Burgundy Vintages

Question 1

2015

Answer 1

Low yields, warm weather with ample ripeness, small berries, early harvest. Quality looking comparable to 2005.

Question 2

2014

Answer 2

Mild winter, early bud break and flowering, prospects were looking good, but summer was miserably cool and wet, and hail in late June led to light, thin wines.

Question 3

2013

Answer 3

Frigid spring led to delayed flowering and uneven ripening. Small crop with balanced fruit with potential despite summer downpours and hail.

Question 4

2012

Answer 4

Blighted by rot and mildew. Erratic and bizarre weather. Cool spring, heatwaves in the summer with thunderstorms and hail. Vintage known for soft tannins.

Question 5

2011

Answer 5

Disappointing year with widespread rot and uneven weather. 2010’s are a safer bet.

Question 6

2010

Answer 6

Burgundy ( 93) Very good quality wines with acid levels higher and fresher than in 2009.Bordeaux (99) Rhone (98)Piedmont (97)Brunello ( 98)/ Chianti (92)

Question 7

2009

Answer 7

Dry growing season with consistent warmth and no early season hail. Lower acid levels and ripe tannins have these wines ready for early drinking.

Question 8

2008

Answer 8

Cursed vintage in Burgundy. Coulure, mildew, and hail damaged yields and quality. High acid is the mark of this vintage.

Question 9

2007

Answer 9

Damp summer led to widespread rot. Careful sorting was necessary. Not the best vintage.

Question 10

2006

Answer 10

Poor summer produced wines of purity and expression at their best and too much austerity at their worst

Question 11

2005

Answer 11

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Question 12

2004

Answer 12

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Question 13

2003

Answer 13

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Question 14

2002

Answer 14

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Question 15

2001

Answer 15

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Question 16

2000

Answer 16

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Question 17

1999

Answer 17

Burgundy (91) WARM Vintage with higher ripeness of sugar and tannin. Bordeaux (86) Warm year, but summer storms led to mildew on both banks and there was significant hail damage on the right bank in St.-Emilion. Pomerol faired better. Some wines show greeness. Rhone (96) Warm Vintage that produced outstanding, ripe wines. Brunello (97) /Chianti (94) Warm vintage created ripe grapes with fuller wines. More finesse than 1997Piedmont (94) Warm Vintage created voluptuous Barolos and Barbarescos

Question 18

1998

Answer 18

BurgundyBordeaux (90) Much better quality on the right bank. Rich, muscularRhone (90)Piedmont (91)Tuscany (91)

Question 19

1997

Answer 19

Burgundy (85) Ripe wines with higher alcohol and lower natural acidity. Hottest September on record!Bordeaux (86) Hot August, but Wet and Cool end to the growing season. Uneven ripening and a large crop led to variable quality. Most wines are light and diluteRhone (88) Vintage characterized by both warm summer days and nights. Very ripe with lower levels of acidity.Piedmont (93) Very High Quality. Warm and dry growing season with just enough rain to mitigate water stress. Very difficult not to produced good fruit. Rich and opulent in style. Tuscany (99) Frost at the end of April, but perfect weather from there on out. Extremely ripe, but balanced beautifully with acidity. Near perfect vintage.

Question 20

1996

Answer 20

Burgundy (94) Much better in the Cote de Nuits than Beaune. Vintage is marked by high acid. Vibrant and balanced with ripe tannins. Larger than average crop resulted in some dilute wines though. Bordeaux (90) Dry growing season, but very warm. Both high sugar levels and acidity highlight this vintage. Rhone (90) Hot and dry summer, but fresh and rainy august combined with a large crop led to grapes with the highest amount of acidity in the past 50 years!Piedmont (98) More rain than on average, but somehow the wines are of superb quality. one of the best vintages of the past 30 years.Tuscany (85) Lower summer temperatures and rains at the end of harvest led to some lighter and slightly diluted wines.

Question 21

1995

Answer 21

BurgundyBordeauxRhone (91)Piedmont (88)Tuscany

Question 22

1994

Answer 22

Burgundy (81)Bordeaux (85)Rhone (88)Piedmont (77)Tuscany(82)

Question 23

1993

Answer 23

Burgundy (91) WET VINTAGE. Rain on and off let to an unusual result. An odd vintage that showed more ripeness in the skins than in the pulp. Higher acidity with intense aromatics characterizes this vintage. It took 15 years for the wines to come around but they are showing class. Bordeaux (82) WET VINTAGE. Rain at the beginning and end of the season resulted in light dilute wines with uneven ripening and quality. Better on the Right Bank. Rhone (78) WET VINTAGE. VERY POOR VINTAGE. Disastrous year with so much rain that it flooded the vineyards and the Rhone broke its banks. Hail in late August punctuated the vintage’s misfortune. Piedmont (87) Some good Barolo and Barbaresco, but not the best year. Rain off and on and Mildew led to a lackluster vintage.Tuscany (90) Excellent vintage. Long, mild growing season with a little drought alleviated by late summer rain.

Question 24

1992

Answer 24

Burgundy (79) RAINY. Heavy rains closed out the growing season giving wines that lacked the depth of great vintages. Bordeaux (72) RAINY. Lots of rain, lots of rot. Lackluster and mostly diluted. Rhone (79) RAINY vintage. Dilute wines, supple, but lacking the depth and conviction of the better years. Piedmont (72) RAINY. Cold and wet weather at harvest time produced thin and light wines.Brunello/Chianti (76) VERY RAINY. Dilute wines.

Question 25

1991

Answer 25

Burgundy (86) Severe frost in the spring and hail in the summer made it difficult for quality wine production. Late harvest rains resulted in rot. Bordeaux (72) FROST YEAR! Frost devastated the right bank and parts of the left bank. Rains made for a difficult harvest and those who didn’t get rid of the second crop had green ness in wines.Rhone (89) Good Year. Much less ripe than the monstrous 90’s, more structure and acidity. Less warm and more rainy than 1990Piedmont (77) Very light, early drinking wines. Brunello/Chianti (84) Very Rainy vintage. Even the best were hardly pleasant.

Question 26

1990

Answer 26

Burgundy (98) DROUGHT YEAR with just enough rain to save the harvest. Ripe fruit and tannin and classically balanced. Bordeaux (97) DROUGHT YEAR led to smaller berries on the vine creating Opulent, well-structured wines with half the average amount of rainfall but just enough from preventing the vine from shutting down. Rhone (97) Massive wines that are rich with loads of tannin and fruit. Warm very dry year with rain at just the right times. Very perfumed wines. Piedmont (97) Firm, ripe, with colossal power and big aroma were the result of a long, hot summer. Tuscany: Outstandingly Fine. Dry like the rest of Europe with rains at just the right time to prevent too much vine stress.