as evidenced by the 2019 Saint-Péray Les Bulles d’Alain, which Lionel Fraisse poured at Domaine Alain Voge.

Brand-new LED lighting panels at the iconic Château-Grillet.

Château-Grillet

Following Jaeok Chu Cramette’s move to Burgundy's Domaine d'Eugénie as the new winemaker, Aloïs Houeto has stepped in as the new technical director at Château-Grillet. During my visit this year, we spoke about his background and tasted through the new releases. Readers who wish to learn more about the latest news at Château-Grillet are invited to consult the producer profile.

A Word on Brettanomyces

Out of all bottled 2022 reds I tasted, roughly 10% were affected by Brettanomyces (Brett) in a way that compromised quality—a proportion higher than in 2020, 2021 and at first glance, also 2023. Brettanomyces are yeasts that produce unpleasant compounds such as 4-ethylphenol (phenols), smelling similar to barnyard or band-aids, or isovaleric acid, which makes itself known through odors like sweaty saddle. On the other hand, 4-ethylguaiacol, a compound also produced by Brett, can smell of bacon or cloves, so not necessarily unpleasant.

Each consumer has their own Brettanomyces sensitivity and tolerance. As for my palate, over the years, I developed the impression that unattractive compounds produced by Brett are likely to negatively impact a wine’s quality more strongly as the delicacy of the respective style increases. In the context of the Northern Rhône, this translates into the most negative impact for Côte-Rôtie, with Cornas least at risk. In other words, full-bodied, fleshy Cornas is more likely to get away with a tiny amount of phenols, while floral, tender Côte-Rôtie is almost never able to escape their detrimental effects.

Northern Rhône winemakers who keep a firm grip on potential Brett spoilage maintain impeccable cellar hygiene and keep a close eye on pH, as sulfur is less impactful at higher pH levels. One winemaker whose red 2022s didn’t show any signs of Brett spoilage confirmed that he had to add 4.5 grams of sulfur per hectoliter (100 liters) right after the malolactic fermentation had finished, instead of the usual 3, because some wines had pH levels close to 4.0. The most vigilant producers, like Pierre Rostaing, regularly conduct flow cytometry analyses to count Brettanomyces cells—in every single barrel.

2022: Final Verdict

While I don’t see the best 2022s at the same quality level of the 2020s, they largely surpass 2021 and potentially also 2023. All told, 2022 is a very good vintage in the Northern Rhône, for both reds and whites. As for the reds, readers sensitive to Brett will need to apply a little more caution in purchasing these wines compared to other recent vintages. At the top of the charts, the very best 2022s are absolutely divine and have all the ingredients for long lives in bottle. Kudos to Jean-Louis Chave, Château-Grillet, Jean-Paul, Corinne & Loïc Jamet, Maison Chapoutier and M. Sorrel for showing that the finest among the already bottled 2022s can fly at a very, very high altitude.

I tasted the vast majority of the wines for this report during my visit to all Northern Rhône appellations in November 2024, with follow-up tastings at my Zurich office.

© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

You Might Also Enjoy

Northern Rhône: Where Diversity Ignites the Senses, Nicolas Greinacher, March 2024

Gigondas: The Southern Rhône Jewel Shines and Adapts, Nicolas Greinacher, January 2024

Vacqueyras New Releases: Walking the Underdog, Nicolas Greinacher, November 2023

Châteauneuf-du-Pape New Releases: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Nicolas Greinacher, June 2023

Never a Dull Vintage in the Northern Rhône, Josh Raynolds, December 2023

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social