The 2023 vintage was rare for Burgundy – offering both quantity and quality. But it isn’t quite that simple, with an atypical growing season, almost too much fruit, and a less homogenous crop. We report on the vintage and its wines – the best of which are remarkable

The 2023 vintage was rare for Burgundy – offering both quantity and quality. We report on the growing season and the wines it produced

Burgundy 2023 vintage overview

Burgundy 2023: vintage overview

The 2022 vintage was the second in a row to be marked by drought. In his first look at the vintage, Walter Speller (jancisrobinson.com) emphasised how the winter offered little to no snow – and therefore snowmelt. While heavy rains can often run off the slopes, the trickle of snowmelt is more easily absorbed by the soils, meaning that in 2022 the already depleted water reserves (after the dry 2021 growing season) weren’t replenished.  The dry weather continued through the spring, and in late May the mercury started to rise. Flowering took place early (around 10 days ahead of normal). July became warmer and drier, and producers were conscious of managing canopies to avoid potential sun damage. The lack of water resulted in small berries and clusters, meaning a high skin-to-pulp ratio, but the main concern with the water stress was that it may block ripening – and in particular impact phenolic maturity.  Thanks to the steady, warm conditions, harvest got underway early, with all the Nebbiolo in by early October – producers looking to preserve aromatics and freshness in the heat. With no rain, there was little – if any – disease pressure, but sorting was still important to avoid shrivelled or sunburnt berries. Indeed, at Produttori del Barbaresco, Aldo Vacca said they lost around 10% via sorting, while with the small berries and sorting, Dave Fletcher (Fletcher Wines) had between 20 and 30% less than a normal year.  To succeed in the year, producers had to preserve acidity and manage the potentially excessive tannins from the small bunches produced, as well as sorting out any sun-damaged fruit.  At Burlotto, Fabio Alessandria told us that 2022 was “something never seen” – an atypical growing season that doesn’t compare to any that came before it. With warm, dry conditions and low yields, he expected big, rich, tannic wines – but has been surprised by their gentle approachability. It’s not a classic or great vintage in his books, but one that offers great pleasure. Similarly, Nicola Oberto (Trediberri) finds the wines don’t reflect the intensity of the year’s conditions.  Few critics have reviewed the vintage yet, although there’s a clear consensus that it is not an outstanding vintage and sits behind 2021, with more fruit-forward, but also approachable, wines. Vinous’s Antonio Galloni has been pleasantly surprised by the wines so far. He emphasises that managing yield was key, ensuring the crop load was low enough for the vine to ripen the fruit. Despite the risk of phenolic under-ripeness, he has found the wines to be softer than he anticipated, with generally less oak used, producing wines that will offer “near to medium-term drinking”, if not great ageability.   Keep your eyes peeled for additional reports on the vintage; we’ll add to this feature as and when we have more information. In the meantime, read more about Italy  Browse all current listings of 2022 Barbaresco

After the hallowed 2021 vintage in Piedmont, 2022 was a more challenging growing season. The wines it produced, however, have so far surprised both winemakers and critics. As the first 2022 Barbarescos are set to be released, we take a look at the year 

Diving into the 2022 vintage in Piedmont – the growing season and wines from Barolo and Barbaresco according to producers and critics 

Piedmont 2022 – Barolo and Barbaresco vintage 

Piedmont 2022: vintage focus 

Bordeaux’s white wines don’t often make it into the limelight and Ch. Margaux is one of the few top estates – beyond the borders of Graves and Pessac-Léognan – to make a white that is as highly rated, and collected, as its red.  Last year, lovers of its famous Pavillon Blanc were rewarded with the news of an addition to the First Growth’s range: a second white wine, known as Pavillon Blanc Second Vin.  From the 2004 vintage, the team became increasingly selective with the fruit that made it into Pavillon Blanc, and from 2008 only a third or maximum half of the Sauvignon Blanc they harvest was being bottled. The team started occasionally bottling a barrel or two of a possible second wine, with the final result often poured for the harvest team. They rapidly realised, however, that the quality was good enough to deserve much more than internal consumption.  The wine is a true second selection and therefore sees exactly the same winemaking and attention as Pavillon Blanc proper. Pure Sauvignon Blanc, it spends around nine months in barrel, with circa 25% new wood, and half the barrels larger demi-muids, and some bâtonnage at the start of the wine’s maturation. One of the most important stages is the pressing, which is done extremely gently, stopping as soon as the pH rises by 0.10, and meaning they only manage to get around 50cl of juice per kilo of grapes.  While the first release came from the smallest white vintage on record for the property (2022), the new release – set for Thursday 16th January – comes from the 2023 vintage, the highest yield on record since 1988 (although still an extremely modest 37hl/ha at Ch. Margaux).  We covered the conditions of 2023 extensively in our report on the year, but – as with 2023 in Burgundy – there was a heatwave as the harvest arrived. The team at Ch. Margaux stops picking as soon as the mercury hits 32°C – meaning that the pickers would start work as soon as it was light enough, but have to stop as early as 10.30am on some days. With the hot weather, the sugar levels started to creep up rapidly; but the Sauvignon Blanc was all picked between 23rd and 30th August – early enough to retain plenty of freshness.  More approachable than its big sibling Pavillon Blanc, Pavillon Blanc Second Vin is nevertheless a wine with serious ageing capacity – and one that offers a taste of the property’s masterful expression of Sauvignon Blanc at a very appealing price. It’s a stunning wine – a unique expression of Bordeaux Blanc from this top estate – and one that we can’t recommend highly enough. 2023 Pavillon Blanc Second Vin  The nose is beautifully expressive, with fresh pear, chalk, lime juice and grapefruit pith. On the palate, the wine is long and taut – yet with a waxy texture that might lead you to believe there’s some Semillon in the blend. This is pure Sauvignon Blanc, however – pure and vibrant, green-fruited yet not at all green. Forget cat’s pea and any grassy, herbaceous tones: this is a wine about tension and freshness, with hints of jasmine and honeysuckle. It’s vibrant and bright, with a satisfying bitterness to the long, mouth-watering finish. Already stunning now, this will only get better in bottle – with everything in place to allow it to evolve for 10-15 years. Sensational.  With 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.15, the wine was matured in around 25% new oak. Around 10,000 bottles were produced (versus just 8,000 in 2022).   The 2023 vintage of Pavillon Blanc Second Vin was released on Thursday 16th January 2025 and is available now

Last year saw Ch. Margaux launch the first vintage of a new wine in the First Growth’s line-up: Pavillon Blanc Second Vin. Ahead of the second release, here’s everything you need to know about the wine 

Everything you need to know about the second wine to Pavillon Blanc, Bordeaux First Growth Ch. Margaux’s new white wine, made for the first time in 2022 

Ch. Margaux’s Pavillon Blanc Second Vin 

The new release of Pavillon Blanc Second Vin

2019 BOURGOGNE BLANC, DOMAINE DE MONTILLE The specific clones of Chardonnay used in De Montille’s Bourgogne Blanc make it particularly special. Most Bourgogne Blanc is made with higher-yielding clones which have a tendency towards dilution; but De Montille’s Bourgogne Blanc comes from a single site that borders Puligny-Montrachet, planted exclusively with low-yielding clones. This shines through with impressive density on the palate. The wine retains that mineral-edged De Montille style, fleshed out with pear and juicy white melon fruit. 2019 CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE, GRAND CRU, HENRI BOILLOT While not exactly cheap, the Boillot wines still offer great value – competing happily with the likes of Leflaive, Coche-Dury and Ramonet. In 2019, their wines really shine – balancing the concentration of fruit with thrilling acidity. Their Corton-Charlemagne is extraordinary – the power of this site instantly in evidence. The wine is a coil of minerality and citrus, poised and wound tightly. There’s a smokiness to the nose, with a struck-match intensity countered by what feels like a tsunami of fruit – lime, green apple and white peach. Mouth-filling and rich, expansive yet zesty, the acidity drives an astonishingly long finish. Muscular, poised, razor-sharp and full of potential. 2019 CHABLIS, GRAND CRU, LES CLOS, REMOISSENET PÈRE & FILS Remoissenet has friends in high places – and although we can’t say who, one of the region’s most respected and collected producers sources their Chablis. Their wines are – unusually for Chablis – 100% barrel-fermented, producing texturally rich, powerful wine that cleverly never loses its sense of place. In 2019, this opulent style has never suited the vintage better. The nose of Les Clos is very pure with fine, subtle florals. Notes of comice pear, crystallised lemon rind and dried citrus fruit oscillate with the rounded, rich and creamy texture of the wine. The oak is layered over a very pure core of fruit, with a classic sunny Les Clos typicity. On the finish, the wine tightens up nicely and ends with real mineral focus and salinity. Superb. 2019 SANTENAY, BIEVAUX, ALVINA PERNOT The Bievaux vineyard belongs to Alvina’s grandfather Paul Pernot and has long been the family’s favoured site for Pinot Noir. High up on the hill and directly south-facing, the vineyard benefits from ideal sun exposure and cooling diurnal influences, producing a wine with lovely texture and balance. The tannins are fully resolved but the wine has energy and spark too. These 40-year-old vines produced a fantastically juicy, moreish wine in 2019 (at a great price).  2019 CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY, DOMAINE HUDELOT-NOËLLAT Charles van Canneyt only made 25 barrels of his village Chambolle this year, versus the normal 40 – which is a particular shame given the quality. It’s a blend of 11 parcels from all around the appellation, to give a true “village” wine. He opted for no punch-downs in 2019, as the skins gave up their colour and tannins so quickly. The resulting wine is surprisingly dark and intense in style, such is the concentration of the year. Nevertheless the wine has a real crunch of red fruit, with amazing acidity and elegant tannins.  2019 GIVRY, PREMIER CRU, CLOS DE LA SERVOISINE, DOMAINE JOBLOT We could have put any of Joblot’s wines in this list – such is the value offered by this superb Givry producer. This south-facing plot is next door to Cellier aux Moines – which Joblot also works with, and tasting the two alongside each other is a treat, with such contrasting styles. This is the brighter of the two, with more lift and perfume on the nose, but the palate reveals darker and more savoury depths. Concentrated bramble fruit is framed by chalky tannins and vibrant acidity. Delicious. 2019 MERCUREY, PREMIER CRU, LE CLOS DU ROY, DOMAINE FAIVELEY The Faiveley family (now in its seventh generation) is today France’s 35th richest family – but it was railway technology, rather than wine, that made their fortune. It means that winemaking for the domaine these days is a purely qualitative affair, with a no-expense-spared approach taken with all their wines. This really is a winwin for the drinker. Being the largest producer in the Cote Chalonnaise, their Mercurey Premier Cru Le Clos du Roy is not only exceptionally made, it is also extremely well-priced. In 2019, this wine has captured the dynamism in the best examples of the vintage, full of energy with lovely crunchy red berry fruit and a sapid salinity on a long finish. Incredible quality for the appellation.  2019 SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE, PREMIER CRU, LA DOMINODE, DOMAINE JEAN-MARC & HUGUES PAVELOT Hugues Pavelot has crafted a wonderful range in 2019 – toning down extraction given the ripeness, and turning up the whole-bunch to add freshness (with between 15 to 30% on the Premiers Crus). La Dominode was a star of the tasting, however. It manages to effortlessly combine a subtle, chalky grip with a silk-like mouth-feel. The fruit is ripe, smooth and lush but also crunchy and bright – a mouthful of crushed raspberries and blueberries with a burst of redcurrant acidity rushing through the palate. There’s a mineral freshness to this full yet fine wine. Lovely. 2019 VOUGEOT, PREMIER CRU, LES PETITS VOUGEOTS,  DOMAINE HUDELOT-NOËLLAT Charles van Canneyt has 0.5 hectares of this Premier Cru, sandwiched between Clos de la Perrière and Le Clos Blanc. It’s one to watch – and a site that Charles thinks is benefiting from global warming, thanks to its limestone soils. In 2019 the wine is dark, rich and intense but with bright, sweet berry fruit that also has a vibrant crunch to it. Refreshing acidity balances the plush, dark cherry fruit on the palate, while delicate notes of violet florals and black tea fill the finish.  2019 CHEMIN DES MOINES DE VERGY, DOMAINE GROS FRÈRE & SOEUR, VIN DE FRANCE This is only the third vintage of this delicious curiosity from Gros Frère & Soeur. Planted in 2014 and 2015, this plot sits at the top of the Côte, beyond the borders of the Burgundy appellation (hence its Vin de France status) and at high altitude. Overlooking the Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanée, the vines are trained high – with a full 2.5 metres’ worth of canopy to capture as much sunshine as possible at these cool and dizzy heights. The resulting wine is supple, soft and bright, with crunchy sour cherry and redcurrant fruit. Light and fresh, with a long finish of vibrant acidity, it’s a fun addition to the range – and one that will be interesting to follow in the coming years as temperatures continue to rise. 2019 VOLNAY, PREMIER CRU, DOMAINE GEORGES LIGNIER The Lignier family line runs through Benoît Stelhy’s mother’s side, but his father’s side also as vines, with 46 acres in Volnay and 12 in Pommard. They’re old vines and he buys the grapes in, although works closely to manage the vineyards in the same way as his own, with grass cover all year. He picks the fruit himself though with family and friends helping – “It’s a little bit like we go on holiday,” he tells us, travelling down to the Côte de Beaune to harvest, normally on a Sunday morning. His Premier Cru Volnay was a treat to taste – pretty and perfumed, it’s laden with bright, crunchy red berries, but there’s a mineral line that lends finesse. Dainty, fine and truly delicious. 2019 MOREY-SAINT-DENIS, PREMIER CRU, CLOS SORBÉ, DOMAINE HENRI & PHILLIPE JOUAN Philippe Jouan’s wines certainly fly under the radar – and with the current quantities produced, this is unlikely to change anytime soon (with just three hectares in total). However, the little wine produced here is an honest rendition of some exceptional terroir in the Côte de Nuits – and, with the 2019 vintage, the wines have never tasted better. Our pick of the range was his MoreySaint-Denis Premier Cru Clos Sorbé, one of the top Premier Cru sites in Morey. The wine is wonderfully intense with an expressive, complex nose of lavender, rosebush and incense, while the palate is ripe and juicy with sun-kissed wild blackberry and blueberry fruit. 2019 CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY, PREMIER CRU, LES CHABIOTS, ALBERT BICHOT Les Chabiots sits above Les Amoureuses – pedigree that seems to escape most people. It’s singing again in 2019, a delicate and fine-boned wine with a nose full of violets. But don’t let its prettiness deceive you, there’s plenty of power to back it up – with a core of raspberry and bright red cherry fruit, supported by a backbone of minerality. The tannins are seamless, the acidity fine and long. Tight and taut, this is outstanding. Browse all Burgundy or explore more Editorial

The wines that really overperformed in the 2019 Burgundy vintage. We think offer the best bang-for-buck this year – from Bourgogne Rouge to Grand Cru Chablis

Exploring 2019 Burgundy that overperformed, including Hugues Pavelot Savigny, De Montille’s Bourgogne Blanc, Corton-Charlemagne Boillot and more

Burgundy 2019 top-value wine buys

Burgundy 2019: top-value buys

Touching down in Burgundy last week was a shock. Coming from London’s autumnal hues, the hit of hot air as the plane doors opened was surprising – indeed, it’s abnormally balmy across much of Europe at the moment. It’s another reminder of climate change and the very real impact it is having – especially on viticulture and other agriculture. While the cool and rainy 2021 vintage felt like a return to the old Burgundy (with all its challenges), 2022 and 2023 were both modern vintages that speak of global warming. The region’s vignerons were in a good mood, with the 2023 vintage harvested weeks ago and the wines safely in the cellar. For once, they have had not one but two consecutive vintages offering decent volumes, helping to make up for a run of tiny crops. The cellars are – at last – looking a little less barren. Indeed, the regional body Vins de Bourgogne reported that 2022 represents a 75% increase on the measly volumes of 2021. The 2022 vintage, however, was the reason for and focus of our visit – getting our first taste of the wines that will be dominating the calendar for the next few months. As I’ve mentioned, this was a modern vintage, a year that is very much the new normal. The winter was cold, however warmer temperatures in February and March saw an early start to the season. Once again the mercury dropped in April with the threat of frost, however it didn’t seem to have major ramifications. The summer was warm and dry – with heavy rain in late June breaking the drought, providing essential refreshment for the vines in the year’s arid conditions. At Louis Jadot, Thibault Gagey explained how there were two weeks in August with temperatures over 35˚C, during which the vines shut down. Alvina Pernot explained how plots with richer soils – those with more clay and better water retention – fared better, pointing to Clos des Folatières as a site that thrived in the year, as well as older vines with deeper roots, those that could reach and draw upon water reserves. Picking started at the very end of August, with another contracted harvest during which the ability to pick what you wanted when you wanted key to quality. The good news was that the crop was plentiful, with most managing to achieve a full crop, with a maximum of up to 15-20% less for some of the Chardonnay. Looking at the season on paper, it’s easy to imagine the resulting wines might be dominated by their ripeness – but that’s simply not the case. We need to taste and talk much more into exactly why, however it seems that the generous yield was the year’s saviour. With so much fruit for the vine to ripen, sugar levels remained moderate. As in 2020, the grapes retained high levels of tartaric acid, bringing surprising freshness to the wines. The malic acid was degraded, but this meant that the malolactic fermentation had less impact on the final wines and their balance (although we anticipate that some may still have chosen to block it). From what we’ve tasted so far, the reds show particular promise – offering juicy, concentrated fruit without drifting into over-ripe or jammy, vibrant acidity and fine-textured yet very present tannins. Those we’ve tasted are amazingly open even though few have yet finished élevage – the ripe fruit shining through, but there’s a gravitas beneath that appealing, mouth-watering fruit. The whites, meanwhile, are classical in their fruit expression, with more traditional white peach, melon, pear and citrus. There’s good dry extract and density here, with balance too. They have natural tension, and there seems to be a pleasing bitterness that adds to their freshness, something we found consistent across producers so far. In general alcohols are modest, sitting mainly between 12.5 and 13.5%, for both reds and whites. This is only the beginning of our deep dive into the 2022 vintage, however we left the sunny streets of Beaune filled with excitement about the year. There is still much to discover and explore, and much, much more to taste to inform our full vintage report – but it’s clear already that this is a year with great potential, and one that you’ll want in your cellar. We’ll be publishing more on Burgundy 2022 in due course; in the meantime, browse all current Burgundy 2022 listings.

Fresh from our first trip to Burgundy to taste the 2022s, we offer some early thoughts on the vintage – a year that is showing great promise

Fresh from our initial trip to the region, we dig into Burgundy 2022 – a warm year that has produced some surprisingly fresh wines

Our first thoughts on Burgundy 2022 en primeur

Burgundy 2022 at first glance

Following on from the cooler, elegant 2018 vintage, 2019 is another excellent year for Napa – together forming an impressive duo that will be enjoyed (and inevitably compared) over the coming decades.  The preceding winter was wet, replenishing the water table and encouraging vigorous early growth. Indeed, as Danielle Aita at Colgin noted, it was still raining in May – with almost 2.5 inches that month (compared to 0.3 inches in 2018, and 0.61 in 2020). It was important for this vigour to be managed, for vines were at risk of growing more fruit than they could ripen. Aita explained how their team had to thin even more than normal, even thinning clusters by removing individual berries to maximise airflow.  A mild spring led to a warm and even summer, with few heat spikes, allowing producers to take their time to harvest, allowing for traditionally long hangtime. Although the season didn’t see the extremes of 2020 or 2022, the mercury did fluctuate, Kassidy Harris at Dominus noted – with a hot June, cooler July, then warmer end to the season. She noted how it required more intervention from the team in the vineyard, managing yield – particularly dropping “wings” or “shoulders” off clusters. This prolonged, relatively gentle heat, as the Dana team highlighted, mellowed the acidity and brought a roundness to the wines.   For Cathy Corison, it was “a fabulous vintage – almost perfect”, and one major factor was the even temperatures, with a significant diurnal shift that encouraged aromatic finesse and retained freshness. She reported temperatures in August that were 21-27˚C during the day, and dipping below 10˚C at night. With these gentle conditions, she picked later than normal, in the third week of September.  Maya Dalla Valle started picking around the same time, emphasising how it’s the last vintage she can remember being able to take her time with – the harvest stretching over several weeks rather than needing to get the fruit in as soon as possible. Aita highlighted how in early October, the temperature dropped significantly at night, slowing the ripening, and they picked in the second and third week of the month.   Temperatures were, on average, a little higher than 2018 – leading to a richer style, darker fruit profile and softer tannin structure – wines that are more classically Napa, compared to 2018’s slight Old World slant. They still, however, have a vibrancy and freshness, and while alcohol levels are higher than 2018, they are not elevated for the region, with almost all sitting below 15%. Volumes are generally good, thanks to that wet winter, a comfort given the low yields of 2020 and 2021.  As Corison noted, “When a vintage is perfect, it’s like falling off a log. Great grapes make great wine.” The winemaker’s job in a vintage like 2022, she says, is to “try not to mess it up”. Dalla Valle opted for shorter maceration times, finding the ripe, thick-skinned grapes offered tannin, colour and flavour quickly. She notes how the wines have filled out with time, offering a “quiet power” that she loves. For Harris at Dominus, it’s a very good vintage, but just an edge behind 2018, not quite as integrated in her view.  Will Harlan and Cory Empting at Promontory compare it to 1990, feeling it has more flesh and power versus 2018, needing time to reveal itself – “an old soul” of a vintage. For Aita at Colgin, the wines have minerality and real expression of place. They are much more approachable than 2018 in their youth, yet have everything needed to go the distance.  The critics all agree that it’s another very good vintage, but are divided as to whether they prefer 2018 or 2019. For Vinous’s Antonio Galloni, the 2019s are “big, bold wines that show the extroverted side of Napa Valley”. He feels it doesn’t quite have the consistency of a truly great year, such as 2018, with that vintage also offering a little more freshness that he prefers.   Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (then still writing for the Wine Advocate) finds 2019 “classic, ripe, plush and beautifully expressive”, feeling – unlike Galloni – that it is more consistent than 2018, both in quality and volumes. For her, the 2018s are more structured with higher acidity, and may well age longer than the 2019s, however the 2019s have a generosity that is more typically Napa – and possibly more inviting.  For Jeb Dunnuck, it’s "another terrific year“ for Napa – “ripe, supple tannins, beautiful sweetness of fruit, and undeniably delicious”. He argues that it is clearly an excellent vintage, but doesn’t quite reach the levels of 2016 or 2013. The vintage in brief A wet winter and long, gentle growing season without major heat spikes High yields and quality, with a prolonged harvest period Warmer than 2018 producing richer wines with darker fruit and softer tannins Wines that are classical Napa Polished and plush, yet with freshness and alcohol levels generally sitting below 15%  Browse all 2019 Napa listings or read more about California

The 2019 vintage in Napa produced a brace of fantastic wines that are classical expressions of California’s heartland. We talk to top producers about the year and the style of wines it produced

Discover the 2019 Napa wines – talking to top producers about a plush and polished vintage, full of classically styled wines for the region

Napa 2019 vintage report

Napa 2019: plush and polished

While critics are mostly yet to publish their reports on Napa’s 2018, the early reviews are outstanding. Alder Yarrow describes it as “a complete knockout, with phenomenal potential” and “some of the best wines that Napa has seen in almost a decade”. Antonio Galloni has suggested the vintage offers “gorgeous, super-refined Napa Valley Cabernets that are quite a bit more understated than what we have seen in recent years”. Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW has just released her glowing report for the Wine Advocate – the top line that the wines are “packed with purity, vibrancy and energy”. The year was cooler than normal for the region, allowing the grapes to ripen long into the harvest; it was essentially an easy year for the growers that caused little stress. “We usually find the uneventful vintages to be the best years,” says Thomas Rivers Brown – the superstar winemaker behind dozens of California’s top wines, including those of Schrader Cellars. “After a particularly wild ride in 2017, it was nice to have a relatively calm, cool growing season with an abundant crop.” Will Harlan feels it’s a particularly important vintage for Promontory – and one that he’s excited to introduce to the world, although we won’t get to see the wines for a couple of years yet. Talking to him and Cory Empting, the Director of Winegrowing, they explained how it felt like everything had come together – a decade’s worth of work in the vineyard coming to fruition in the wines. Empting noted that it was a relatively dry year (with rainfall down around 30% on average), but the rain that they did get fell in late April and early May – just after budbreak and as the vines were gearing up towards flowering. This enabled them to dry-farm a larger percentage of the vineyards. Temperatures were steady, with the mercury not rising above 100˚F (38˚C) and only rarely above 90˚F (32˚C). The region’s trademark fog, one of the keys to the quality produced, was also a little bit different in 2018 – not burning off until midday, keeping temperatures lower than normal. The season ended with an Indian summer with no threat of rain; meaning a wide picking window for producers to work with. At Promontory, Empting felt there was a real energy in the fruit – he followed his gut, taking a gamble and they finished picking two weeks earlier than normal, long before many of their neighbours. Everyone I spoke to reiterated the joy of having a bit of volume to work with in 2018 (up around 20-30% according to Napa Valley Vintners) – and while the larger berries harvested could have created dilute wines, lower in tannin and colour, that was far from the case. As Brown explained, “Colour and concentration came quickly – mostly due to true ripeness, so it wasn’t necessary to really hammer on the ferments to get them where you wanted. If you did, you probably produced wines that were over-extracted, and focused on structure over flavour.” Mike Smith of Myriad Cellars described it as a “textbook” year – with everything falling into place. There were no heat spikes and the ample crop enabled him to drop fruit without worrying about his yields. The challenge for him with such generous volumes, however, was tank space – especially as he works out of a custom crush, where tanks need to be turned around for someone else to use. Nevertheless, he managed, taking advantage of some extra tanks of his own and the resulting wines have an amazing freshness and purity, yet also dark colour and textural richness.  Empting is similarly happy with the results – wines that he feels really demonstrate the character of the Promontory property. For him, they’re lithe – not having the baby fat you’d normally see, with tension, length and great acidity. “You’ve taken all the weight out of it,” he explains. “It has density – but the perfect amount that isn’t distracting you from the detail.” He’s one of several to highlight the suppleness of the tannins, making it an extremely transparent, crystalline vintage that will drink from the get-go, but has no doubt about the ageing potential given the balance in evidence. So how does it compare to recent vintages? Brown felt many would be tempted to compare the vintage to 2012 – having similar crop and berry sizes, but that the wines of 2018 are “far superior” that 2012's earlier-drinking style. “Though the wines are very charming right now and very drinkable, there is quite a bit of tannin lurking beneath the surface. I assume these wines will be very open for a year or so and then go dormant for a while. They should easily age two to three decades,” he explained. For Smith, they sit somewhere between 2013 and 2016 – the tannins of the former, but the polish of the latter.  No doubt we'll hear more in the coming months, but it's looking like an exciting vintage – one that offers an old-school style of Napa with elegance, balance and great cellaring potential. Browse Napa or read more about California

As Napa’s top names start to release their 2018s – with more to follow over the next couple of years, we talk to some of the valley’s top names to find out more about the vintage, a year that shows great promise

We talk to top Napa Valley wine estates Schrader Cellars and Promontory to find out more about the 2018 vintage that is tipped for greatness

2018 Napa vintage report

Napa 2018: a promising vintage

The growing season The winter was mild with plenty of rainfall to replenish water reserves. The mild winter, combined with a dry spring, led to early budbreak, followed by a cold snap in April and May with pockets of hail and frost, and late flowering. June brought a heatwave – kicking off a warm, dry summer. Between June and mid-September, seven in 10 days exceeded 30˚C. At Domaine Saint-Préfert, Isabel Ferrando saw the mercury rise as high as 44.3˚C on 28th June. Having sufficient canopy to shade the grapes sufficiently was key, with a risk of sunburnt grapes – something not everyone escaped. Stéphane Usseglio reported that June’s rainfall was the same as in 2017, putting it amongst the driest years since 2004.  While the spring frost and hail had caused little significant damage, a torrential hailstorm on June 15th caused serious damage in Crozes-Hermitage. Golf-ball-sized hailstones pounded vineyards for 20 minutes and some producers lost as much as 80% of their crop. Fortunately, it was a localised attack. The dry weather meant the fruit at harvest was disease-free, with picking starting in early September. Some rain arrived on 18th September (15mm), welcomed by producers such as Ferrando who felt it added additional balance to the grapes. The growing season’s dry conditions produced small berries that produced very little juice, meaning yields were down by up to 40% (or more in Crozes). The wine made, however, benefited from more concentration thanks to the high skin-to-juice ratio. The wines Much as with Burgundy 2019, producers were surprised by the level of acidity in the juice and wines, which offsets the ripeness and concentration of the warm conditions. Where producers picked at the right moment, the resulting wines are outstanding and have great balance. In general, the South fared better than the North, with Grenache and Mourvèdre better suited to handling the hot, dry conditions.  Stéphane Usseglio describes the 2019s as "rich, complex, profound and velvety, opulent as Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be, yet surprisingly fresh, given the nature of the vintage.” He felt that his biodynamic practices (certified since 2015) were key in countering the effects of warmer years like 2019; using a chamomile tea spray to reduce hydric stress, for example. He is also tweaking work in the winery, with fermentation temperatures in recent years now cooler – around 26˚C (previously 32˚C) – to preserve the wines’ fresh fruit character. His vineyards are divided equally between stony and sandy soils, but felt both produced different but excellent, concentrated and lush wines in 2019. It was, however, the old-vine Grenache on
La Crau that goes into his Cuvée Impériale that stands out, and he feels it is the finest rendition of the wine since 2010.  Isabel Ferrando also emphasised the balance of the wines – with a natural concentration and acidity that implies long ageing potential. She felt that her Colombis cuvée – sourced from sandy plots – really excelled, as did her plots of Cinsault and Clairette. Saint-Préfert’s old-vine Cinsault (planted in 1928) is now going into a varietal wine, F601 and it is “explosive, full of fruit” in 2019; while she found Clairette’s natural minerality and liveliness, meanwhile, really comes through in the vintage. Overall, she finds the wines “spectacular, deep and energetic”; it is undoubtedly, in her view, a great vintage. Perrin noted the balance, finesse and complexity of the year; while Chapoutier highlights the elegance of the reds and particular minerality of the whites. Claire Darnaud at Delas compares the vintage to 2009 in style, but with more minerality holding everything together – something she attributes to the granite in her vineyards. This mineral feel is what for her prevents the wines feeling overly ripe or plump. Usseglio compares the 2019s to the stunning 2016s, but with a little something extra. He considers it “a hybrid between the concentrated and muscular 2005, and the elegant 2006”. Others are comparing the year to 1990; but the ageing potential of the best wines is clear.  The critics’ view Not everyone’s reports on the vintage have been published but the year has so far been well reviewed. Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski noted late last year that the few 2019s he’d tasted “the reds… show ample ripeness and concentration without any evidence of cooked fruit, while the 2019 whites as a group look excellent, particularly those from Clos des Papes and Domaine du Pegau.” Josh Reynolds (Vinous) describes 2019 as “a vintage of extremely high quality and… the fifth straight stellar year for the region”. He emphasises the freshness and detail in the wines – a surprising trait in a year with such hot, dry conditions – with “an uncanny blend of depth and vivacity”. Jeb Dunnuck (who will report fully on the wines once bottled) feels they are a step up from the 2018s, offering “more depth, concentration, and richness, all while showing considerable purity of fruit and elegance”. Like the producers, he notes the wines’ “focused and lively” style, with “impressive aromatics” and no sign of over-ripeness. He also highlights the beautiful tannins the warm conditions produced, feeling they are concentrated with “serious potential” and feeling it will be “near the top of the pyramid in modern-day vintages”. Browse all Rhône wines

The 2019 vintage has produced some stunning wines across France. As with Bordeaux and Burgundy, it has proven to be an excellent year for the Rhône – one in a series of stunning “nines” (joining the ranks of 1979, ’89, ’99 and 2009). We talk to some of the region’s leading producers

2019 Rhône vintage report on an excellent year that produced wines of concentration and balance


Rhône 2019 vintage report

Rhône 2019: vintage report

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Côte Chalonnaise

Burgundy

France

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