Loire Valley 2023 vintage report: White wines and the best new releases

In the Loire Valley , the emerging consensus is that there is no pattern to the weather, prompting Muscadet’s Famille Lieubeau to wonder if there is such a thing as ‘normal’ anymore. Its conclusion? ‘From a climate point of view, no two years are the same’. Scroll down to see Beverley Blanning MW’s selection of the best new releases of white Loire wines [subscriber-content] Risk of rot This sentiment is by no means unique to the western Loire in 2023; the vintage presented a range of problems for white-wine makers across the region. By the time harvest arrived, growers had a bumper crop of healthy grapes on their hands – but most had endured plenty of drama along the way. The early season started well, with no significant frost. After successful flowering and fruit set, the vines were laden with fruit. Everyone had their fingers crossed for a good-sized, healthy crop. But in June, humidity set in, causing widespread mildew pressure that persisted throughout the season. Growers had to be vigilant to protect their grapes. Temperatures fluctuated wildly, from excessively cool to near-tropical, with the ever-present threat of rot. Growers in Vouvray had an additional challenge – acid rot. Julien Pinon, of François et Julien Pinon, says, ‘grey rot is a fungus, but acid rot is caused by a bacteria that turns wine into vinegar. It’s very rare – the last time this happened was in 2014’. Because the rot originates inside the berries, it can be hard to spot, but Pinon says, ‘In some parcels, you didn’t need to see it – you could smell it.’ He says that fruit selection in the vineyard was the key to making good wine. ‘We discarded 20% of the grapes; some colleagues threw away as much as 40%,’ he says. The 2023 vintage will favour the minority who harvest by hand in Vouvray. Across the Loire Chenin Blanc also suffered in other appellations, especially Anjou , where the cool, humid weather persisted throughout August, followed by heavy rain in September. Domaine Belargus declares that 2023 was the rainiest harvest in the area for 10 years. Again, sorting was key to quality. Harvest at Belargus took two months. Sarah Hwang, of Domaine Huet in Vouvray, reports a similarly long and complicated harvest, with 2023 taking twice as long as 2022. Elsewhere, and for other varieties, harvest conditions were rather easier. In Muscadet , the early ripening Melon de Bourgogne escaped the rain and benefited from a late summer heatwave that concentrated both sugar and, unusually, acidity. There are some excellent wines to be found here. In the vineyards around Sancerre and further south, growers enjoyed a very healthy and high-volume vintage. [caption id="attachment_542490" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The terroir of Château-Thébaud, a cru of Muscadet. Credit: Famille Lieubeau.[/caption] See all of Beverley Blanning MW's top Loire latest releases here What to expect Despite the problems of the growing season, the high and early crop load has translated to very high yields across the Loire this year. Volumes are up more than 20% on the 2022 vintage and at the highest recorded levels of the last five years. Many appellations yielded the maximum permitted levels. Higher yields are harder to ripen successfully – dilution has been a noticeable issue in some of the earlier released 2023 Sauvignons. The white wines are in the more classical Loire style, with cooler, restrained flavours, moderate alcohols and refreshing acidity. These will be shorter-term wines than those of 2022, which was a vintage of exuberant fruit and good concentration. [breakout] Loire white wines: Know your vintages 2019 : Following severe frosts, vines produced a low crop of very good quality grapes. The wines show freshness, concentration and balance, and will age well. 5/5

2020 : A warm vintage of good quality and ripeness, but with a tendency for higher alcohols, as sugars rose rapidly late in the season. 4/5

2021 : A year of devastating frosts all over France that severely affected the Loire. Frosts were followed by a cool growing season that favoured white production. A small volume of delicate, high-quality wine was made. There are some delicious, understated, crisp whites from this vintage. For the few growers who held out for botrytis, some outstanding sweet wines were made, too. 4/5

2022 : This year was marked by drought, with heat so severe the vines closed down in summer. Nevertheless, it has produced excellent white wines with beautiful aromas and balanced acidities. There are many hugely appealing wines here. 4/5

2023 : One of the most complicated vintages in recent memory, testing the abilities and resilience of vignerons throughout the Loire. Of recent releases, the Muscadets appear to be very successful, the Sauvignons of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé less so. A vintage in which the skill of the grower was paramount. 3/5

[/breakout] Beverley Blanning MW's book, The Wines of the Loire Valley, was published in October 2024 and is available to buy for £35 [/subscriber-content] Beverley Blanning MW’s top Loire white latest releases: [wine-collection] Related articles Domaine Belargus: Les Treilles, exceptional single-vineyard Chenin Anjou Chenin Blanc: A long-awaited renaissance and 20 wines rated Loire whites 2022 plus top new releases