Napa Vintage Flashcards
2018
(Excellent): February saw abundant rains, followed by lots of filtered light in spring and early summer. Bud break and flowering was a bit late, but with ideal weather conditions there was an even fruit set. Generous sun during the day and cooler marine influences. This mild summer followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat allowed gradual increase in sugar and ripeness.
2017
(Fair): Extreme heat surprised even the most seasoned winemakers. Over ripeness resulted in high sugar levels. High alcohol and full body.
2016
Good): While Europe suffered from frost and hail, northern California experienced very heavy rainfall in autumn 2016. While that partially relieved the extended drought status of the region, it also caused some flood damage. Cooler than normal temperatures in August allowed for a steady, gradual ripening, which has produced wines of very good complexity, and higher-than-average natural acidity.
2015
(Fair): Harvest started very early. Yields were universally down.
2014
(Good): Drought was severe for the second year in a row. Only minimally relieved by rains in late February. Summer was steadily warm which lead to one of the earliest harvests on record. Yields were very high.. Today the wines, though young, show great promise. Ripe tannins and great breath in the mouth.
2013
(Excellent): Earthquake Vintage. First year of a two-year major drought. Total precipitation only measured 6 inches. Vintage was genial, aside from the obvious water stress, with steadily warm weather only surpassing 100F once. Harvest was rather early. Significant amounts of wine were lost during a serious earthquake which toppled barrels in late August.
2012
(Good): 2012 was an even-keeled vintage of ideal proportions—wet winter, temperate spring, a long warm summer followed by extended autumn warmth. Many vintners experienced stuck fermentations. The wines today. While the quality of many 2012s are very high, many wines seem to exhibit easy-drinking somewhat simple natures. Hopefully these wines will develop with time, but currently the wines show a sweetly-fruited and soft broad appeal.
2011
(Poor): Good for Chardonnay. Very cold and wet year. High amounts of botrytis and rot. Extensive sorting made yields low. The wines today. Very divisive vintage. Best of 2011’s are light, refreshing and high acidity with a touch of Cabernets greenness. Many vintners refused to adjust to the limitations of the vintage are manipulated the wines to appear more full-bodied and extracted. Chaptalization was very common this year, as were tannin additions, and even some producers added grape concentrate to their must. Tend to have cheap tastes and chewy woody note. Mountain ranges in the Vacas fared better than the floor. Pinot and Chardonnay incidentally had one of their finest vintages.
2010
(Good): Cool wet year capped by dramatic heat. Yields were low.The wines today. Dark, inky, structural Cabernet that spear capable of great age. Wines are intense, with rich fruit balanced by stout tannins, great acidity, and savory earthy tones. A great vintage
2009
(Fair): Third year of a drought. Real drama of the vintage happened mid-October when the drought was broken by a 5-inchj deluge.
2008
(Fair): Wildfires. Did not make it to Napa,
2007
(Legendary): Extremely celebrated vintage. 07 winter was very cold and dry, but Feb was warm enough to trigger budbreak. Summer was long and mild with only one heat burst. September was uncharacteristically chilly, and harvest was rather early.The wines today. Defined by their smooth, rich fruit at release, but are now moving into an interesting phase. Acidity is rather high and fruits are red and fresh.
2006
(fair): Wines today are designed for immediate enjoyment. Still quite tannic but maturing rapidly.
2005
Good): Unusual vintage. Dry warm march led to early budbreak. Then cool and wet weather delated bloom. Huge crop was set, but the weather was not warm enough to ripen to California standard. Some vintners picked as late as mid-November. The wines today. Some will dismiss as a “French Vintage” wines are lean, high acidity, and a hallmark tomato-leaf aroma. Recent tasting indicate the wines are evolving in a positive direction, and its possible that more time is required for the vintage to display its charms.
2004
Poor): One of the earliest seasons on record, which was triggered by heavy rains in December and February followed by uncharacteristically warm and dry March and April. Summer was hot with regular heat waves in June-September. The wines today. Exceptionally ripe, fairly low in acidity, and rather flabby.
2003
(poor): High rainfall in April. Of all the off-vintages this one is exceptionally charmless. Very angular.
2002
fair): Rain in March and April interfered with the fruit set. Then 100F heat spike. Many other 100F days followed and pick date is heavily determinate of acidity levelsThe wines today. Exceptionally ripe with low acidity. Not built to last.
2001
(Legendary): Started out difficult but ended smoothly. Cool enough in the winter that snow fell in February. Hot stretch in March triggered an early budbreak, and the tender shoots were damaged by a hard freeze in April. May was hot, as was June. Fall was cool, harvest finished early.
The wines today. Rare balance of structure and generosity
2000
(Excellent): Winter was average, and sprig was clement with no frost. Summer was long, with only one heat wave.The wines today. Pretty, feminine, smooth, and supple—these are seductive, attracting wines that are at a terrific place in their drinking window.
1999
Legendary): Small crop that matured over a long, cool growing season. 1999 was exceptionally dry. The wines today. Interesting vintage. The wines have evolved considerably over the last several years. Cabernets are dark and brooding, quite structural and savory. Old-world in style and wines still need time to open up.
1998
(Good): Cool and wet year. One of the latest harvests on record.
1997
(Fair): Wet winter and dry spring. Summer was warm. September and October were cold. Long hang times.The wines today. Many vintners didn’t have the tank space for all the yields so some grapes hung longer than wished for. This caused more ripeness than you would expect for a cool year. Wines tend to be lower acid and a bit flabby. Wines are not aging well.
1996
(Good): Masculine and well-structured, with a dark core of fruit. Earth tones emerging in these wines skew towards leather and library book. Lovely, exciting wines that will likely age for several more decades.
1995
(Excellent): Dramatic vintage. Very rainy winter. Yields were very low but autumn was temperate which allowed late-blooming bunches to mature. The wines today. Cheerful, high-toned fruit with chalky tannins and fine acidity. Delicious now, but capable of aging.
1994
(Good): Heat event in August and unchecked hangtimes, many 1994s are overripe. Some wines retained enough acidity to arrive gracefully at middle age, but manty others are thick and lazy.
1993
(Fair): Very inconsistent year.
1992
(Excellent): Copious winter rains ended a 6-year drought. Budbreak came early. Some rain in June caused worry but he succeeding hot dry weather eradicated any trace of moisture. August and early September were exceedingly hot. Things cooled quickly and harvest came early. The wines today. Ripe, powerful, fruit-laden Cabernets that teeter on the riper side of balanced. Still quite youthful, the best are generously fruited, savory, and vibrant.
1991
(Legendary): After an especially cold winter, the skies opened up in March, and almost 18 months of rain fell on the valley. The weather stabilized fin time for bloom. Summer was warm but mild, with one big heat spike in July. Temperature turned up in autumn which pushed ripeness, however, harvest was fairly late. The wines today. A wonderful vintage that produced expressive, seductive wines.
1990
(Excellent): Wines of 1990 are still drinking well, though their charms are a bit more subtle than the 1991s. Long aging potential.
1989
(Good): Possibly peaking now, snappy red fruit, a mature, earthy bouquet, and bright, high acidity.
1988
Poor
1987
(Excellent): Wines from this vintage are lovely, charming, and very open-knit right now. In many ways this vintage drink more a slightly more youthful 85. Warm red fruit, soft ripe tannins, and just enough acidity to keep things interesting.
1986
(Good): These wines are fully mature, offering fleeting soft dark fruits with stern tannins. Some of the mountain wines are still fairly youthful.
1985
(Legendary): Budbreak came early, and cool autumn temperautes allowed for a late harvest. Consisently warm.The wines today are widely considered the best vintage since 1974. Unlike the immortal 84s, many are presenting as mature now, with warm autumn aromes.
1984
(Excellent): Hot and dry from start to finish. By all accounts these wins were luscious and lovely on release. They have aged gracefully despite initial concerns. Warm dark fruit, lowish acidity, ripe tannins, they still show all the hallmarks of a ripe vintage.
1983
Poor
1982
(Excellent): Great “Old School” vintage with moderate fruit and abundant structure. In general, thet are quite youthful(some still completely wound up) and appear to have a long life ahead.
1981
(Good): For a maligned vintage, many of the wines are drinking quite well today.
1980
(Good): Very long, cool growing season. Long bloom which might have accounted for oft-noted uneven ripening within clusters. Heat wave started at the end of September and stayed remarkably hot which caused some growers to pick before tannins were truly ripe. Wines today. Variable year. Best are impressive and powerful.
1979
Good
1978
(Legendary): This is the year the drought broke, so plenty of winter water hit the ground, The resulting huge crop was a relief to growers who had suffered a string of slight vintages. Summer was evenly warm. Much of this harvest was cropped at record-breaking Brix.The wines today. One of Napa’s historically lauded vintages. Big and powerful, but not all possessed the structure to age. Today, they are either ecstatic or ghostly.
1977
(Excellent): Often overlooked, the wines of 77 are by and large, solid and delicious today. They may lack the complexity of 75,76,78, but they make up with consistency and charm.
1976
(Excellent): Many are singing. By many are starting to decline, largely due to low acidity of the vintage.
1975
(Legendary): Difficult year that produced excellent wines. Excellent vintage that might be the best showing of the decade. Incredibly exciting and aromatically complex. Quite powerful
1974
(Legendary): Summer was long and steady. Long considered Napas greatest vintage. The best are still surprisingly rich and seductive. Some are starting to fray.
1973
(Excellent): Noteable acidity and aromatic dominance of tobacco belies the green edge of their youth, but time has smoothed that over. Mature and elegant.
1972
Poor
1971
Fair
1970
(Excellent): Another glorious vintage in the string of greats. Powerful, structural beauties that require significant decanting to unwind. Very old world in feel. Lack the sweet abundant fruit that is typical of California.
1969
(Legendary): Long cool growing season. One of the great vintages. Rare intensity, profundity, and immorality. Although at their peak, still have long lives ahead of them.
1968
(Legendary): Steadily warm from start to finish. Only a hair less majestic than 69s.
1967
(Good): Cool growing season with a large crop. Past their prime.
1966
(Excellent): Despite the heat of the year, the wines show remarkable finesse and elegance. Delicious, feminine and delicate with copious high-toned red fruits.
1965
(Excellent): Hot, dry vintage. The wines are magnificent today. Though at first taste they can appear lacy, a little time in the decanter fattens them right up. Most are centered around a core of bright red fruit that is remarkably pure and rich for its age. A firm acidity provides the wine with great lift and length. Nose is full of compelling earthy, autumnal aromas.
1964
(Excellent): Ideal growing season, long, cool spring and summer. Only bump was a frost in early spring. Wines today are glorious, light-bodied, and occasionally ethereal wines. Lack the power of 65.
1963
Fair
1962
Fair
1961
(Fair): Troublesome year. Severe spring frosts. Not much of this wine left.
1960
(Excellent): Long growing season defined by cool weather. Not much left of these wines but the ones that do pop up are high quality, rich mouthfeel and powerful frame
1959
1959(Legendary): Less dramatic version of 58. Cool winter, wram summer. Remarkable wines, concentration and power of dark fruit keeps these wines vibrant and alive.
1958
(Excellent): Started dramatic but ended ideal. Wet winter that caused flooding. Then frost filled spring. Summer was cool and long. Tremendous vintage whose wines are still full of life.
