N Rhône- 91
Piedmont- 08
Germany -1971 was such an incredible year nothing yet has come close
Tuscany - 1990, with 95 being a close 2nd
Oregon PN - 08
Cali Cab - 94
Burgs- 96
S Rhone- toughest call - perhaps 98 but several vintages are still sleeping
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I’d love to hear what some of the old timers think was the best Washington state vintage. Given the incredibly young state of the industry in the state 40 years ago and the rapid growth in quantity, variety, and quality over that time I suspect the state of maturity in winemaking washes out meaningful comparison of vintages when you start going back more than 20 years or so. 2010 is my clear favorite but I’ve tasted relatively few wines prior to 2007.
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WTF
Bdx 82
Sauternes 01 (although 09 isn’t far behind)
Red burgundy 99 for now, 19 may be better in time, but jury is still out on long term aging. 10 is also very good.
White burgundy 14 overall, 17 and 20 are potentially better for certain regions.
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I am going to give a very diplomatic answer to this question. I love 2019s and I love 2021s. They are so different that to me the best solution is to buy and drink both. I sometimes feel that you could almost build a perfect German wine collection with just wines from these two vintages (but, of course, I would want sweet wines from 2010 also) getting the richness and fruit from 2019 and the structure and minerality from 2021.
I also have to comment that most of my German wines are from the MSR, so someone who drinks wines from other regions or from grapes other than Riesling may have very different views on vintages than I do.
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I have to admit that this probably is correct, but since I had most of my 1971s in the 1970s and 1980s, when my palate was far from fully formed, it is hard for me to compare it vintages like 1990 and 2019.
I don’t drink that much Rhone wine, but remember when I first started drinking wine that 1978 was supposed to have been a great vintage in the Rhone (at least the Northern Rhone). Nobody has mentioned this vintage. Is this because it turned out not to be as good, was surpassed by other subsequent vintages or am I just old.
For Sauternes, in the years subsequent to my OP, I have started drinking 2016s, esp. Climens. Not sure it is up to 2001, but it seems to be an outstanding vintage.
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Incorrect. I mentioned it above. Also, it’s not within the last 40 years so as I acknowledged when I mentioned it, it’s cheating a bit.
Yep, i was going to say the same. I personally love how most 96’s have aged but i also really like 94. Its a REALLY tough call, but I’d probably lean slightly to 1996.
Fun to think about though! 
I got married in 1997 and have been buying 1997 Vintage Port for a while now. Every bottle I have opened has been terrific. Better than 1994? Probably not, but I don’t care.
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My two cents:
Burgundy red CdN - 1991
Burgundy red CdB - 1999
Burgundy white - 2014
Bordeaux left bank - 1985 (sic.)
Bordeaux right bank - 1989 (or 2016)
N Rhone - 1991
S Rhone - 2001
Sauternes/Barsac - 2001
Champagne - 2008
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I remember when Wine Spectator declared 2000 a 100 point vintage in Piemonte. They actually stayed on that for about 5 years. For me 2001 would be my choice for Piemonte, Tuscany and the Southern Rhone.
Oh how soon we forget!
I think everyone on WB since the early days knows that for the S. Rhone, 2007 was the best vintage in any viticultural area in history.
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If I had to rate Northern Rhone as a whole, I’d pick 1998, which I prefer to 1999 which can be a little glossy. For the west bank of the Rhone (Cote Rotie and Cornas), I’d pick 1991, but with a few exceptions it wasn’t quite as strong in Hermitage.
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For the Southern Rhone, I’d say the 1990s are clearly the best. 2001 and 2016 are maybe tied for second. There were some great 1998s, but a fair number of overripe wines and wines that died in their cribs. As to 1978, the only one I have tasted is Beaucastel and it has always been a rather austere wine. I can’t venture a more generalized estimate, though I too have heard good things.
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