Dilution and high yields

The first 2023 wines are now in bottle, and it is time to reflect a bit about the high yields as this shapes the vintage so to speak.

2023 is a quite unique vintage with exceptionally high yields which we have not seen since 1982; there were sometimes giant bunches of grapes weighing 300 grams, double the norm, with the vines carrying a large number of clusters. Yields beyond 100 hectolitres/hectare were seen, but of course, not harvested (INAO rules). This is extreme.

None of the vignerons whom I spoke to remember yields like this before.

Big producers sometimes had to cut 50% of the harvest to come down to 35-40 hl/ha – a normal, more optimal yield. I will return to the topic of optimal yields for reds below.

The whites were also blessed with tremendous yields, but that poses less of a problem than with the reds.

But how does one control the yields in a way that results in the optimal hedonistic experience?

Optimal yields

Normally, one would not recommend yields much above 40 hl/ha for Pinot Noir, as quality usually drops around 45 hl/ha.

The whites are more flexible, and even very high yields can produce some truly lovely wines that are hedonistic rather than ultra-precise.

INAO rules

It was a very generous vintage. In many places, only the INAO-imposed limits will set the yields, despite heavy green harvesting by numerous domaines.

The permitted yields are strict, and even last year, these limits were challenging for some. If you harvest beyond the limit (and declare it), there are ramifications. 

For each appellation, the maximum yield is defined legally in terms of hectolitres of wine per hectare of vineyard (hl/ha). Subject to certain conditions, this base yield may be augmented in a given year by 15%-20%. The decision to increase the yield depends on the conditions during the year, and the grower has to obtain permission. Base yields in Burgundy for 2023 are as follows: 

• Grand Cru reds: 35-37 hl/ha; whites: 40-64 hl/ha 
• Premier Cru reds: 40-45 hl/ha; whites: 45-68 hl/ha 
• Village reds: 40-45 hl/ha; whites 45-70 hl/ha 
• Regional appellation reds: 50-69 hl/ha; whites: 55-75 hl/ha. 

Further details from the INAO are on its website: www.inao.gouv.fr (source BIVB).

The complex truth

Looking at the INAO numbers, the allowed yields for regional wines are well into the diluted area and this explains some of the awful regional wines also made in Burgundy..

This is however far more complex as controlling the yields are essential to the quality of the resulting wine.

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