Vintages that have surprised you to the upside

WINE TALK
1

On this thread, there is a discussion of how the 2009 white Burgundies have been surprisingly good over time. 2011 Vintage Assessment Dinners – Night Three “Mostly Montrachet” – March 27, 2019 at Spago - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers Made me think about other vintages from various areas of the world that also have been surprisingly good.

A few from me:

Germany - 2005 and 2010 (for the latter, esp. at the Auslese and GKA level)
Bordeaux - 1979 and 1996 (esp. for Cabernet based wines). I might say 1985 but (1) I have not had that many (the few I have had in recent years have been outstanding, in particular the LLC) and (2) it really was well rated when released but I did not pay that much attention as I had bought a lot of 1982s).
Red Burgundy - 2000 and 2016.
Loire Cabernet Franc - Have not had enough of them, but would 2014 quality?

2

Oregon Pinot - 2007. Those turned out to be pretty good, if you had the patience to wait on them.

3

Howard, I wouldn’t think 1985 Bordeaux would qualify as a real surprise. Maybe that such a forward vintage would age so well and become so interesting? I’ve had many excellent examples in the last few years that I felt are on a long plateau of deliciousness.

Real surprises for me to the upside among wines known since release:

  • 1997 and 2004 white Burgs
  • 2013 red Burgs (CdN)
  • 2000 red and white Burgs
  • 1998 and 2008 Loire whites
  • 1995 Champagne
  • 1999 Bordeaux (2007 and 2011 might be in this camp too but they are a little young)
  • 1996, 2004, and in some ways 1999 Northern Rhônes
  • 1999 Chianti

Those released before I started collecting:

  • 1993 white Burgs
  • 1987 red Burgs (CdN)
  • 1964 and 1971 Left Bank
  • 1979 and 1981 Bordeaux generally

Probably others.

4

1998 and 2000 Italian reds are drinking quite well now. They were overshadowed by 1997, 2001, and to a somewhat lesser extent 1999, but have proven to be very nice.

Agreed, and I’d add that 2005 and 2010 were well recognized vintages for German Riesling so no surprise there either.

5

Howard,

Completely agree with you regarding 2000 red Burgundy.

Cheers,
Doug

6

93 white Burgs. Acidic and thin on release, lovely balanced wines now.

7

2011 Pomerol for sure. VCC is excellent, as is Trotanoy.

I like 99 as well. Have not been smitten with any 2007.

8

2005 Piedmont has turned out far better than expected

9

Definitely agree on 1993 white burgundy and 2000 red

1976 red burgundy took 40 years but can now be thrilling

2012 white and 2013 red may outperform expectations (depends on your expectations of course)

10

Agree with this one. Great call.

Also have liked a lot the 2000 Champagnes I have had.

11

I have been holding my 2013 reds thinking they need a good bit more time. Is this the correct things to do?

12

2001 left bank Bordeaux - I always thought it was very good, but these days it’s delicious.

13

For red burgundy, definitely agree with 2000. I also think 2007 red burgundies consistently outperform my expectations, even if they are generally not built for the long haul. Interested to hear peoples’ thoughts on 2013 but my assumption was that they will require substantial time in bottle to mature.

14

The occasional lesser 2013 has been relatively forward, but I have not tackled any of the grander ones yet. I think they may start to drink reasonably soon though I suspect that the real successes of the vintage will be for the long haul

15

I agree 100%. Feel the same about 2004.

Todd disagree, but we all know he has a Cali-palate!

[wow.gif]

16

Robert, I have enjoyed 2004s but have thought of the 2001s I have had as a step up. Agree or disagree?

17

I may be a little colored as I have more recently had a killer 04 VCC, Ducru and La Conseillante. I’m not putting one over the other just yet. I went back to the well to buy more of that VCC.

18

2004 Pontet Canet and Leoville Barton are delicious from 375ml now. But I have mentioned that in other threads.

19

Surprised it took 12 posts for someone to mention this! That was what immediately came to my mind when I saw the thread.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if '14 in Bordeaux and Burgundy ends up being much more heralded in 20 years.

20

A bunch of them. A few off the top of my head:

'11 N. Rhone
'13 Red Burgs
'09 White Burgs
'04 Bordeaux
'09 Champagne

For the long run, I think '12, '13, '14 red burgs are going to be really good–they just got unlucky to be stuck between the great vintages of '09/'10/'15/'16. But I think '12, '13, '14 will trounce a lot of less heralded vintages with enough time.