When should I drink red Burgundy?

Why the window is shorter

Pinot Noir has thin skins and modest tannin, so red Burgundy relies on acidity rather than grip for its structure. That gives village and premier cru wines a window of four to twelve years after the vintage. Grand cru sits outside these figures: the best can need a decade before opening and hold for two or more. Within the range, Côte de Nuits villages such as Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges tend to run longer than Volnay or Savigny-lès-Beaune, and growers who ferment with whole bunches often make wines that need a little more time.

Opened too early

Young Burgundy can be charming for a year or two after release, all raspberry and cherry, before many bottles go quiet: the fruit narrows, the oak sticks out, and the wine tastes lean and slightly sour. Whole-bunch wines can also show a stemmy, green edge at this stage that later turns to spice.

In the window

In its window, Pinot gains the savoury layer it is prized for: forest floor, mushroom, game, dried roses and sweet spice over softer red fruit. The colour lightens towards orange at the rim and the texture becomes silky. Because the fruit is delicate, the move from mature to tired can be quick, so it pays to open bottles regularly rather than wait for the closing year.

Which vintages are ready

On the calculator’s figures, the red Burgundy vintages in their window in 2026 run from 2014 to 2022, and those from 2017 to 2019 sit around the likely peak. Anything from 2023 onwards is still ageing. Enter your own vintage above to check it.