Bordeaux Wine Harvest 2024: A step-by-step Journey
In the heart of France, the Bordeaux region faced an unpredictable growing season in 2024, marked by extreme weather conditions and climate-related pressures. Georgie Hindle, the Bordeaux editor, provides an in-depth exploration of this challenging year through its various stages.
The Key Challenges
The 2024 Bordeaux growing season was characterised by a series of adverse weather events. Late frosts in spring damaged vines, impacting fruit set. Summer heat spikes and sudden downpours further stressed the vines, complicating ripening and vineyard management. Diseases like mildew and hailstorms added to the woes, further reducing healthy grape development.
These factors resulted in a decline in yields by about 10%, the lowest output since 2017. However, despite the reduced quantity, the quality of the best wines was reportedly exceptional, showing freshness and classic structure reminiscent of great vintages.
Impact on Wine Production
The challenging conditions led to a notable reduction in total volume. Bordeaux produced about 10% less wine in 2024 compared to 2023. Premium estates, however, focused on quality over quantity, delivering wines of depth, balance, and freshness that may improve Bordeaux's market appeal despite lower volumes.
Ongoing market challenges due to price issues in recent years were met with renewed confidence kindled by the promising quality of the 2024 vintage.
A Year of Adversity, a Year of Surprises
Despite the climate-driven adversity, the 2024 Bordeaux vintage could potentially strengthen Bordeaux’s position in the premium wine market. The smaller harvest may lead to increased demand and higher prices for the high-quality wines produced.
Some producers even experimented with new grape varieties like Cabernet Franc and Touriga Nacional, reflecting adaptation efforts to climate change.
Looking Ahead
As the Bordeaux 2024 en primeur tastings begin, price cut discussions are underway. The website offers comprehensive coverage of the Bordeaux 2024 en primeur, providing insights on Sauternes, a dessert wine from Bordeaux, and details on the top five vintages suggested for immediate consumption.
Meanwhile, the website also delves into other exciting topics such as the potential of top level Burgundy as a valuable investment in a downbeat market, the exploration of Greek grape varieties to drink, and the possibility of Albariño becoming the next great white grape.
For those interested in exploring more about the hidden fine wine region of Australia, Langhorne Creek, subscribing to Premium today offers a 20% discount on an annual subscription with the code BORDEAUX24. The first taste of Louis Roederer 2018 and new releases can also be found on the website. The Bordeaux 2022 vintage is being revisited in bottle.
[1] Georgie Hindle, "The Bordeaux 2024 Growing Season: A Challenging Year for Bordeaux," [website], [date]. [2] Georgie Hindle, "The Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur: A Preview," [website], [date]. [3] Georgie Hindle, "The Bordeaux 2024 Harvest: A Closer Look," [website], [date].
- The 2024 Bordeaux growing season, marked by extreme weather conditions and climate-related pressures, not only posed challenges for wine production but also presented opportunities for wine investment, as some producers experimented with new grape varieties like Cabernet Franc and Touriga Nacional.
- In the heart of France, while the Bordeaux region was grappling with an unpredictable growing season in 2024, premium estates focused on quality over quantity, delivering wines of exceptional quality, and some even questioned whether these exceptional vintages could potentially command higher prices due to the smaller harvest.
