Vintage guide

This vintage guide of major wine regions in recent years belongs in Beyond Flavour, but I have updated it here as I continue to taste recent releases. Order of entries below: Bordeaux (red, white); Burgundy (red, white); Northern Rhône; Southern Rhône; Champagne; Italy; Rioja/Ribera del Duero; Port; Napa Valley

In very general terms, a good vintage (for either red of white wines) will allow the full complexity of the variety/terroir to speak, which, in the case of red wines, often goes hand in hand with achieving full (but not excessive) ripeness.  For white wines, the preservation of acidity is particularly important.  For both red and white varieties, gradual ripening of flavour compounds leads to complexity, which is why steady, consistent weather is preferred during the growing season.

Red Bordeaux

Note: I only expect to see tertiary development in cru classé red Bordeaux starting at 10 years after the vintage.  In 2022, the youngest vintage at cru classé level showing any real tertiary development is 2013.

2021: a cool, wet year that produced wines of a style we have not seen since the 1990s. The ‘21s are lean, focused, linear Cabernet Sauvignon and grainy Merlot wines where structure and acidity dominate over fruit. These are low alcohol, fresh, throwback wines to another era, and in many ways a welcome contrast to the succession of hot vintages. The top red wines are pure, restrained and classically profiled, with sufficient but not excess fruit. Lesser wines can be unripe or lack mid-palate richness. While unlikely ever to go down as a great year, it will be enjoyed by those brought up on the more austere wines of earlier generations.

2020: the third in a trio of excellent years.  2020 shows detailed, pure fruit overlaying tight knit, powerful tannin structures and sufficient acidity.

2019: a lovely vintage showing a precise, elegant fruit; more balanced and fresher than 2018 or 2020.

2018: a vintage of power.  Many of the wines are huge in terms of tannin structure and many also show the same elevated alcohols of 2009-2010.  Some of the top wines will take decades for the tannins to soften.

2017: a frost year, with variable quality.  Both banks lack the intensity and concentration of the preceding two years, but the Right Bank still shows generous fruit – there is not a lot to fault here.  The Left Bank is more difficult, often with less ripeness resulting in rather one dimensional wines and occasionally light mid palates.

2016: outstanding across all appellations and levels.  Balanced, elegant, pure, complex, precise, detailed.  Happily only moderate alcohols – not a blockbuster.  A wonderful vintage, transparent to variety and origin.

2015: in a word: fruity.  Ripe, succulent, juicy and often red fruit dominated wines.  Particularly successful on the Right Bank, where the Merlot was very good without being excessively ripe.  The Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank is good but lacks the complexity of the following vintage, or of years like 2010 or 2005. 

2014: a charming vintage – mid weight and fresh with good transparency to terroir.  Lacks the concentration or flamboyance of the top years, but this is classic Bordeaux and very satisfying.  It will develop relatively quickly.

2013: very poor vintage in which the grapes really struggled both for ripeness and to avoid rot.  Even the best wines are only light to medium bodied, acidic, and show little complexity or charm.  Forgettable in every way.

2012: mid weight wines for mid term consumption.  In general lacking concentration and complexity and without the precision and purity of the best years. But these are pleasant, classically styled wines for drinking in the 2020s.

2011: initially, a tough, unloved vintage, high both in acidity and tannin but lacking the fruit to compensate.  Finally, though, the wines are beginning to integrate and proving themselves classical Bordeaux.  There is little to really excite here, but the wines are very expressive of their origins.

2010: a perfect vintage: abundant but perfectly ripe, fruit wrapped tannins; beautifully balanced acidity and spectacular, pure, precise fruit expression.  The wines remain very young today, especially on the nose.  This is a vintage which will last forever.

2009: at the time celebrated as the best since 1982…until 2010.  Atypical vintage: not for purists.  Fruit very ripe and opulent.  Not over-ripe and stewed like 2003, but about as ripe as you want Bordeaux to get.  Tannins very concealed and acidity rather low.  All add up to wines that were irresistible on release, have never shut down, are delicious today and will continue to seduce drinkers.  The one question mark is over high alcohol levels and attendant oxidation risks, particularly on the Right Bank.

2008: a vintage saved by a good autumn.  Very good on the Right Bank, where the wines are dense, concentrated and fresh.  On the Left Bank, wines are more skeletal: all bones and no flesh.  Marked tannin structure and acidity but without generous fruit. 

2007: a weak vintage, with light wines which have developed quickly and are for consumption now.  Few green notes but insufficiently ripe to develop much concentration or complexity.  A good example of what you often find in lighter vintages: ‘the nose is bigger than the palate.’  Better on the Right Bank.

2006: both banks gave wines that while balanced and correct are altogether unexciting since lacking much fruit – they are very dry.  Correct, dry, very Bordeaux but rather unmemorable. 

2005: an epic vintage for the ages.  Some would say better than 2010, but the glacial pace at which the Left Bank 2005s are evolving is a mark against them.  Will these wines ever be ready?  On the Left Bank, massive walls of tannin persist although there is ample fruit to coat them.  With the exception of lesser wines and Margaux, which always develops fast, these wines still appear infantile today.  On the Right Bank, these are some of the most simply delicious wines you could hope to taste: hedonistic but balanced, without the obtrusive tannic mass of the Medoc.  Perfect.

2004: an overrated vintage which was incorrectly compared to 2001.  The wines lack concentration and ripeness, and the acidity is high and often out of balance with the limited fruit concentration.  The wines can be very dry.  Drink now and over the next five years. 

2003: atypical heatwave year.  Apart from the first growths and St. Estèphe (always good in hot years), the time to drink these wines is now.  The baked, stewed character is almost always identifiable on the nose; if it is not, look out for low acidity, an unusual exotic character and jammy fruit.  Not a great vintage.

2002: a weak vintage lacking concentration apart from at the top levels; rarely seen today, where the wines remain enjoyable but have limited fruit.

2001: an underrated vintage with perfectly balanced, juicy wines on the Right Bank and classic, savoury, terroir-expressive wines on the Left Bank.  Both banks are drinking well today. 

2000: an immediately attractive vintage, with pure fruit expression on the nose (smoky red fruits in the Medoc is a hallmark).  There are some outstanding wines out there, but they lack the absolute concentration and complexity of 2005 and 2010.  Most are drinking well now and for the next 10 years.  2001 may be better on the Right Bank, but 2000 is the superior of the two on the Left Bank.

Older Notable Vintages

1998: super on the Right Bank, with textbook examples of St. Emilion and Pomerol produced.  Less exciting on the Left Bank.

1996: outstanding year for classic Left Bank Bordeaux, almost all of which are drinking beautifully today.  Unmemorable on the Right Bank.

1995: spectacular and flamboyant on the Right Bank.  On the Left Bank, the vintage of eternal youth – still displaying ample youthful fruit and firm tannins with limited development.

1990: warm year somewhat like 2009, producing fruit driven wines.  Very satisfying, but almost all wines are now quite mature.

1989: superb vintage everywhere with more precision and class than 1990.

1982: the benchmark for all subsequent years – sumptuously fruited and with great complexity.  Most classed growth wines still drinking well, but drink up.

White Bordeaux

Good years for white Bordeaux are those which maintain concentration and acidity.  Most dry white Bordeaux will show tertiary notes at 10 years of age or before, even at cru classé level.  The best examples, however, can plateau in a tertiary state for many years.   

Good vintages in Sauternes are those which allow the development of botrytis to create wines of concentration and complexity, while retaining acidity.  Note that such vintages from cru classé properties usually take 15 years to begin to develop tertiary notes.

Good recent dry white vintages: 2021, 2017, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010

Good recent sweet white vintages: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001 (tip: odd numbered vintages are generally more successful since the turn of the century!).

Red Burgundy

2020: promises to be an excellent vintage. Although another warm year, there is more purity and definition here than in the two previous years. Terroir expression is beautifully expressed, and excellent acidity and low pH keeps everything particularly focused and detailed.

2019: a very good vintage showing abundant ripe fruit, concentration and acidity. A very sweet tasting fruit in some examples and high alcohols (14.5% is not uncommon) are the downsides.

2018: a generous, ripe, supple vintage with considerable fruit concentration which at times obscures terroir expression.  But there are many good wines in this vintage which use the ripeness to profess their origins loudly and clearly.  These are not the most subtle or classic Burgundian wines, but they are enjoyable in a hedonistic kind of way.

2017: vibrant, lively mid-weight reds, full of energy and precision, but lacking the concentration and ripeness of the best years.  They display terroir clearly. I really enjoy this vintage for current drinking at village level.

2016: very small vintage characterised by intense, red-fruited wines with distinctively sweet aromas and finishes.  Very good quality but wines have a lot of puppy fat at present which they need to shed to become classically Burgundian.

2015: ripe, succulent wines with fantastic definition and purity of terroir expression.  They have a particularly glossy sheen to the fruit and are not dense or heavy.  Most of the time in Burgundy you have either 1) generosity of fruit; OR 2) terroir expression.  In 2015, remarkably, you have both – which is why this vintage is so celebrated.  Like a very ripe peach: ripe but delicate (Mounir Saouma’s spot-on analogy).

2014: mid weight, easy drinking vintage but lacking complexity at this stage. Fruity, but can be a bit simple and taste more of Pinot Noir than of Burgundy. Quite light, so everything but grands crus should be enjoyed with pleasure now. 

2013: light, high acid, lean, very aromatic wines from a difficult vintage. Moderate alcohols ensure transmission of terroir.  At lower levels can be tart and underripe.  2013 reds are notable for their aromatics which can be quite funky.  Not a vintage for neophytes – too much acidity and all round oddity, but the best wines have a wonderful perfume and lacy detail on the palate.

2012: a ripe vintage yielding concentrated, fruity wines. A year of broad appeal and, in 2022, many are already tasting wonderful: vibrant, aromatic and simply very delicious wines. Probably lacking the precision of 2010 but not far behind it in qualitative terms, and with good terroir expression.

2011: high acidity and firm tannins are the hallmarks of a difficult growing season and, like 2008, the wines were hard work in their youth.  But now the wines are softening and loosening up aromatically to give extremely classic Burgundy.  Wines of all levels are attractive today, with plenty of fruit, good overall balance and honesty to terroir, if lacking the flair of a really good vintage.

2010: simply one of the great vintages.  The delicacy and precision of flavours that Pinot Noir is capable of, but which are so rarely achieved even in Burgundy, are here in abundance.  It lacks the density of 2005, meaning the wines are more accessible today.  But it certainly has the backbone for long ageing.  Above all, these are wines remarkably transparent to their origins: a terroir lover’s dream.

2009: a warm, ripe vintage without the excesses of 2003.  These are seductive, opulent wines which at best are soft, open and aromatically gorgeous.  But sometimes these can be fruit rather than terroir driven wines.

2008: an ugly duckling vintage, in which the wines were both extremely acidic and tannic in their youth.  But wines from the best producers are now softening to give classically styled red Burgundy.  There remains some austerity however, and it will never be a vintage for the masses.  

2007: a year giving light wines that probably should be drunk now, apart from at grand cru level.  Light in colour, structure and fruit concentration, they can nonetheless be aromatically charming and very Pinot.  They are just a little light on the mid-palate.

2006: afflicted by rot, 2006 was a difficult year with dry tannins, but some are coming round now in a pleasant way.   It will never be an exuberant or joyful year, but the best wines are correct with a slight late harvest character.

2005: an epic vintage: wines of great concentration, structure and also transparency to terroir.  An ideal candidate for long ageing, like the 1999s.  Forget about the grands crus for now, but some of the premiers crus are beginning to open up, although the tannins are still marked.

2004: a cool vintage marked by the (in)famous green character allegedly caused by a plague of ladybirds/ladybugs.  In reality, the wines have mostly shed this character.  They lack concentration but are perfumed and pleasant, if not for holding any longer.

2003: extremely atypical because of the heat.  Wines lack precision and grace.  Unlikely to appeal to most lovers of classic red Burgundy.

2002: a classic vintage for the region.  Wines are happily open for drinking today with a nice balance of fresh fruit and more developed, sous bois notes.  Wines are mid weight at most, allowing perhaps for this relatively quick development.  Beautifully aromatic and silky – this is paradigmatic red Burgundy.  Lighter (and more ready) than either 1999 or 2005, the nearest equivalents in terms of quality.

1999: a powerful vintage that took a long time to come around, but which is now beginning to drink very well.  An outstanding vintage with concentration, complexity, structure and ample terroir expression.

White Burgundy (including Chablis)

 [N.B. in spite of the much-discussed issue of premature oxidation (‘pre-mox’) in white Burgundy, vintages are discussed as if in perfect condition.]

2020: an excellent vintage, showing every virtue of white Burgundy: tension, minerality, acidity, purity and terroir expression albeit in a ripe, sunny vintage style (no shortage of fruit). Glorious across the board, and certainly the best since 2017 and perhaps the best since 2014.

2019: a paradoxical vintage, featuring both weighty, concentrated fruit along with excellent acidity and minerality; purists may prefer slightly lighter wines, but in a warm vintage the wines should be considered a success.

2018: a warm vintage giving open, loose knit, fruity whites.  The best producers manage to preserve acidity and minerality.  The wines are aromatically expressive and enjoyable, and are for drinking while waiting for the tighter, more taut 2017s.

2017: a lovely vintage with good terroir expression, ripe but not overripe fruit and firm acidity.  It only lacks a little concentration that prevents it being at the same level as, say, 2014.

2016: shows considerable concentrated fruit and often lacks the precision or purity of the best years.  It can be a little heavy and clumsy.  2016 Chablis is warm and atypical, even displaying tropical notes.

2015: a warm vintage.  Rather low acidity.  May be too ripe for purists but the better wines do transmit their origins albeit in a slightly exaggerated way.

2014: beautifully balanced, taut, linear whites with excellent acidity, full of tension and minerality.  These are great wines of pure terroir expression.

2013: a difficult year, and most of the whites have already been drunk, which is sensible.  They show piercing acidity while also manifesting soft, musky fruit and rarely are the two connected.  

2012: rich, ripe, full bodied wines – sometimes powerful to the point of heaviness.  Plenty of phenolic grip with intense concentration. 

2011: cool year.  Less ripe than the previous two vintages.  Chaptalization and high acidity both present. Many lack depth, intensity and concentration; they can be tart.  The best examples from the Côte d’Or are light but aromatically complex.  The vintage is better in Chablis with plenty of classic examples.

2010: hailed as a classic vintage for its concentration, acidity and minerality.  However, the whites have not aged at all well and most should be drunk up now. If not afflicted by premature oxidation, they are soft and easy without the complexity everyone expected.

Notable Recent Vintages from Other Regions

Northern Rhône

The following descriptions apply to red wines only.

2019: an excellent vintage showing better balance and freshness than 2018.

2018: a hot, tannic, concentrated vintage with some wines showing high alcohols.

2017: the third in a trio of great vintages, combining aromatic intensity, structure and purity of fruit.ample, dense fruit. 

2016: preferred by most winemakers to 2015.  Like 2016 in Bordeaux, the emphasis here is on purity of varietal expression, firm but not excessive structure and an outstanding overall harmony of the wines’ elements.  These are resoundingly terroir expressive wines.

2015: excellent year of massive, ripe, intense wines, but so much fruit that terroir can sometimes be obscured.

2014: wet vintage.  Reds lack concentration, although this has the advantage that many are developing quickly.

2013: good but not excellent vintage, mainly due to only limited fruit concentrations.

2012: a very good, loose-knit vintage, with low alcohols and plenty of  juicy, dark fruit and relatively soft tannins.

2011: a touch one dimensional, possibly caused by a weak end to the season.  

2010: an outstanding vintage with everything needed for long ageing: structure, concentration and acidity.

2009: a rich, opulent vintage with lowish acid; within its fruity style, excellent.

Southern Rhône

The best recent vintages are: 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009.  

Champagne

Bearing in mind that grower producers often make vintage wines whatever the year, the following is a list of the top vintages made by virtually all producers, including grandes marques, with a brief description for each:     

2012: richly fruited, structured but open

2009: rich and ripe; easy drinking

2008: intense and powerful; brooding and ageworthy

2006: aromatic; a touch soft and early developing 

2004: a year of great, taut, linear Chardonnay

2002: an excellent all around year, producing classic wines, albeit developing a bit quicker than everyone thought, perhaps due to a slight lack of concentration

Italy

The following generalised descriptions apply to Tuscany and Piedmont.

2019: an outstanding year of concentration, purity and aromatic dimension

2018: a cooler year giving fresh, mid-weight, herbal wines

2017: a hot year giving powerful wines.

2016: a glorious year, with wines of varietal purity, good acidities and terroir expression.

2015: a warm and successful vintage, but perhaps lacking the absolute clarity and focus of 2016 due to slightly lower acidities.

2014: a wet, cool vintage.  Wines generally show limited mid palate concentration and/or a short finish.  Barbaresco is the one successful exception.

2013: the aromatic vintage.  The wines show a delightful perfume.  They are not the heaviest but they are supple and charming.  There are some great wines from Piedmont and Montalcino.

2012: a hot year, but paradoxically, the wines are rather light and fresh.  They can be a bit simple in Piedmont.  

2011: another hot year with some wines showing very high alcohols and ripeness levels, but the best preserve their freshness and typicity.  

2010: a classic, outstanding vintage with excellent tannin structure, acidities and fruit concentration.

2009: another hot vintage producing big, burly wines which while very fruity, lack precision and can sometimes be jammy.

Rioja/Ribera del Duero

The best recent vintages are:

-       2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2005, 2004, 2001

Port

The following vintage years have been near universally declared:

-       2017, 2016, 2011, 2007, 2003, 2000, 1997, 1994, 1985, 1983, 1977

Napa Valley

Good recent vintages are:

-       2018, 2016, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2007