I have been working at tasting Burgundy for Stone, Vine & Sun ever since the 1998 vintage. We have made an en primeur offer every vintage from 2002, barring 2008 and 2013, both years when I thought it just didn’t feel right to sell en primeur. 

This is what I wrote at the time about the weather in Burgundy in 2013: “There’s no beating about the bush. 2013 in Burgundy is 2008 all over again – a very difficult vintage in which to make great wine, simply because the weather was so awful. Let’s get the pain over with quickly: the spring was extremely wet, with almost twice the average rainfall. This wet and windy weather continued into late spring: flowering was affected and was very uneven – thus reducing the number and size of the bunches, which may have been a blessing given the cool and showery summer.  Slightly warmer temperatures in August and September were barely enough to ripen the grapes, and in the latter month warm and humid conditions brought on the threat of rot. The harvest was the latest many could remember”.

This pattern really wasn’t so different in 2024. The rain at flowering was followed by occasional thunderstorms and humidity which drove persistent waves of mildew. To combat this necessitated a lot of spraying (and all manner of difficulties for organic growers).  Chablis, where yields were also affected by some frost, was also particularly hard hit.  

So after all these travails, the good news is the 2024 wines are so much better than those of 2013 - and definitely good enough to buy en primeur.

From a drinker’s point of view it’s a white vintage. The Chardonnay grape is less affected by mildew than Pinot Noir.  Furthermore, I prefer whites from cool vintages: I enjoy freshness and bite; and acidity is so important to longevity.  We showed 38 white wines at our en primeur tasting in Winchester, and all were bright, but often not insubstantial – those lower yields delivered some weight. 

My particular favourites whites were:

• Antoine & Laura Robin, Chablis (£168 for 12), which had everything one might want from a Village wine – silky, some volume and complexity and a lovely finish.  Their Grand Cru, Blanchots (£234/6) was also superb, though needs keeping.
• Saumaize-Michelin, Pouilly-Fuissé, Aux Charmes (£255/12).  In a terrific line-up from the Saumaize family this seemed to offer the best quality/price ratio, and lovely exotic fruit touches.
• Both the white Rullys from Domaine de L’Ecette: Maizières (£189/12), open and floral; and Les Gaudoirs (£219/12), more intense with penetrating green fruit.
• Agnès Paquet, Auxey-Duresses Blanc (£276/12), a perfect balance of oak and fruit.
• Huber-Verdereau, Côte d’Or Chardonnay (£210/12). So delicious this year, lightly honeyed, with notes of stone fruit and orange.  Performs so much better than its humble Appellation. No need to wait either.
• Lequin-Colin, Chassagne-Montrachet, Clos Devant (£201/6), always shows well early, with a generosity of weight and flavour rare in this vintage.

One notable mark of the vintage, which applied largely to whites but also to reds from the south of the Côte de Beaune, was summarised by Jancis Robinson, MW:

“One important thing to note, however, is that the vineyards south of the Côte d’Or in the Côte Chalonnaise, the Mâconnais and Beaujolais suffered very much less in 2024 and quantities produced were much more generous. It’s also true that the wines produced in each of these regions… are not just generally much cheaper than those from the Côte d’Or, but have become very much more sophisticated in recent years. Head south for value in 2024.”

As for the Pinots… given that the few bunches picked were less ripe than in recent hot summers, it was very important not to over-extract.  It was best to aim at a fresh, not deeply coloured wine with pure red fruit without excessive oaking. As many reviewers have said, the wines are reminiscent of former, cooler times. For me, the comparable red vintage was 2021, also a coolish year of reduced yields (but due to frost).  That’s fine - many 2021s are lovely now.

My four stand-outs reds were:

• Françoise and Denis Clair, Hautes Côtes de Beaune Rouge (£174/12).  A snip!   Pure, clean as a whistle and juicy red fruit.
• Lequin-Colin, Santenay 1er Cru, La Comme (£264/12), surprisingly rich and velvety.
• Jean Guiton, Savigny-Lès-Beaune (£252/12).  Sometimes this wine seems a little weak, sandwiched between Guillaume Guiton’s excellent Bourgogne Rouge and his bolder, more concentrated 1er Crus, but this year it was lovely, pretty and unforced.
• Huber-Verdereau, Volnay (£198/6).  Here all the village Volnays were blended together but the result is excellent, so perfumed and fleshy, with a gorgeous raspberry heart.

The biggest disappointments are amongst the grand reds of the Côte de Nuits. Here the mildew was worse than anywhere to the south and yields were 60-75% down on an average year.  Here is Charles Curtis, MW, writing on decanter.com about the wines of the grandest village, Gevrey-Chambertin:

“Although the wines from Gevrey this year are generally fresh, crisp and light- to medium-bodied, the vintage offers ‘classic’ Gevrey quality and style.  Too often this adjective is a euphemism for ‘light, tart and astringent,’ but that is far from universally true, and wine lovers will still find charming wines to drink now and for mid-term ageing”. I’m sorry, but if I want to spend upwards of £60 a bottle delivered on a red Burgundy, I want more than fresh, crisp and charming. I can find that in the Hautes Côtes or Côte Chalonnaise, thank you very much.  

Some London merchants are using the much reduced volume available as a “buy now before it’s too late” selling tool.  With 2024 Bordeaux being such a bust, there’s even more pressure on the red-socked, young salesmen to make their targets.  Caveat Emptor!  There’s a lot of red Burgundy still available from the excellent 2023 vintage; and 2025 looks highly promising for reds - albeit with lower than average yields - so there’s no need to be steam-rollered to buy the flashiest wines now.

Simon Taylor, January 2026