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The 2023 Northern Rhône Report

The 2023 Northern Rhône vintage was marked by varied and unpredictable weather patterns – but nevertheless, the region's top wines speak of concentration and approachability. Reporting from an extensive tasting within the region, Alistair Cooper MW delivers his verdict and selects star whites and reds for the cellar and, in many instances, for drinking in their relative youth

Words by Alistair Cooper MW

chapoutier tain l'hermitage vines in northern rhone
(Photo: M. Chapoutier)

It’s never easy to succinctly summarise a vintage in a simple word or phrase. Especially given that the Bordelais have long used euphemisms such as a ‘classic vintage’ to describe less than successful vintages or ‘outstanding’ to boost sales in a moderate year. So how best to describe the 2023 vintage in the Northern Rhône? In honest layman’s terms, I would describe it as ‘really rather good’. For the large part, these are wines that are a little lighter in body than the majority of recent vintages (2021 apart), yet they are balanced, approachable and still have good concentration. It is a vintage that is successful for both the reds and whites, and it should certainly be on the radar for lovers of the Northern Rhône’s wines.

These are my observations from having spent a week in the region at the beginning of October 2024, in order to compile The 2023 Northern Rhône Report for Club Oenologique. The wines were, for the large majority, sampled blind in a tasting room in Tain-l’Hermitage. Then visits were made to certain estates where the wines were tasted openly. These differences are marked in the tasting notes (for over 200 wines) that follow, as well as the flagging of wines I tasted as barrel samples, as they are not yet bottled.

There were three key events during the growing season that shaped the Northern Rhône 2023 vintage as a whole, with some appellations affected by them more than others. Firstly, a cool and wet spring punctuated by some warmer spells brought disease pressure in the form of mildew for many producers, with Cornas and Côte-Rôtie seemingly more affected than other sub-regions. Largely, June and July provided moderate conditions with no real extremes to speak of. The second event was the intense heatwave that arrived in August. It saw almost three weeks of unrelenting heat, with temperatures hovering around 40C, which caused many vines to shut down, especially the more shallow-rooted, younger vines.

Wines from the big-name producers in Côte-Rôtie did not disappoint – yet they rarely do

Fortunately, the heat spike was quickly followed by some rainfall at the onset of September, which reinvigorated and revived the vines. September continued with good conditions until the advent of the final major event, with the forecast of severe rainfall for September 18. This prompted big picking decisions for producers. I was in the region myself when the storm and rain came, and the weather was truly biblical. In parts of Crozes-Hermitage almost 200mm fell, while roughly 100mm fell in Cornas – yet only 20mm fell in Côte-Rôtie further north. It was perhaps this picking decision that most affected the resulting wines. However, excellent wines were made from grapes picked both before and after the downpours. Following the less substantial rains in Côte-Rôtie, producers were then blessed with a wave of warmer weather, which allowed for a fantastic late-ripening period. If I was pushed to say which appellation is the standout for the 2023 Northern Rhône vintage, I would probably go with Côte-Rôtie.

Wines from the big-name producers in this northern outpost of the region did not disappoint – yet they rarely do. One of those famed producers, Jean-Paul Jamet, gave me his early thoughts on 2023, describing it as ‘a very good vintage’ and remarking on an overall freshness to the wines of Côte-Rôtie. ‘It could be likened to 2000, 2013 or 2016 perhaps. It’s a vintage that is classic aromatically, for sure,’ he says. ‘These are the vintages that really show and express terroir; in warm vintages a Côte-Rôtie could be mistaken for a Hermitage but not in 2023.’

syrah grapes at harvest at guigal in northern rhone's cote rotie
Côte-Rôtie-based producers like Guigal shone in tastings of the 2023 Northern Rhône vintage

For Hermitage, similar sentiments were echoed by Maxime Chapoutier: ‘This was overall a slightly cooler year than many recent vintages. In these years, the wines truly speak of their place and identity.’ This was clear when tasting through the excellent Chapoutier Hermitage cuvées, with l’Ermite standing out for its trademark graphite, meat and smokiness but with a refreshing coolness as well.

In Cornas, a more practical assessment came courtesy of Olivier Clape, who found the vintage an easier one to work with in the cellar thanks to lower pH levels, leading to less difficulty with ferments and potential volatility. ‘It was like going back to vintages that my grandfather would have experienced,’ he said.

The always heterogenous Saint-Joseph (due to its sheer size and patchwork soils and microclimates) produced a solid 2023 vintage, and many of the reds will provide excellent early-to-mid drinking pleasure.

chapoutier's l'ermite vineyard overlooking the rhone
Chapoutier's L'Ermite plot: wines from the 2023 vintage from this site boasted robust signature notes, as well as a 'refreshing coolness' (Photo: M. Chapoutier)

The whites of Hermitage were impressive, perhaps a little lighter – as was the case with their red counterparts – yet still with plenty of concentration. I expect these wines will be more approachable earlier than usual, and I was pleased by the largely sensitive and restrained use of oak. Condrieu lovers will find some very good wines: those I tasted were balanced on the whole, not too oily in style and with alcohol levels not overly elevated – although, they were occasionally lacking some concentration of fruit.

There continues to be a buzz around Saint-Péray and its white wines, which again shone brightly this vintage. Land prices have risen sharply as producers seek to add whites to their portfolios. In Cornas, we are still seeing some producers that are unhappy with plantings at altitude rather than on the slopes, which they feel is detrimental to the appellation; they consider it not to offer what they deem to be ‘Cornas typicity’. According to Stephane Ogier, we are due some exciting news next year when we will see Seyssuel receive Côtes du Rhône Village status: he is confident that it will be granted Cru status in the following year. This small 60-hectare region lies on schist soils and faces southwest towards Côte-Rôtie on the other bank. Currently, the wines are labelled as ‘Collines Rhodaniennes.’

It is a vintage that I personally look forward to drinking, as it is inherently approachable and largely refreshing yet also holds some substance

To conclude, The Northern Rhône 2023 vintage is certainly one for lovers of the region’s wines. It is a vintage that I personally look forward to drinking, as it is inherently approachable and largely refreshing yet also holds some substance. Jean-Louis Chave gave some succinct thoughts on the vintage: ‘This is a supple and very engaging vintage, perhaps like 2000. Is it a vintage for laying down? I think it absolutely is, yet I think it will also be more approachable than many other recent vintages at a younger age, which I think is a very good thing.’

I wouldn’t call this a blockbuster vintage but those vintages often take so long to come around; nevertheless, 2023 would be an excellent addition to the cellars of those that want to enjoy a few bottles a little earlier than usual.

Tasting notes and scores from The 2023 Northern Rhône Report (featuring only those wines scoring 90 points and above) are available to all registered users of The Collection, the online home of our premium wine and spirits content. To register, click here. 

Alistair Cooper MW's top Northern Rhône wines from the 2023 vintage

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