By Rose Murray Brown MW  Published in The Scotsman 31 Jan 2026

 

‘Wet, wet, wet’ is how many of the winemakers present at Corney & Barrow’s 2024 Burgundy tasting in Edinburgh described this challenging vintage.

 

2024 was certainly cool and rainy, but some of the wines have turned out pretty well.  Many of the whites that I tasted have good citric fruit and a backbone of freshness – and the reds are light, but with attractive aromas and bright red fruits.  In balance it seemed that the hardier Chardonnay grape fared better than the more delicate thin-skinned Pinot Noir.

 

The other problem in this soggy wet vintage was that yields were very low – so there is not much wine to sell.  Many producers in Chablis, Cote de Beaune, Chalonnais, Maconnais and Beaujolais are down 50% in volume this year, but the worst hit area by far was the reds of Cote de Nuits in the northern part of Burgundy with prestigious communes of Nuits St Georges, Vosne Romanee and Clos Vougeot down 90%.

 

“One of the main issues was that flowering was compromised and this had an adverse affect on the quantity”, explained Corney & Barrow’s wine buyer Guy Seddon.  “The other big problem was mildew affecting the bunches, rather than the leaves, which had affected quality.  There was just no respite all season with constant mildew issues, so the producers were spraying twice as much as usual”.

 

2024 was a particularly tricky vintage for organic producers across Burgundy.  In Chablis, some organic producers there lost 80% of their crop.  In Chalonnais, Domaine de Villaine, who have been organic and biodynamic since the 1990s, lost 50% of their crop (not as bad as in 2001 vintage when owner Pierre de Benoist tells me they lost 100%).  In Cote de Beaune, Juliette Orsoni of Domaine Puy de L’Ours in Savigny, told me it was one of the most difficult vintages they have ever had.

 

The region which had the most adverse mix of weather conditions to contend with was Chablis.  “It was a kind of nightmare”, explained producer Vincent Dampt (pictured below).  “We had frost in April, hail in May and rain every day from June until mid-August”.  Dampt lost 50% of his crop, but with careful selection of grapes, the wines he has made are surprisingly good quality with fresh high acidity in balance with plenty of fruit and body.

In Cote de Beaune my favourite whites were from Meursault, a commune which fared well, with Patrick Javillier and Domaine Matrot with good examples.  The high water table in neighbouring Puligny Montrachet meant quality wasn’t quite so good – but I was impressed with Domaine Francois Carillon’s wines.

 

Amongst the red wines I tasted, I liked the Gamays from Domaine Labruyere in Beaujolais’s most prestigious Cru, Moulin a Vent (pictured below).  They normally make three single vineyards at the domaine, but in 2024 they made just one – alongside a simpler blended cuvee called Coeur de Terroir.  In Cote de Beaune, I liked the Pinot Noirs from Domaines Georges Glantenay and Cyriot-Buthiau – and for good value, red Savigny les Beaunes from Domaine Puy de L’Ours (pictured below).

According to Seddon, generally the 2024 vintage whites and reds will be ready for drinking earlier than the denser richer 2023 vintage.

 

The most eloquent of all producers was Francois Millet, who was the former winemaker at Domaine Comtes Georges de Vogue, now with his own domaine, Maison Francois Millet, which he runs with his sons.  He summed up both vintages rather well.

 

“2024 is a Mozart vintage”, Millet told me.  “It is light, fresh, ethereal and complex”.  He compared that to the 2023 vintage, which he was showing this year.  “2023 is a Beethoven vintage – it’s juicy, assertive, elegant, charming and also complex”.

 

 

RECOMMENDED WINES:

 

WHITE

 

BOUZERON (100% Aligote) 2024 Domaine de Villaine (pictured above)

 

CHABLIS 2024 Domaine Vincent Dampt

 

BOURGOGNE COTE D’OR CHARDONNAY 2024 Domaine Francois Carillon

 

MEURSAULT CLOS DU CROMIN 2024 Domaine Patrick Javillier

 

SAVIGNY LES BEAUNE BLANC, LES GOUDELETTES 2024 Domaine Puy de l’Ours

 

PULIGNY MONTRACHET 1ER CRU, CHAMP GAIN 2024 Domaine Francois Carillon

 

RULLY 1ER CRU MARGOTES 2023 Domaine de Villaine

 

 

RED

 

CLOS DU MOULIN A VENT MONOPOLE 2024 Domaine Labruyere

 

BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR 2024 Domaine Georges Glantenay

 

FIXIN EN L’OLIVIER 2023 Maison Francois Millet et Fils

 

VOLNAY 2024 Domaine Cyrot-Buthiau

 

BEAUNE 1ER CRU LES TEURONS 2024 Domaine Rossignol-Trapet

 

 

All wines available from Corney & Barrow Scotland’s 2024 Burgundy En Primeur Offer www.corneyandbarrow.com

 

 

 

Join Rose’s Escorted Wine Tour to England’s Vineyards 16-20 June 2026 www.rosemurraybrown.com