Vintage Overview Flashcards
Spain: Story of the 2010’s
2010: Exceptional; Ribera slightly better than Rioja
2011: Powerful, concentrated, heat-stressed
2012: Drought continues; small crop, big tannins, overall high quality.
2013: Cool and wet in Rioja, could be variable; Ribera looks very good.
2014: Affected by grey rot; TBD.
2015: Hot, dry; big alcohol, big concentration.
Rhône: Story of the 80’s
1981: Troubled and thin in the North; excellent in the south
1982: Hot vintage; excellent in the North, overblown in the south
1983: Excellent in the North, erratic in the South
1984: Terrible
1985: Successful, opulent, and soft
1986: Firm and tannic, joyless
1987: Very poor overall; some exceptions in Côte Rôtie
1988: Excellent, “Classic”. Overshadowed by 1989 and 1990
1989: Outstanding and highly conccentrated
Tuscany: Story of the 2010’s
2010: Tremendous in Brunello
2011: Hot, high alcohol, rich; not necessarily fresh
2012: Medium-bodied, fresh
2013: “Classic” (cooler than the last three); fresh, elegant.
2014: Major hail. Light, early-maturing.
2015: Hot and dry; lower yield, generally promising.
Bordeaux: Story of the 90’s
1990: Exceptional; big and ripe like 1989; more highly regarded
1991: Disaster
1992: Disaster
1993: Slightly better
1994: Mediocre
1995: Big crop, hard, tannic; like 1975
1996: Exceptional, pure, deep, concentrated; exceptional sweet wines
1997: Exceptional sweet wines; difficult year for dry wines
1998: Excellent Right Bank; left bank washed out
1999: Rainy; saved by modern viticulture and winemaking technology
Spain: Story of the 2000’s
2000: Big crop, variable quality. Better in Ribera.
2001: Small crop, excellent quality.
2002: Washout
2003: Drought, unbalanced
2004: Excellent, especially in Rioja
2005: Also excellent; hot but balanced
2006: Good, but not as good as 2004/2005
2007: Destroyed by hail. Very difficult.
2008: Excellent in Rioja; cool weather results in balanced, elegant wines in Ribera
2009: Very hot; ultimately very high quality
Burgundy: Story of the 90’s
1990: High quality, high yield.
1991: Inconsistent.
1992: High yield, lower acidity, rich and supple.
1993: Excellent reds; whites troubled by hail.
1994: Dilute.
1995: Small but excellent; high acid, originally austere.
1996: Pure, high acid wines.
1997: Hot and stormy; charming but early-maturing.
1998: Fat and stolid.
1999: Powerful, charming, ripe
Bordeaux: Story of the 2010’s
2010: Exceptional; more structured than 2009
2011: Fresh, aromatic, less concentrated; exceptional for sweet wine
2012: difficult; small crop
2013: even more difficult; smaller crop
2014: warm and sunny, higher yields
2015: pretty darn perfect; high expectations
Bordeaux: Story of the 60’s:
1959: Exceptional; lush, easy-drinking. Hard to find.
1960: Washout
1961: Exceptional; rich tannic, ageworthy.
1962: Exceptional sweet wine
1963: Washout
1964: Disaster on left bank and graves; excellent Right Bank vintage
1965: Washout
1966: Good, but hard and tannic
1967: Light, dilute; good in Sauternes
1968: Disaster
1969: Disaster
Piedmont: Story of the 2000’s
2000: Very good, small crop
2001: High quality; lowered acidity
2002: Difficult
2003: Overripe; may be overblown
2004: Exceptional. “Like 1964”
2005: Solid. Affected by drought.
2006: Classic, finesse and power
2007: Hot summer; ripe wines, low yield
2008: Austere and structured compared to 2007.
2009: Very hot; lower acidity, rough tannin.
Burgundy: Story of the 2000’s
2000: Excellent whites, dilute reds
2001: Inconsistent, wet
2002: Excellent whites, charming reds
2003: Heat wave; producer by producer
2004: Lean, angular
2005: Rich and highly heralded
2006: Pure, expressive reds; fleshy whites
2007: High acid whites; reds are variable
2008: Focused and pure, high sugar, high acidity
2009: Big, healthy, high quality
Burgundy: Story of the 2010’s
2010: High quality, small yield. More structure than 2009
2011: Uneven, austere. Good whites
2012: Good quality, soft; small crop
2013: Small but balanced
2014: Excellent whites, lighter styled reds.
2015: Rich, ripe, lower acidity than 2014. Hail in Chablis
Champagne: Story of the 90’s
1990: Ripe, concentrated. Best of 1988-1990
1995: Big crop, rich - maybe too rich?
1996: Big ripeness, big acidity. Wide range of maturity
1997: Ripe, opulent, overshadowed by 1996
1998: Good, solid, lower acidity than 1995/1996
1999: Ripe, round, simple
Tuscany: Story of the 2000’s
2000: Hot, early maturing. Soft, round, fruity.
2001: Good quality, full bodied, lower acidity.
2002: Underripe or rotten.
2003: Dense, full-bodied, high alcohol, lower acidity.
2004: Exceptional. “Italy’s 2005”
2005: Cold and rot.
2006: Excellent, balanced.
2007: Hot vintage; big, powerful
2008: Excellent, but structured and austere
2009: Super hot; jammy, high alcohol. Well-regarded, but may not last.
Rhône: Story of the 1990’s
1990: Sumptuous, powerful; fleshier than 1999
1991: Very good in the North; washout in the South
1992: Washout
1993: Washout
1994: Better than the preceeding vintages, but inconsistent.
1995: Outstanding, firm structure
1996: Lean, high acid.
1997: Hot and rainy; inconsistent.
1998: Hot vintage, very successful
1999: Exceptional, and larger quantities. Some trouble with rot in the South.
Tuscany: Story of the 70’s
1970: Exceptional across the board
1971: Exceptional; smaller crop in Chianti
1972: Washout
1973: Light, early-maturing
1974: Generally poor
1975: Hot and dry; big alcohol, color, sturcture. Supreme for Brunello.
1976: Washout
1977: Very good; balanced and elegant.
1978: Excellent; leaner and more austere than 1979.
1979: Big crop, ripe, powerful wines