The warm, dry winter preceding the 2023 in Chablis heightened fears of frost damage among growers, but outside some minor episodes of frost on 28 March and 4 April, the spring passed without incident.
Flowering in early June occurred under ideal conditions, and a very large crop was set on the vines. June through August saw scattered rain and cooler temperature, but ripening accelerated with a September heatwave that caused alcohol to jump and acidity to drop.
The 2023 Chablis report devotes in-depth coverage to everything from Petit Chablis to village-level premier cru and grand cru Chablis wines. For the first time we also include coverage of the very best from the larger region of the Grand Auxerrois, including the crus of Irancy (for Pinot Noir), Saint-Bris (for Sauvignon Blanc), and Vézélay (for Chardonnay) as well as some outliers from the Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre appellation, northern reaches of Burgundy that can be particularly successful in recent warmer vintages.
Curtis tasted over 400 of the region’s top wines, from superstar growers such as Raveneau and Dauvissat to emerging stars such as Pattes Loup and Guillaume Michaut at Domaine 47°N 3°E. He presents his top 100 wines across the myriad styles of Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois, with an emphasis on the very best in quality and value.
The full report illuminates the ready-to-drink charm of the Petit Chablis and village Chablis appellations, where yield was generous and prices may remain moderate. Curtis also makes a deep dive into the differences between the premier crus on the Left Bank of the Serein and those on the Right, and looks in depth at the very top wines of the grand cru slope and its seven terroirs.
The year was not without pitfalls – producers who did not control yield risked dilution, and those who did not judge the harvest date well sometimes produced wines high in alcohol and low in acidity, faults this report will help the reader avoid. However, the top growers produced intense, ageworthy wines well worth purchasing en primeur to ensure supply.
The coverage on Decanter Premium is a detailed expansion of the report that appears in the magazine’s December 2024 issue.
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