We’ve all heard the phrase “He knows just enough to be dangerous.” Too often, that phrase comes to mind when we find someone opining about wine vintages. Those who sell wine for a living—servers, bartenders, restaurant managers, even sommeliers—frequently talk about vintages as a static reference point, to be labeled either good or bad. It’s not that simple, though: Understanding vintages is not a black-or-white proposition.
There are several factors that make each vintage unique. I can’t tell you how often I’m told that the best vintage of the ’90s in Napa Valley was 1997. Really? Maybe if you like overripe red wines with an overt presence of volatile acidity that fall apart compared to other vintages. I laugh whenever I hear someone has a cellar full of this vintage, yet has already consumed the other vintages—like the ’91, ’92, ’95, and ’96.
Let’s get this straight: The “hot” vintages are not necessarily better vintages. They just produce riper wines.
So what makes a vintage good—or at least better than others? For starters, during the winter months, several things must occur: Enough rain must fall to provide sufficient growth for the coming year, and it must be accompanied by relatively mild temperatures, as severe freezes often damage vine production.
As spring approaches, temperatures must warm gradually, so the vines won’t awaken too early. Cold and rainy weather in the springtime can cause problems for pollination and fruit setting. That said, a little frost can naturally reduce yields, and if it’s not too severe, it can provide a perfect yield ratio going into the summer. Frost and fruit setting are a winemaker’s two biggest concerns.
As summer approaches, the ideal mix combines sunlight, cool evenings, and sporadic rain. Too much sun and heat is a problem, causing sunburn and hydric stress. Yet lack of warmth can cause even bigger problems, as the vines gain most of their sugars and phenolic development during summer.
But the early fall is when the most trouble can occur—from rain, frost, or unripe fruit after a weak summer. There also have been cases where a late-summer drought causes the fruit, which to that point had been perfect, to be ruined at the 11th hour. Rain is the primary evil, though, as the fruit is most susceptible at this point. You won’t have a good vintage year unless the grapes finish strong.
So the next time you’re inclined to spout off about your favorite year—whatever it might be—expound with a little meteorological backup. Was it a hot year, a cold year, a rainy year, a frosty year, a heat-damaged year, or just a year when the grapes simply weren’t as ripe as the last? Then your audience might actually lend some credence to your words.
A former sommelier at The French Laundry, Hoel serves as a senior wine advisor for Soutirage, a Napa Valley wine merchant and advisory firm.
