This is interesting. If I had to pick out the three best vintages from the Willamette Valley over the past four decades, it would be 1993, 2005, and 2010. I have to admit that I didn’t buy much 1989 from Oregon, as really good Burgundy was so cheap at the time.
I also find it amusing that you rate 1996 as a good White Burgundy vintage. At the time I agreed, and bought 4+ cases (which was a lot for me at the time) of premier crus, and ended up dumping over 3 of those cases due to premox. Kind of soured me on the vintage…
For the Willamette Valley best vintages of the last 4 decades, I would have to add 2017 to 2010, 2005, 1999, 1994, and 1989 (plus possibly 1985 and 1991 but I havenmt consumed many of these).
I’d leave off 1993 because the great wines were astoundingly good (Cristom, Cameron, Bethel Heights, Drouhin) there were a lot of wines picked before the late sunny window that were not in the same league. And, tbh, of the wines I bought from the Herbfarm, the 1993s are lovely but the 1994s have been the rockstars.
Your point to 1996 is on target, I drank my 1996 white Burgs very early and thought they were fabulous but I know the pre-mox issues were in play and I should scrap that from my list.
In the early phase 1996 had such great clarity and precision, along with great acidity (at least organoleptically, I wasn’t checking TA and pH on things back then).
Don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great post, and I’m getting a lot of good information. But it reminded me of this question posed to Marlon Brando by Connie Chung:
So, I am of the opinion that the heights of Bordeaux 90 equal 82, but that 82 was a (much?) more broadly successful vintage where everyone who knew what they were doing make one of their best ever (post-61) wines.
There are some obvious candidates for 90>82, but I’ve generally interpreted those as instances where the chateau got their act together between 82 and 90, like Pichon Baron.
But I’ve never really had these two vintages head to head, so your idea is all that more appealing. I have a decent stash of both vintages.
The trick will be to pick chateau that excelled in both vintages, like the First Growths, l’Evangile, etc.
I don’t know about Clare Valley or Piemonte, but my experience of 1999 red burgundy has been much more mixed, it seems to me quite a lot better at village level than 1er, which in turn is better than GC which tends to be disappointing. It could of course be that the vintage simply needs to get to its 30th birthday but it’s a long time to wait. If one wants to actually drink these wines weaker vintages have generally been stronger, but the simple truth is that nowadays vintage is the least important variable in Burgundy.
I think 2001 is an extremely overrated Sauternes vintage and that the wines are generally much better nowadays but I haven’t drunk enough to have any authoritative impression.
[Not on these two vintages, but one time I had just 2 vintages side by side a 1970 Lynch Bages was better than its 1982 counterpart. This really surprised me at the time.]
For wines where I have had both but at different times, I can remember liking the Lafite, Haut Brion, and Leoville Barton better from 1982, although all of these wines are close. I am trying to think of other wines where I have had both, but cannot think of any off the top of my head.
For me, 1990s are very rich and have great fruit, but they can be a bit soft (certainly the case with the 1990 LLC and Leoville Barton IMHO). Love 1982s, but you had to be more selective in 1982 as a lot of wineries were not making good wine at that time. More wineries had improved by 1990. Probably have not had enough “lesser” wines from 1990, but so many nonclassified wines from 1982 were so, so good - wines like Meyney, Gloria, Chasse Spleen, etc.
For what wines have you had head to head comparisons?
2019 and 2014 are both better than 2020 in Chablis.
Off the top of my head, in the last few years, Cheval Blanc, VCC, Magdelaine, Haut Brion, Latour, Pichon Baron and Lynch Bages. The Cheval Blanc, VCC and Magdelaine were at larger verticals.
1993 red Burg are amazing wines going strong. Purity of fruit and the balance are wonderful across many producers and from village wines to Grand Crus. Sticking strictly with the OP about picking a single vintage, it was an easy choice for me. Now if I knew 1978s, who is to say I would have made the same choice?
IIRC, I have had that Jayer Echezeaux only once, when it was a baby in 1999 or 2000, but it was so great then. I don’t get to drink Jayer often, but I’ve also had the HJ NSG villages from 1993 and it’s insanely good and of Grand Cru quality. At some point I will poke my friend who has some 1993 Jayer left to open a PC or GC.
Coincidentally a friend opened 1993 Drouhin Bonnes Mares (of which he seems to have an infinite supply) last night, and it was wonderful. Fully mature and drinking beautifully.
By contrast, although I know others have chosen 1999, my view is the verdict is still out on the vintage as it opens up in terms of a best-ever contest. Its “shut down” phase, generally speaking, has been longer than 1993, and we are still in that grumpy period for some wines. But 1999s are great too.
I’m not sure 93 Red Burg is the best vintage ever, but it’s surely my favorite. My first wow wine was a 93 Rousseau Chambertin, in 2007, on my honeymoon at Troisgros. 200 euros and completely sublime. I’ve had it a couple times since and it’s always a legend. It led me to seek out '93s, and I’ve had many superb experiences up and down the range. 93s have always come across as soulful and unmistakably old world, and occasionally rough around the edges, but with such beautiful fruit. And they’ve been great ever since I first started into wine nearly 20 years ago.
