Description

Comparing the growing seasons of 2024 and 2023, Pierre Gonon explained that the two vintages reached very different levels of ripeness. The 2023 season began with considerable humidity and a generous fruit-set. The domaine produced 38 hl/ha and undertook green harvesting across all parcels, which brought yields on the oldest vines down to 23 hl/ha. The weather was fairly average overall, with notable mildew pressure. Early August was superb, cool and clear, accompanied by a light north wind that Gonon described as “exactly what we like for finishing ripening.” But everything changed on August 15, when an unexpected heatwave arrived. For two weeks, temperatures reached 40 to 42°C. The season had not been especially hot until then, so “no one expected it,” Gonon noted. The grapes harvested were beautiful but fragile, with thinner-than-usual skins. In 2024, the grapes were noticeably less fragile, and fermentations were calmer. Consequently, everything was vinified with SO2 in 2023 and without SO2 in 2024, as the fruit in the latter year arrived in excellent sanitary condition with firmer, thicker skins. The 2024 growing season will also be remembered for exceptionally high mildew pressure, necessitating 14 treatments on red grapes and 16 on the whites, the most ever at the domaine. The 2024 harvest began on September 16 and lasted 12 days, with combined red and white yields reaching 32 hl/ha. In the glass, the 2024 red Saint-Joseph is shaping up to be a cool-toned, spicy rendition, reminiscent of 2021 but with slightly more ripeness and concentration. When I shared this impression, Gonon agreed, noting, “In 2024, there was just as much rain as in 2021, but in 2021 there had been frost, so the grapes were already more fragile. And in 2021, when it wasn’t raining, it was grey and cloudy. On the other hand, in 2024, when it wasn’t raining, there was light and warmth.” From: Northern Rhône 2024: One Hill Rises (Jan 2026) Nicholas Greinacher Jan 2026