N Rhone Vintage Flashcards by Robert Gomez

N Rhone

Excellent Vintages: 1980s

1982/83, ‘85, ‘88/89/90/91*

*Best of the consecutive bunch

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N Rhone

Vintages to Avoid: 1990s

1992/93*/94, ‘96

*Worst vintage

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N Rhone

Excellent Vintages: 1990s

1988/89/90/91, ‘95, ‘97/98/99

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Northern Rhone
Vintages to Avoid:
2000-Present

2000, ‘02, ‘08*

*Good white wine vintage

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Northern Rhone
Top Vintages:
2000-Present

2001, ‘05, ‘09/10, ‘15

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Northern Rhone
Good but not Great Vintages:
2000-Present

2000 - Charming, plush wines that are drinking well now

2003 - Rich, hedonistic wines, acid is a concern

2004 - Firm, bright, classically styled wines, may show green notes with age

2006 - Classic, fresh wines

2007 - Light, forward, soft wines

2011 - Light, fresh wines

2012 - Lively, open, harmonious wines with silky, fine tannins

2013 - Light, bright, red fruited wines

2014 - Supple wines, some may lack color

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1980 Northern Rhone Vintage

Early maturing vintage - past prime

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1981 Northern Rhone Vintage

Early maturing vintage - past prime

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1982 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Most wines are uninspiring but the top producers made excellent wines that don’t have much longer to live

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1983 Northern Rhone Vintage

Excellent Vintage - Muscalur wines for the long-haul
•Cote Rotie bested Hermitage
•La Mouline was the wine of the vintage

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1984 Northern Rhone Vintage

Poor Vintage - A bad year for every major appellation in Europe

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1985 Northern Rhone Vintage

Excellent Vintage - Opulent and soft

•Cote Rotie bested Hermitage

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1986 Northern Rhone Vintage

Poor Vintage - Most wines are firm and austere, but Guigal’s wines are charming
•A perfect harvest was spoiled by a rainy August and September

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1987 Northern Rhone Vintage

Average Vintage - Lighter styled wines best suited for early drinking

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1988 Northern Rhone Vintage

Excellent Vintage - Overshadowed by ‘89/90, but the majestic Cote Roties are for long aging

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1989 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - Lush, exciting wines
•Hermitage bested Cote-Rotie

*There was a heatwave that slowed ripening

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1990 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - Concentrated, lush and enticing

•Hermitage best Cote-Rotie

1991 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - Rich, fresh, exotic and charming wines

•Cote-Rotie bested Hermitage

1992 Northern Rhone Vintage

Poor Vintage - The crop was too large for good quality

1993 Northern Rhone Vintage

Poor Vintage - Rain, hail and mildew are a recipe for disaster

1994 Northern Rhone Vintage

Poor Vintage - Rain before ripening screws the vintage every time

1995 Northern Rhone Vintage

Excellent Vintage - Classic wines with firm tannins

1996 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Classically styled wines, but lack the depth to “wow”

1997 Northern Rhone Vintage

Very Good Vintage - Forward, ripe wines with vibrant energy and soft tannins

1998 Northern Rhone Vintage

Excellent Vintage - Classic wines; strong, ripe fruit, rich texture and structure for the long-haul •Very dry summer stressed the vines

1999 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - Voluptuous wines with rich fruit and finely structured •Cote-Rotie best Hermitage •Hail in Cote Rotie

2000 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Charming, plush wines that are drinking well now •Cornas, Cote-Rotie and Hermitage were the best appellations •Hot August and heavy rain on the 21st ruined what could have been a fine vintage

2001 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - More elegant and fresh than the '99s

2002 Northern Rhone Vintage

Poor Vintage - The kind of rain you read about in the Bible when they get to the part about Noah and his Ark

2003 Northern Rhone Vintage

Very Good Vintage - Rich, hedonistic wines, acid is a concern •Hermitage bested Cote Rotie

2004 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Firm, bright, classically styled wines, may show green notes with age •Many wines have matured quickly showing signs of green

2005 Northern Rhone Vintage

Excellent Vintage - Muscular, classic wines for the long-haul •Compared to 1990

2006 Northern Rhone Vintage

Very Good Vintage - Structured, fresh wines

2007 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Light, forward, soft wines | •A vintage with mixed results

2008 Northern Rhone Vintage

Poor Vintage - Light, early drinking wines •Excessive rain and temperature fluctuations made 2008 an extremely challenging vintage •Certainly the success of '07 and '09 caused this vintage to be critiqued harder than normal

2009 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - Opulent, decadent wines

2010 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - Rich, supple and fresh | •John Livingstone-Learmoth said this was the best vintage in 40 years, alongside 1978 and 1990

2011 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Light, fresh wines | •These wines do not have the green character found in the '08s

2012 Northern Rhone Vintage

Very Good Vintage - Lively, open, harmonious wines with silky, fine tannins •A tricky vintage, lower than normal potential alcohol

2013 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Light, bright, red fruited wines | •Rain caused earlier than desired harvest

2014 Northern Rhone Vintage

Good Vintage - Supple wines, some may lack color •Rain in the middle of harvest was suspected to have ruined the vintage, but reports show the wines may be better than expected

2015 Northern Rhone Vintage

Legendary Vintage - Very early to say, but it looks like this might be a big, powerful vintage for the long-haul