Vintage And Wine
Why is a wine's vintage so important?
What's so important about vintage? Vintage is the moment. Vintage is the reflection of what happens in the entire year. Is there a difference in vintages? Yes. Every year is a new challenge. A vintage says exactly that what happened in history for wherever those grapes are grown. The vintage is more important to me, and trust me as an expert on wine, it is the most important thing in buying a wine, is knowing, I would rather buy a lesser wine in a great vintage than a wine of greater reputation in a less quality vintage. And this strictly nothing other than vintage meaning the year of its birth. And without getting into the hocus pocus and all that of astrological calendars and all that there is a difference from year to year to year.
What makes a good vintage?
What makes excellent vintages, versus vintages that are not as stellar? In this day and age, with technology, we have been able to compensate for vintages that were complete failures. However, what makes a stellar vintage is just magic. It has to do with all the planets lining up, everything just being perfect. The growing season is sort of like the experiences that we go through in life. When we have difficulties, we would like to say that difficulties are things that we could pass on, but they build character. When those vines, the tendrils, meaning the roots, have o really struggle to reach water, they do something extra. And they draw minerals from the earth. They draw something that is a little different.
How are modern growing techniques affecting wine?
We are about to go though a true has formation with wine we have not seen probably and 400 years and that is that and the last 30-40 years for the lesser and chemicals have made things grow very easily. And they have creative things they are beautiful and all like prince someone and stair ice it become big and powerful but something happens, and were just know cutch in up to, going back to what happen 300 years ago with has to do with organ Ted. I think them we will find true early has this point, but I take upon it. I think every one else who take upon it that there is more meralody their more character may be liner but a lot more exciting the one their ground organically and you will see that and the next 10 years. I want to be sage but I think that you continues we will star to see. They want ground organically or different then does that have use the technology of the fertilizers and such and pesticides that is what is different that is about that happen.
What are the great European and American vintages?
Vintage years, one should get very familiar with, vintage charts along the way – these are guides, sort of like when you're driving in a fast Maserati or Ferrari and you see and you see a sign that says ‘curve', that's what great vintages are about – you don't keep going straight and go off the edge, they happen, curves happen in life. Vintage years in Bordeaux and in California; this is something to become very aquatinted with, vintage charts in Bordeaux, which is sort of locomotive that all great wines are about, we look at 2005 – very stellar, we might not see anything like that again in our lifetime. 2003 was one of the hottest vintages ever, people where dying in Europe, it was like someone took a flamethrower and went through the vineyards and got this big ripens that happen, not since 1947 had we seen that. 2000, another outstanding vintage and then we go to 1996, then we go to 1990, then we go to 1986, then we go to 1982 and then we go to the next outstanding vintage which would probably be 1961 and then 1945 but with technology we're probably having outstanding vintages every 3 years to 5 years. We do not usually have outstanding vintages 7 out of 10 years and in California we had the very same type of thing, 1994, 1997, 2002 and 2003 are outstanding vintages.
What is a 'vintage chart'?
Vintage chart is basically that overall, most wineries, chateaus domain, had a very good growing season. And they say that this was a very good growing season. And thus it is compiled that this is a vintage that is an excellent stellar vintage, this is an above vintage, this is an average vintage.
