best vintage over the last 40 years (since 1980) by region

We have often done this by one region, but I thought it would be fun to do it for multiple regions. What do you think was the best vintage for each region (don’t have to follow my regions but only one pick per region).

Burgundy red CdN - 2010
Burgundy red CdB - 1999
Burgundy white - 2014
Bordeaux left bank - 1982
Bordeaux right bank - 1998
Sauternes/Barsac - 2001
California Cabernet - 1991
Germany - 1990
Champagne - 1996

I am probably prejudiced towards vintages where I have had more mature wines over guessing. Others don’t need to have my prejudice. I am esp. looking forward to answers by others regarding regions where I don’t feel like I have enough experience to answer.

Now, for my bonus answer (whatever that means). The best of the best. I think I am going to pick 2001 Sauternes/Barsac, just edging out 2014 white Burgundy. Seems like the 2001s I have had are just a good bit above other vintages. Too bad I did not buy that much. My bad.

Totally agree on Bordeaux.

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Curious on the views for:

Northern Rhone
Souther Rhone

Germany=2001

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NR=1999 maybe 1991 but haven’t had many.
SR=2001 though I also loved 1999.

I’d be more inclined towards 1988 than 1996 for Champagne, but could be swayed to 96 if you send me many samples to taste.

Be curious on “Most Underrated Vintage” for a separate thread.

Agree on this, but 2019 might surpass it.

I like almost all your choices except possibly California. 1991 is a crossroad years the beginning the oak and extraction era. I would suggest 1985 but I have to say compared to the 1970s, for my palate, the choices are somewhat limited.

Piedmont 1989 (possibly 2016)

I am all in with this, though I also think that one vintage for “Germany” is like doing one vintage for “Italy.”

California Cabernet – 1995

It is over-shadowed by the “best in a generation” 1994 ratings despite its stellar reviews as a vintage by the professionals. I have always preferred the 95s over 94s and 20+ years later my opinion remains unchanged. This was among the last of the great vintages where Napa strived for the best of New World fruit crafted in an Old World style before the 1997 vintage changed the game for producers.

Agreed David. Other than MSR, what else should be included in 2001?

I think there are some brilliant German wines in 1990 (and 1996), but for across the board excellence I think 2001 Germany is the best vintage I’ve ever had, from any region.

1982 bordeaux is next (and I prefer 82 Right Bank to 98, but the 82 RBs are getting a little long in the tooth at this point), but it seemed like every weingut crushed it in 2001, something not even 82 bordeaux can claim.

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I picked 1991 for California Cab because a number of my favorite wineries made really strong wines. Ridge Monte Bello, Chateau Montelena, and Togni for example did really well. As I don’t drink overoaked and over-extracted Cabernet, I did not consider how wineries who make such wines did in various vintages. Not sure how to tell when they do “well.”

I am not the correct person to make judgments for those regions. What would you say for your Loire wines?

For Loire reds, I’d say 1989 is the benchmark, with 1990 just a smidge behind. The 2005 vintage produced some gorgeous wines, but they are also larger-scaled wines. I think 2014 is the best vintage in Chinon in 20+ years. Funny, I love 2014 Bordeaux as well. Both such classic, balanced vintages.

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And whites? Different answers for Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadet?

For Southern Rhones, I’d put 1998 and 2001 in the top two slots, not sure at this point which is better going forward. Perhaps 2016 in time will challenge them. Personally I’d be reluctant to throw new money at those older years, vs. seeing what 2016 So. Rho might still be left in normal retail system.

I squinted at 91 as well for Napa, but after pondering the issue for a while, I’m not sure I really have a better call. Maybe 94 for more even excellence, but that’s kind of splitting hairs. I do think that the 90s were probably the decade of greatest change, but I also think the 90s presented the greatest improvement, across the line, in vineyard management and consistency. While that may also have led to a steady push for riper wines and greater extraction in more new oak, I think there is some give and take. Mark you’re quite a bit older than me and so can speak to 70s cabs, but I always wonder, from my experience drinking a bunch of them at 30 plus years old, whether they achieved phenolic ripeness across the board. I’ve felt that with a good number of the rather famed wines from solid 70s vintages, the wines showed considerably higher alcohol and lower fruit concentration that even mid-late 80s vintages. Like 74 Mondavi reserve at 12.5% abv (which I absolutely believe) and very high acidity. That’s an anecdote against a generalization, but I can’t time travel.

While I appreciate the nod to 95 by another poster, I don’t think that’s going to get much of an agreement and hindsight is probably showing 96 to be a better vintage than 95. I’d wager most votes would place 91, 94, and 96 over 95, with 95 vying with 92 and 93 as good but not broadly great vintages. After 97, things shifted aggressively towards riper more extracted wines, and 2001-2002 “mega vintages” showed massive increases in extraction and in 2001, pretty big tannins under gobs of rich fruit and higher ABVs, which progressed through the 2000s.

I think 91 probably had some great things to offer across the board and was still early enough in the movement towards larger wines to remain on the correct side of the spectrum. A fun mental exercise.

Does 98 actually live up to expectations in retrospect? It was certainly proclaimed the vintage of eternity at the time, as was 1997 in Napa, but that has not held up.

I bought maybe 10 mixed cases of the 1998s on release, and drank them with delight over the next two decades, and generally thought they were just superb. I doubt there is anything left (maybe a Pegau or two?) but in the last few years it seems to me that the 2001’s have been as good/better. But I think I liked 1998’s more when they were younger.

I don’t feel ‘hosed’ for having stocked up on 1998 unlike 2007 where it is somewhat more of a mixed bag. The latter has some wines developing pruney notes as time goes on.

Still, nothing quite compares (for me) to the remarkable confluence of Germany in 2001 - cellar space, strong dollar, cheap wines, and amazing depth of flavor. Unfortunately, everything I bought, at least 10 cases, is now gone.