Despite weather conditions which required enormous work in the vineyard, the 2024 vintage is low in volume but very promising across all the vineyards of the Rhône Valley, with fruit, tension and balance as much for white wines as for reds and rosés
NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Inter Rhône, the organization that represents the Rhône Valley Vineyards AOCs, has announced that the 2024 vintage in the Rhône Valley is looking very promising across the Northern and Southern parts of the region. Through a tremendous amount of work in the vineyard, the vintage has resulted in high quality for the whites, rosés and reds.
The winemakers interviewed agree that the 2024 vintage will be a strong marker for the second largest AOC vineyard in France. Spring brought its share of very heavy rain, sometimes accompanied by hailstorms. The return of non-deleterious summer heat, associated with the qualities of King Mistral, have brought the benefits of a long maturity and beautiful diurnal range of temperatures, offering the vines cool nights conducive to their rest. Without forgetting the pugnacity, endurance and expertise of the winegrowers, who skillfully managed to control the risk of disease, thus contributing to the remarkable quality of this harvest.
For Philippe Pellaton, President of Inter Rhône: “2024 is a Homeric vintage for winegrowers as they had to fight at every moment to preserve the vineyard. Despite this, throughout the Rhône Valley, the quantity will show a low level. From a qualitative aspect, winegrowers and negociants of the Rhône Valley Vineyards are unanimously convinced of the success of this vintage: on the first juices, while the sugar richness seems low, the return to later harvest dates allows a beautiful fruit/freshness balance thanks to a phenolic maturity achieved and supported by beautiful acidities.”
In the Southern Rhône: Full Satisfaction for Wines with Structure and Finesse
Damien Gilles, President of Syndicat Général des Côtes du Rhône, adds: “The 2024 vintage will remain etched in memories, both for winegrowers, who had to overcome countless difficulties to shape it, and for future consumers. It embodies the essence, the DNA of Côtes du Rhône, with well-controlled alcoholic levels, fine and fruity juices, offering great drinkability. The Rhône grape varieties show their full expression: ripe Grenaches, but without excess of alcohol, and fine and expressive Syrahs. The whites reveal a lively freshness and floral notes, while the rosés unfold their entire palette, from the lightest, perfect for moments of conviviality, to the richest and complex, ideal to accompany meals.
As for the reds, they offer complexity in the blend but remain very easy to drink. To share quickly and openly.”
“2024 was marked by mild and warm, but not extreme, temperatures, as well as high humidity. Although the vines did not suffer from drought as is customary, these unusual climatic conditions favored the appearance of mildew and other cryptogamic diseases in the spring. These fungi had a strong impact on the quantity of bunches and berries, with a very low production in terms of harvested volume. But conversely, the qualitative production is record-breaking: concentrated and very aromatic berries, fairly low alcohol levels, excellent acidity, very intense red colors and smooth tannins. 2024 is already shaping up to be a very great vintage, designed for aging with a balance rarely achieved!” declares Samuel Montgermont, Co-President of AOC Ventoux.
For Réjane Pouzoulas, Co-President of AOC Rasteau: “2024 is a nice vintage with fruit, freshness and depth, low yields, but qualitative and already delicious. It was a very pleasant vintage to vinify because the outside temperatures were cool and the grapes were healthy: the alcoholic degrees were therefore controlled, facilitating the perfect balance of the wines and presenting an interesting pH.”
Louis Barruol, Co-President of the Gigondas appellation, continues: “After a rainy winter and spring, during which mildew pressure was significant, the vintage was marked by balance. Rather late maturities and low Grenache yields produced tasty, deep wines. These are undoubtedly the most balanced wines since the 2020 vintage.”
“The vintage did not suffer from drought or heat during its growing cycle; initially expected to be an early vintage, it was ultimately necessary to wait patiently for the grapes to ripen properly, significantly later than in 2023. In terms of quantity, this vintage is certainly a small harvest. The wines are colorful, intensely aromatic with notes of ripe fruits and sweet spices. On the palate, the vintage is marked by a very nice balance between freshness and structure, and a promising roundness. This balance is a guarantee of good aging potential; that being said, the patina of the tannins and the roundness in the mouth will allow the most impatient to appreciate this vintage without delay!” adds Jean-François Arnoux, Co-President of AOC Vacqueyras.
In Luberon, Joël Bouscarle, Co-President of AOC Luberon, comments: “The warm end of winter caused an early bud burst, exposing the young branches to frost mid-April. Spring, like summer, was marked by a return to less excessive temperatures than in previous vintages, and regular rainfall provided a good ripening for the grapes. Later, the cool and windy conditions of the harvest gave beautiful balance to our wines. The aromatics are very frank, clean, and express floral notes and minerality on the whites. The rosés are dominated by fresh fruit. The reds reveal a bouquet of invigorating, crisp fruits, and are carried by freshness, suggesting beautiful evolution in the cellar.”
On the other bank of the Rhône, Michel Gassier, Co-President of AOC Costières de Nîmes notes: “The 2024 vintage was shaped by unpredictable weather, requiring precise choices to preserve quality. After a cold and dry winter, the March rains recharged the soils and allowed for successful budburst. The mild spring encouraged vine growth, although frequent rains from the end of May led to strong disease pressure, making flowering complicated, particularly for Grenache. The summer, with its sea breezes and cool nights, favored gradual maturation, preserving the aromatic balance of the whites and rosés. In September, dry and cool conditions allowed the reds to be harvested in optimal conditions. The wines of the 2024 vintage are distinguished by their freshness, aromatic intensity and balance, with moderate alcohol levels reminiscent of the 2020 vintage.”
According to François Lafond, Co-President of AOC Tavel: “It is definitely a complicated vintage, so by definition a “vinegrower’s vintage”. A lot of work had to be done, weekends and public holidays, to avoid diseases. In the spring, there was as much rain as in the whole of last year! Afterwards, a hot but not scorching summer meant that there was no water stress or maturity problems for the grapes; the conditions were therefore optimal for making great wines, even if we had to roll up our sleeves in the vineyards to produce a magnificent vintage in the cellar. The wines of Tavel are well balanced. With volume on the palate, delicious, there is a nice aging potential, it is very promising. The color remains, we should find ruby red colors rather than the orange hues that we have known in the past.”
For Michel Souchon, President of AOC Duché d’Uzès: “The 2024 vintage promises balanced and elegant wines, thanks to regular rainfall that has favored harmonious ripening. The acidity is beautiful, the alcohol levels moderate, and the tannins delicate, offering fruity and fine wines. A vintage that is both accessible in its youth and promising for aging.”
In the Northern Rhône: After the Concern, a Lot of Enthusiasm for Very Balanced Wines
In the northern part of the Rhône Valley Vineyards, David Duclaux, Co-President of AOC Côte-Rôtie, declares that “2024 is a very good vintage but it required a lot of work and challenged us a lot. We have received more than 800 millimeters of rain since April, a record. We have been mowing, hedging, going through the vineyards with the brushcutter and the pickaxe. The three weeks of sunshine in August and a very cold north wind at the beginning of September generated concentration, fruit and color leading to a very beautiful vintage, harvested mid-September, with balances reminiscent of wines from the early 2000s. All the winegrowers are delighted with the quality.”
And Pierre-Jean Villa, Co-President of AOC Condrieu confirms that “2024 will be all the more exceptional because it required a lot of work in the vineyard; in the last 30 years, never has a vintage been so trying for winegrowers who were really put “under pressure” in many ways. Despite a slight drop in yields, the vines have fortunately once again shown resilience, particularly Viognier, here in Condrieu. The wines display very reasonable alcohol levels (around 13/13.5°) and reveal, without exuberance, a floral side of violets and white flowers. Finally, 2024 will be a beautiful year for AOC Condrieu.”
Michel Chapoutier, Co-President of AOC Saint-Joseph notes: “A 2024 vintage that will remain in the memories of winegrowers for being so trying, and requiring such a high intensity of vineyard work. It is the return of the sun in August that brought back enthusiasm after a season with record-high rainfall. To achieve good ripeness, the challenge was also in the ability to be proactive at harvest time. The granite hillsides of the Saint-Joseph appellation did well, with whites that have good acidity, and the vintage is very promising in red, with a good balance, concentration and aromatic intensity.”
Caroline Moro, négociante in AOC Cornas, continues: “In Cornas, the growing season was like everywhere in the Northern Rhône: the rainy weather required a lot of work in the vineyard. At the end of the season, the September weather nevertheless offered us grapes with surprising maturity, certainly less sweet than in recent years but with accomplished phenolic maturity. The juices are remarkably fresh and fine, undoubtedly announcing balanced, elegant wines suitable for aging. These characteristics are confirmed after racking: fresh but silky balance, the palate is round and the colors are deep.”
For AOC Hermitage, Pascal Fayolle summarizes: “After the gloomy months of June and July, August was very mild with beautiful sunshine, contained heatwaves and nice diurnal ranges of temperatures, very beneficial to the good ripening of the grapes. The harvest began around September 10 with a sometimes low harvest volume, especially in white, but of very satisfactory quality. The first white juices quickly revealed beautiful balance, freshness and good acidity. The same is true for the reds: notes of red fruits, violets and lovely peppery tones, dense and velvety tannins, suggesting wines with good aging potential. A nice surprise after a difficult start to the season.”
On the sparkling wine side, at the joint between the North and the South of the region, Fabien Lombard, President of AOC Clairette de Die and for the Diois wines, considers the 2024 harvest to be low in volume but very promising. “Several factors explain these small volumes: the first was a frost episode that hit a large part of the vineyard’s communes, particularly on April 24 and 25. Muscat à Petits Grains, which is an early-budding grape variety, was badly hit, but Clairette was not spared either. The particularly rainy spring was conducive to the development of diseases and was trying for the winegrowers. The summer did not spare the vines as, in July, some communes were hit by hail, and the month of August was marked by drought. After a fairly long harvest period for the winegrowers, there is nevertheless satisfaction regarding quality. We note beautiful aromas and acidity levels that are interesting for the balance of our sparkling wines. The natural fermentation is done slowly in vats, and it allows to confirm the organoleptic qualities of this vintage. 2024 will also be the first vintage with the new specifications for AOC Clairette de Die Méthode Ancestrale, in which the proportion of the Clairette grape variety has been increased (up to 35% instead of 25%), and the minimum sugar level has been lowered to 25 g/L.”
About Inter Rhône – www.vins-rhone.com/en
Inter Rhône is a dynamic, deeply committed professional association representing all members of the Côtes du Rhône and Rhône Valley AOC wine industry. Founded in 1955, it coordinates the marketing and communications, business and technical activities of the following AOCs: Côtes du Rhône (Regional, Villages and Crus), Clairette de Bellegarde, Clairette de Die, Châtillon en Diois, Costières de Nîmes, Côtes du Vivarais, Coteaux de Die, Crémant de Die, Duché d’Uzès, Grignan les Adhémar, Luberon, Ventoux, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Rasteau sweet fortified wines, Eaux de Vie de Vin des Côtes du Rhône (or Fine des Côtes du Rhône) and Eaux de Vie de Marc des Côtes du Rhône (or Marc des Côtes du Rhône). Its activity is based on three key principles: fair representation for all professional groupings; parity between producers and négociants; and unanimity for all major decisions. Inter Rhône is both creative and accountable, standing alongside its members, supporting them and helping them in their quest to win greater recognition for Rhône Valley Vineyards wines in France and abroad.
SOURCE Inter Rhône
