How can we characterize the wines of 2024? Fresh, tangy, easy to drink, pleasant but not exceptional. The meteorological conditions of 2024 have been a difficult test for Bordeaux winemakers – temperatures generally below average and increased rainfall have remained stable throughout almost the entire vegetative cycle, which has slowed down the ripening of the grapes and created conditions for the spread of mildew and gray mold. An unstable rainy autumn has also made the grape harvest difficult. As a result, not only the terroir, but to a greater extent the work of the winemakers has become decisive in the final result and profile of the wine.
In this article, I will tell you what to expect from the wines of the 2024 vintage and give a description of this difficult year.
Characteristics by months and seasons<>/h2
Each season affects the vegetative cycle of the vine, its development, and, accordingly, the characteristics of the grapes. It is the grapes that are the determining component of the organoleptic profile of wines, and therefore understanding the influence of weather conditions throughout the vegetative cycle can give a preliminary assessment of the character of the wines. Let’s consider each season of 2024 in detail.
Winter: wet and warm, which slowed down the onset of bud break and made work in the vineyards difficult. But another reason for the delay in the onset of the vegetative cycle and its uneven onset throughout the region is the frequent practice of late pruning, which somewhat delays the onset of bud break and thus helps to survive the period of possible frosts without losses.
Spring: warm and sunny April (from 3/04 to the middle of the month) contributed to the opening of buds and a relatively quick start to the cycle. On average, this happened 2 days later than in 2023, under favorable conditions. In about a week during this period, the vine developed three full leaves, but after a radical and prolonged drop in temperatures starting on 15/04, three frost episodes (19, 22 and 23 April), vine growth slowed to one fully expanded leaf per week. However, the frosts did not cause serious consequences and crop losses, and multiple heavy rains did not exceed the average rainfall for this period. May, wet and cooler – by the end of the month there was 80% more rainfall than average, and 30% less sunshine. As a result, spring 2024 was 34% wetter than average, and May 2024 was the first month in the last 2 years with below-average average temperatures. In these conditions, the growth rate of the vines in May was average, and on the developing leaves there appeared
Summer: in general, a rainy June (despite the dry and sunny last week) made it difficult for the vines to flower and contributed to the physiological disorders of the vines – coulure (dropping of flowers without the formation of ovaries) and millerandage (formation of berries of different sizes on one bunch of grapes). But due to the uneven distribution of precipitation (mainly in the form of thunderstorms), alternating with hot weather, the most serious problem in the Bordeaux vineyards in the summer of 2024 was the fungal disease mildew, which spread not only to the leaves, but also to the forming bunches. July began with a cool week, but then an anticyclone brought alternating hot (with temperatures above average) and cool (with temperatures below average) periods and thunderstorms. Thanks to the dry and sunny last ten days of July, by the end of the month the berries had already started the ripening process in the earliest areas, despite the slowdown of this process in the region as a whole due to excess moisture in the soils (accumulated during the rainy winter, spring and summer thunderstorms). Obvious ripening began only by the end of the last week of August, which turned out to be quite warm and sunny (not counting individual thunderstorm episodes). By the end of August, the Merlot variety had almost completed the first stage of ripening – the change of green color of berries to red. At the same time, mildew continues to pose a threat to the vineyards of Bordeaux, to which was added the phenomenon of “rot brun” – the drying of berries affected by mildew. The last week of August turned out to be hot, with temperatures above 30 degrees.
Autumn: Unlike the end of August, September was again distinguished by coolness and increased precipitation, which slowed down the accumulation of sugar in the berries, but did not affect the gradual decrease in acidity. The rainy season that began on September 20 accelerated the harvest of Merlot, whose ripening had been slowed by the cool weather. However, the variety gradually acquired more pronounced fruity tones, while maintaining a noticeable but not sharp acidity. The later Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested in mid-October, finished ripening in more stable and favorable conditions, significantly changing its organoleptic characteristics – the berries acquired more intense fruity tones and significantly reduced the level of acidity.
How did the wines turn out in such conditions?
The 2024 vintages should not have the richness, power and tannic structure of exceptional vintages such as 2009, 2010, 2020 and 2022. The 2024 vintage can be described as fresh, delicate and easy to drink.
The reason for this was the rainy weather – a typical characteristic of an oceanic climate, often difficult and demanding from a viticultural point of view. The 2024 vintage required effort and reactivity from the winemakers: from April until the beginning of ripening, they resisted attacks of mildew, to which were later added coulure and millandage due to rains during flowering, and even gray mold, which did not affect previous vintages. As a result, depending on the terroir, the location of rains and thunderstorms, the technologies used, the funds involved and the sorting of grapes, the amount of harvest and the character of the wines in some places differ significantly.
Red wines with a dominant of Merlot are aromatic and fruity, but in 2024 they do not have the depth and density of wines of more successful vintages, although the most favorable areas for this variety on the Right Bank yielded more full-bodied and concentrated wines. On less favorable terroir, this variety acquired grassy shades and sometimes even a “watery” character.
Those dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which was able to ripen in drier and sunnier October weather, are distinguished by greater richness, especially on the most favorable gravel terroir. As for white wines, the absence of prolonged periods of heat and the soil being saturated with water, gave aromatic citrus-floral Sauvignon Blanc with high acidity. The more capricious Semillon expressed itself differently, depending on the terroir – the most favorable gave rich, juicy and aromatic wines, less suitable resulted in a lack of concentration.
For sweet wines, 2024 was quite successful, thanks to the early appearance and uniform distribution of noble rot. In general, sweet wines turned out to be balanced and aromatic.
Overall, 2024 will not go down in history as an exceptional year for Bordeaux wines, but it is quite capable of satisfying the modern consumer who prefers drinkable and fruity wines that do not require long aging and maturation.
