Your Complete Guide to Wine Vintages 2000-2023
6th November 2025
Your Complete Guide to Wine Vintages 2000-2023
What makes a vintage wine?
Much. Climate, weather, growing and harvest conditions. Frost, heat, rainfall, drought, wind… All conspire to determine the quality of each year’s wines, influencing not just their style but also their ageworthiness. It’s why for collectors and lovers of finer cuvées, vintage quality is pivotal.
Moreover, vintage conditions, when they’re not ideal, are the true test of a winemaker’s mettle. Indeed, nothing could be more adverse than a growing season gone wrong. For this is when a higher level of skill and resourcefulness is called upon for optimising the labour that goes into both vineyard and winery. For only the greater winemakers of the world will render quality cuvées in spite of Mother Nature’s vindictiveness.
So… know thy vintages. In this vintage-wines guide, we’ll first explore some stand-out vintages between 2000 to 2023 with a particular focus on Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Northern and Southern Rhône, Piedmont, Tuscany, Rioja, and Port — while also spotlighting a handful of legendary pre-2000 harvests that remain benchmarks today.
The wine vintage chart
We’ll start with the chart. Here, the heatmap-style format gives you an instant visual guide to which wine vintages since the millennium have been the most sought-after, and from the most popular regions of the Old and New Worlds. With each vintage citation, a corresponding score out of a hundred along with an advisory icon indicating its drinking status.
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The colour-coded heatmap format of the following guide lets you quickly identify which vintages have scored highest with critics, with lighter-shaded, lower /100 point scores moving to deeper red as the vintage’s score increases. Each vintage is also accompanied by an advisory icon indicating drinkability status (see key).
Looking and the more deeply coloured areas, then, and starting at the beginning, the vintage years and corresponding regions worthy of particular attention are the following:
The good and the great – 2000-2009
2000
Bordeaux (95) – The much-hyped 2000 vintage saw storms and hail in May followed by spells of intense summer heat. Wines range from opulent to occasionally flabby, with the Left Bank generally outperforming the Right.
Port (94.5) – Marked by a small fruit set, but a warm, dry summer and an early harvest under ideal conditions resulted in exceptional wines. These wines are aromatic and rich, with substantial tannins often enveloped by a dense, chocolatey richness, making vintage port a standout.
2001
Barsac/Sauternes (96) – A truly outstanding year, with many wines showing remarkable concentration and intense noble rot character. Ideal weather conditions in late September and October led to a perfect harvest, establishing 2001 as one of the ten greatest Bordeaux sweet wine vintages since 1900.
Southern Rhône (94.7) – One of the greatest of the last few decades, producing concentrated yet elegant wines that have aged wonderfully. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it was a great vintage for structured reds that are just now starting to fully open up and are in no danger of falling apart.
Piemonte (95) – Classic-leaning, mid-weight reds that are aromatic, structured, and firm with a racy character. A solid vintage, although may be somewhat lacking in ageworthiness when compared to the greatest Barolo years.
Tuscany (95.7) – Powerful, structured – particularly the Brunellos – with wines having a long life ahead of them. Despite a severe spring frost that drastically reduced yields, hot days and cool nights during the growing season allowed sangiovese to ripen slowly, resulting in intense, deep reds..
Rioja (94.7)– Exceptional, concentrated wines that are still drinking beautifully today. Benefiting from a long, hot, and dry summer, these well-balanced wines have opulent flavours, a powerful structure, and a harmonious interplay of fruit, acidity, and tannins.
California (95) – Outstanding vintage that is ready to drink. Cabernets are ripe, with deep color and dark, tannic structures. An early flowering and a harvest that extended into October, aided by a cool September, resulted in wines with firm, succulent acidity and ripe tannins that are only just beginning to enter their early maturity.
2002
Champagne (95.3) – Considered the best since 1996, producing exuberant, flamboyant wines with complexity, richness, and firm, lively structures. A warm and dry year resulting in wines that offer tremendous nuance and intensity. Undoubtedly one to cellar.
Burgundy White (93.3) – Ripe, rich, and full-bodied wines in Chablis and the Côte de Beaune, with an excellent balance of fruit and acidity. Ripeness came from a September north wind that concentrated the grapes rather than from heat and sunshine, resulting in many beautiful and balanced wines.
Burgundy Red (94.3) – Silky, succulent wines with vibrant fruit, ripe acidity, and firm yet supple tannins, thanks to a growing season that mostly dodged Europe’s extreme summer storms. Fresh, balanced, and elegant across the board, these have aged gracefully, with regional cuvées offering excellent value.
California (95) – Dense, opulent, and exotically ripe reds and whites, many with high sugar levels, big tannins (reds), and showy richness at times reaching extreme alcohol levels. Superb in Napa, the best wines rival 2001 for depth, complexity, and long-term appeal, while others reflect the heat spikes of a challenging, flamboyant year.
Argentina (93) – In Mendoza considered the best in a generation, with a stellar growing season and optimal harvest conditions. This very dry, moderately warm year allowed growers to harvest at their leisure, yielding racy, ripe fruit. Malbec in particular shows concentrated, complex fruit, ripe acidity, and mostly smooth, sweet tannins.
Chateau Musar (97) – Rare concentration and atypical finesse that flourishes after opening the bottle. Volatile acidity upon opening requires that the cuvée is given time. Then, dry herbs, leather, Armagnac, black pepper and cumin notes come to the fore from a powerful, rich, baroque and complex vintage followed by a lingering, velvety finish.
2003
Vintage Port (93) – The 2017 vintage saw a scorching summer throughout Europe, but the Douro's more typical weather produced remarkably fresh and aromatic wines. They are characterised by lovely ripe fruit and powerful, silky tannins.
2004
Piemonte (95.7) – Confirmed as one of the great vintages of all time – especially in Barolo – with wines that have aged beautifully. A long, moderate growing season and late harvest produced beautifully perfumed and layered wines of great class and finesse. The vintage is further distinguished by its combination of high quality and high yields, which is a rare occurrence.
Tuscany (96) – The 2004 vintage yielded wonderfully perfumed and majestically refined Brunellos, with an excellent balance of fruit and refined tannins. Despite being an abundant year that required disciplined yield reduction, the best examples are silky, nuanced, and have aged gracefully.
2005
Bordeaux (97.5) – The 2005 Bordeaux vintage was rich, powerful, and perfectly balanced thanks to a warm, dry season tempered by a cool September. Now just starting to open, it stands as a stunning year across all appellations.
Burgundy Red (97) – Ripe, dense, full-bodied, consistently well-structured wines from a warm, dry season, offering wonderful purity, balance, and remarkable depth. A sensational, very ageworthy year, it ranks among the finest since 1978, with many top wines still benefitting from extended cellaring.
Southern Rhône (96) – The third consecutive year of drought, yet well-timed rain and the mistral wind resulted in wines of great concentration, purity, and structure that rival the '98 and '90 vintages. These wines are ageing gradually, still have plenty of upside, and are drinkable now with decanting.
Australia (95) – A magical convergence of quantity and quality, with moderate temperatures and a warm, extended harvest yielding a huge crop of balanced, generous wines. Displaying richness and depth as well as complexity and vivacity, these wines are maturing slowly and gracefully.
2006
Champagne (94)– Powerful, rich, and explosive wines that are well-structured and generous. Following an irregular summer, favorable September weather and a long, protracted harvest resulted in intense and ripe wines with fine integration and expression.
Piemonte (95.7) – One of the most powerful and structured of the last three decades, demanding extended cellaring. While a warm summer ripened earlier varieties, Nebbiolo benefited from well-timed rains in late August and September. Cooler evening temperatures during the final month of the growing season led to the full development of colour, expressive aromatics, ripe fruit, healthy acidity, and a powerful structure.
Tuscany (96.3) – The 2006 reds – Brunellos especially – are big, powerful, complex and balanced, with beautifully delineated aromatics and great fruit concentration. Despite a hot summer, well-timed late-August and early-September rains led to a slow maturation cycle, resulting in gorgeous wines that impress with their ripe yet fresh fruit and firm, dense structures.
Chateau Musar (94) – Dense, crimson-coloured wine with a lovely combination of fruit and freshness. Despite the challenges of a growing season that included a siege in Lebanon, this Carignan-based blend is vivacious and has masses of concentration and allure. While it can be enjoyed now, this is a wine that will reward patience, with a palate of lifted, refreshing, and delicate red fruit and fine tannins.
2007
Barsac/Sauternes (93.3)– Some of the most opulent and rich Sauternes and Barsacs of the last two decades, with a prevalence of smoky, marmalade-infused botrytis. These concentrated, hedonistic wines are built for ageing and are a testament to the hard work of the top producers in a difficult year.
Southern Rhône (94.3) – Thanks to its long Indian summer, 2007 produced ripe, rich, and powerful reds. Grenache is particularly heady and rich, while Mourvèdre and Cinsault are key to providing balance. The best wines are hedonistic delights, though a few are a bit over-the-top.
Piemonte (96) – Opulent, racy, and built on forward fruit in a style similar to 1985 or 1990. Despite a hot, dry summer that led to an early start, a cool end to the growing season extended ripening and added attractive aromatics to balance the wines.
Tuscany (95) – Soft, silky, and expressive wines that are riper and more fruit-forward than the 2006. Despite a warmer year overall, cooler temperatures and greater diurnal swings toward the end of the growing season helped the wines maintain their acidity and develop aromatics, resulting in an elegant style with immediate charm.
Vintage Port (97) – Wonderfully pure and aromatic with the concentration and structure for a long life in bottle. A cool summer and a long, steady ripening period resulted in wines that are structured yet refined, with precise and defined ripe fruit and polished tannins.
California (96.3) – Overall, ripe, complex, and classically balanced wines, combining plush tannins, generous fruit, and elegant structure. With ideal ripening, moderate weather, and leisurely harvest conditions, it ranks especially among Napa’s truly great, ageworthy years, producing brilliant bottles across all appellations.
2008
Champagne (97.7) – Racy, energetic, tense character, and a modern-day classic rendering vivid, well-structured wines. A cool growing season led to high acidity and slow, gradual ripening, but a warm September yielded a high potential for natural alcohol, resulting in vibrant, crystalline wines with fine textural finesse and lengthy cellaring potential.
Burgundy White (93.7) – Focused, elegant, and incisive whites with vibrant acidity and surprising richness. The best examples, particularly in Chablis, are concentrated and structured, making them excellent candidates for long cellaring.
Piemonte (93.7)– A late harvest and a cool snap during the final ripening phase – particularly in Barolo – produced deceptively mid-weight wines with extraordinary aromatic lift and silkiness. A true insiders' vintage, 2008 is an especially Burgundian style that continues to improve with age.
2009
Champagne (93)– Ripe, radiant, and seductive wines that are approachable and harmonious. A warm season yielded fine expression and good overall quality, leading to many producers declaring the vintage and even releasing their tête de cuvées ahead of the 2008.
Bordeaux (96.5)– The 2009 Bordeaux vintage produced flamboyant, opulent wines of ripe tannins, high sugar, and low acidity, marked by remarkable richness and ripeness. Thanks to wide day–night temperature swings, it ranks among the all-time greats and is exceptional across the board. Routinely classed alongside ‘47, ‘61 and ‘05.
Barsac/Sauternes (96.7) – An absolutely magnificent year, perhaps second only to 2001 in this century. A magical combination of ideal heat and humidity, resulting in powerful and balanced wines that are rich with noble rot and flavours of marmalade and smoke. Undoubtedly one of the greatest sweet wine vintages of all time.
Burgundy Red (95) – Charming, fruit-driven reds with ripe, pure character and a sensual texture. A warm, dry summer produced generous, approachable wines, some soft and overripe for early drinking, while the best examples – particularly from the Côte de Nuits – show superior ripeness, balance, and the structure to reward mid- to long-term cellaring.
Northern Rhône (96) – Overt fruit, density, and warmth. A warm, dry season with a mid-August rain and cool nights kept the grapes fresh, resulting in wines with a fine balance of fruit, density, and warmth. The best are rich and full, with plenty of concentrated dark fruit character and a structure that will ensure longevity.
Southern Rhône Red (94) – A warm, dry growing season with a heat wave after veraison, producing ripe and concentrated wines that still maintain energy and balance. Great purity of fruit and polished tannins – drinking beautifully now.
South Africa (93) – An outstanding, consistent and late year, with excellent water reserves that helped vines handle a compressed harvest brought on by a very dry, hot February. The reds are especially impressive, with aromatic complexity, density, depth, and beautifully ripe tannins.
California (95) – Intensely perfumed, mid-weight wines where reds showed silky tannins, radiant fruit, and immediate charm balanced by finesse and delicacy. A cooler, late season with careful harvest timing yielded pure, opulent wines best enjoyed over the medium term.
The good and the great – 2010-2019
2010
Bordeaux (97.5) – The 2010 Bordeaux vintage delivered powerful, structured wines with high tannin, acidity, and dry extract, built for long-term ageing. In contrast to the opulence of 2009, these are classically styled, stunningly ageworthy wines.
Burgundy White (94.3) – Rich, pure, minerally, and deep white wines. While a pre-harvest rainstorm prevented it from being even more extraordinary, the best examples are clean and pure with ripe fruit flavours and nice zip.
Burgundy Red (96) – Undoubtedly among Burgundy’s finest, with low yields from spring frost and difficult flowering giving small, thick-skinned berries of exceptional quality. Complexity, intensity, and profound terroir expression, combining vibrant fruit, acidity, and fine-grained tannins in a perfectly balanced structure built for long-term cellaring.
Northern Rhône (97.3) – Outstanding, producing structured, deeply flavored, and energetic wines that are worth the wait. A cool, wet spring resulted in historically low yields, but a dry summer, well-timed September rains, and a late Indian summer led to a late harvest of terrific quality. Reds are racy and loaded with minerality, making this one of the great vintages of the last few decades.
Southern Rhône (97.3) – An exceptional year with many producers creating their best wines in decades. A cool, windy spring drastically reduced the crop, but a late harvest following a growing season of warm days and cool nights resulted in beautifully ripe, racy, terroir-driven wines with high tannin levels, making this an extremely ageworthy vintage.
Piemonte (97.7)– Especially in Barolo, the 2010 vintage is one of the truly great modern-day vintages, with a cool growing season and ideal weather before harvest. This combination resulted in pure, elegant, and structured reds with fine potential for ageing. All the potential to go down as one of the all-time great vintages in Piemonte.
Tuscany (97.7) – Superb. Mid-weight, translucent wines with tons of sangiovese character and silky tannins. Perfect late-summer weather with warm days and cool nights resulted in elegant, structured wines with ample ripe fruit flavours and high quality across the board, making this a classic and age-worthy vintage.
Rioja (95) – An outstanding year that produced wines combining power and vivacity. These ripe, balanced wines are fresh and focused, with the acidity and tannic structure to ensure long-term cellaring.
Australia (94) – A low-yielding year that produced well-balanced wines with clarity and freshness. Winter rains broke a long drought, resulting in wines with bright acidity, vivacious fruit, and moderate, fine-grained tannins. While many are now accessible, the best examples have the balance to age gracefully.
California (96) – Often fabulously structured cabernets, combining the energy of a cool season with the ripeness of a warm year. A long, steady growing season yielded tight, dense, deeply layered wines of exceptional quality that merit extended cellaring.
2011
Barsac/Sauternes (95.3) – The 2011 vintage ranks among the great years for Bordeaux’s sweet wines, with botrytis arriving early and spreading quickly. The best Sauternes and Barsacs are racy, pure and refined, combining vibrant acidity with sneaky concentration, opulence, and a beautifully detailed botrytis character.
Port (98.5) – Near-perfect weather conditions in the Douro yielded exceptional vintage Ports that are both concentrated and elegant. These wines possess outstanding aromatic complexity, along with the acidity and tannic structure needed for a long, glorious evolution in the bottle, making 2011 one of the top six Port vintages of the last 50 years.
Chateau Musar (94) – A very wet spring and a delayed harvest producing a challenging and unusual wine with a distinct Bordeaux style. Aromas of plum sauce and damson in a cuvée that is denser and more concentrated than the 2010, showing ripe tannins, tangy balsamic acidity, and a savory, leathery finish. The palate, with its mulberries, cherry, and spice, is medium- to full-bodied, and while just starting to drink now, it has the structure to age well.
2012
Champagne (95.7) – Has since surpassed early expectations, providing some of the best Champagnes for drinking today. Despite a challenging season with a drastically reduced crop due to frost, mildew, and oidium, a hot summer resulted in a miraculous recovery at harvest. The wines are rich, radiant, and harmonious, with a generous feel.
Burgundy Red (94.7) – Outstanding. Dense, concentrated reds with liqueur-like ripeness, freshness, and fine-grained tannins. Despite an uneven season and hail in parts of the Côte de Beaune, low yields of thick-skinned grapes delivered richly perfumed, sensual wines of purity and elegance, built for graceful, long-term cellaring.
Australia (93) – A low-yielding year that produced wines of grace and intensity. Lower than normal spring temperatures led to a short crop, but a warm summer and excellent harvest conditions resulted in expressive and approachable wines with moderate tannins and an overall sense of balance.
California (95.3) – Generous, fruit-driven, and approachable, offering vibrant, pure flavours and medium-term appeal. A warm, dry, high-yielding season produced a solid, well-structured vintage with many standout wines built on ripe fruit and balanced tannins.
2013
Champagne (95.3) – Marked by a cool spring and a late September harvest, 2013 produced vibrant, balanced wines with good ageing potential. Chardonnay, in particular, excelled in this challenging year, with the best examples showing tremendous concentration, depth, and power. Similar to the 2008 vintage but with more mid-palate richness.
Barsac/Sauternes (93) – Despite being a cold, challenging vintage with low yields, 2017 produced some excellent Sauternes and Barsacs. Unlike the red Bordeaux, the sweet wines from this year are fresh and bright, with the presence of noble rot adding a welcome layer of complexity and depth.
Piemonte (95.7) – Marked by a cool growing season and late harvest, 2013 yielded perfumed, aromatic Barolos with notable freshness, power, and striking site-specific signatures. These austere, classically structured wines are built for cellaring and are thrilling at the top level.
Tuscany (95.3) – Began with a cold winter and rainy spring, produced elegant, balanced Brunellos with vibrant structures and soaring aromatics. A cool growing season and late harvest resulted in perfectly ripe fruit, leading to wines that are hitting their stride and have the depth and complexity to continue evolving for a decade or more.
California (97.3) – Often profound, vibrant, and powerful wines of exceptional concentration, structure, and balance. A flawless, drought-year growing season and early harvest yielded benchmark, ageworthy classics (especially among the Napa Valley’s) that rank as the most thrilling and long-lived vintages.
2014
Barsac/Sauternes (94)– The vintage began with a dry, cool growing season, which produced fresh, racy fruit. A long Indian summer then spurred on botrytis, enabling later pickings of fruit with a richer, more tropical character. This combination of styles points to a truly special vintage.
Burgundy White (96.3) – Superb, beautifully balanced, concentrated wines with outstanding ageing potential. Rich, ripe, with a compelling natural balance of fruit, minerality, density, and verve.
Burgundy Red (93) – Delicious, midweight wines with alluring aromatics, fruit, freshness, and tension. The best examples, a result of a mediocre summer followed by a warm and sunny September, have added depth and energy, with juicy acidity, supple tannins, and considerable early appeal.
California (94) – Particularly in Napa, elegant, energetic, and beautifully aromatic, offering depth, minerality, and nuance with slightly less flesh than 2013. A warm, early harvest in the midst of drought yielded a consistent, finely balanced vintage now showing increasing complexity with time.
2015
Bordeaux (95.1) – Opulent, fruit-driven wines with rich textures and great personality, especially strong in Margaux, Saint-Julien, and Pessac-Léognan. Quality is less consistent in the northern Médoc due to late rains, making careful selection essential.
Barsac/Sauternes (94.7) – Although the hot, extreme summer might not seem ideal for sweet wines, the August rains and cooler temperatures that followed proved to be quite favorable for the 2015 vintage. Its wines are generally floral, bright, and moderately sweet, resulting in a medium-bodied style.
Burgundy Red (97) – Consistently successful, with ripe, vivacious, and deeply fruited wines that have fine cellaring potential. Spring rains offset a hot, dry summer, resulting in lush and balanced reds with fruit concentration, texture, and depth.
Northern Rhône (98) – Monumental, and a new benchmark year, producing wines of distinct ripeness and energy. Marked by heat and drought, the growing season was saved by cool nights that maintained acidity and well-timed rains. The resulting wines are rich in both fruit and terroir, with ample but integrated structure while their balance makes them approachable relatively early.
Southern Rhône (95.3) – Now considered one of the great vintages of this generation, offering impressively concentrated and structured wines with excellent freshness. Ideal spring conditions followed by a warm, dry summer and August rains allowed later-ripening grapes like Grenache and Mourvèdre to excel, resulting in rich, ripe reds with powerful fruit and tannins that are in sync with the wine's acidity.
Tuscany (96) – Ripe, rich reds with an alluring mix of power and purity. A warm, dry summer was complemented by cool nighttime temperatures and adequate rain, resulting in a healthy crop of perfectly ripe grapes. The best wines are dense with tannins and have the acidity to age long term, but can also be enjoyed for their fruit today.
South Africa (94.7) – The earliest harvest to date for many wineries, and one of the most successful years since at least 2009. Early budbreak and a dry, warm summer without extreme heat resulted in a very consistent vintage with even ripening and no disease pressure. Picture-perfect grapes produced concentrated, pure wines of consistently high quality, with even the atypically rich whites benefiting from bright, supporting acidity.
Australia (93.3) – A year yielding wines with plenty of intensity and a long, smooth maturation curve. A mostly dry and warm growing season, along with frost and wildfires that shrank yields for some, resulted in ripe fruit with healthy acid levels and harmonious tannins. The wines are approachable on the young side thanks to their freshness, balance, and bright fruit expression.
2016
Bordeaux (96.6)– Remarkable wines from a vintage marked by exceptional balance, combining massive yet seamless tannins with bright acidity and vibrant red-fruit profiles. Saint-Julien shines as the standout appellation, while Pauillac and Margaux also produced magnificent wines, though quality is more variable across the broader Médoc.
Northern Rhône (94.7) – Elegant, lively wines emphasising freshness and purity over power. A long, cool growing season with a wet spring and a hot summer led to a late harvest, resulting in ripe, well-balanced, focused reds with harmonious tannins, good concentration and structure, making them both approachable and ageworthy.
Southern Rhône (97.3) – A new benchmark, producing outstanding wines that are both deep and energetic. The growing season's large diurnal swings resulted in a slow, even ripening, producing fruit-driven reds with great freshness and all the necessary structure to ensure exceptional cellaring potential.
Piemonte (97.7)– An extraordinary, classic year, with exceptionally high average quality. The long growing season, combined with well-timed rains and cool evening temperatures at harvest, resulted in balanced, vibrant, and tense Barolos and refined, elegant Barbarescos.
Tuscany (97.7) – Especially for Brunello, 2016 is a benchmark year for its wines' finesse, elegance, balance, and harmony. A textbook growing season with moderate temperatures, well-timed rains, and strong diurnal shifts resulted in reds that are dark, pure, and powerfully structured, with a remarkable transparency that highlights their specific sites.
Rioja (94) – A rare combination of both quantity and quality. An abundant crop of healthy grapes produced outstanding reds that are aromatic, beautifully balanced, and have great depth and persistence. The best wines are fresh, with plenty of upfront appeal and the concentration to reward patience, while their fine-grained tannins will allow them to deliver pleasure throughout their lives.
Vintage Port (94.5) – A generally declared vintage for wines showing vibrant, youthful fruit, juicy, zippy acidity and tightly-knit structure.
California (98) – Napa cabernets are elegant, nuanced, and aromatically expressive, gaining weight and depth with time in bottle. A cooler August and balanced drought conditions produced a structured, terroir-driven vintage with intense fruit and the potential to rank among the region’s finest, while for chardonnay, 2016 was a fabulous year, yielding deep, powerful, super-expressive wines that will drink beautifully for years.
2017
Burgundy White (95.3) – 2017 was marked by a relatively calm growing season, with quick flowering, a large crop, and an early harvest, despite brief weather challenges in late summer. The wines are ripe and fleshy with vibrant structure, generally promising, and while many are already approachable, the best will benefit from further cellaring.
Northern Rhône (95) – Deeply coloured, weighty, ripe and seductive. A long, warm, and dry season with cool nights and well-timed late-season rains led to an early harvest of small clusters. With higher alcohol levels, reds are approachable early, but the best examples show surprising freshness and concentration, ensuring they will age well.
Vintage Port (97.5) – An extraordinary year that produced intensely concentrated wines as a result of a rare back-to-back general declaration. These are still tannic, youthful wines that are slow to mature.
South Africa (93) – A drought year in the Cape with low yields, but without major heat waves. Cooler night temperatures helped retain acidity, and a cool September led to a slow, even ripening. This resulted in graceful, expressive, and complex wines that are extraordinary and accessible.
2018
Bordeaux – Rich, powerful wines shaped by one of the hottest, driest summers in fifty years, with Merlot picked early and Cabernet Sauvignon later adding complexity. While downy mildew devastated some estates, the top vineyards delivered opulent, dramatic wines that reflect their terroir with striking clarity.
Australia (94) – High-quality wines with a bright, juicy character and fine detail. Despite warm to hot weather and lower-than-normal rainfall during the late spring and summer, cooler conditions before harvest helped the fruit retain healthy acidity levels. The resulting wines are richer than usual, with a long growing season yielding a healthy crop that promises to age gracefully.
California (97) – In many areas, 2018 benefited from a cool, even season, a long, relaxed harvest, and nearly ideal conditions that allowed producers to pick at will. The result is a spectacular year of dark, rich, deeply structured, terroir-driven cabernets and chardonnays with concentrated fruit, vibrant acidity, and remarkable consistency, ranking among the most compelling modern vintages.
Chile (94) – A textbook year producing balanced, structured, and concentrated wines. Slightly cooler-than-average temperatures led to precise Cabernet- and Carmenère-based reds with good freshness and acidity. A rainy winter followed by high temperatures in February and a mild March allowed for an extended harvest and vivacious, expressive reds with great balance.
2019
Bordeaux (95) – Firmly a Left Bank success, with late-season rains rescuing Cabernet after a hot, dry summer. Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac produced especially profound wines, with excellent quality extending through Saint-Julien and Margaux, though slightly less consistent overall.
Burgundy Red (96.7)– Outstanding, concentrated, and complex reds with black fruit flavours and excellent structure. While a hot, dry summer led to high alcohol, timely showers and a high number of sunshine hours resulted in perfectly ripe fruit and a balance of acidity. The overall quality rivals both the 2015 and 2018 vintages and offers significant ageing potential.
Northern Rhône Red (95.3) – Yet another hot year for the Northern Rhône, producing powerful, extroverted wines that are concentrated and well-defined. Despite a reduced crop due to wind and hail, the best reds are loaded with copious fruit and show more brightness, energy, and focus than the 2018s, with solid tannins that ensure a long ageing curve.
Piemonte (96)– Potent, tightly wound Nebbiolos that are structured, balanced, and built for ageing. A cool growing season with heat spikes countered by well-timed rain resulted in one of the latest harvests in recent years, with wines that recall the youthful austerity of vintages like 2016, 2005, and 1999.
Tuscany (95) – Consistent weather with warm days, cool nights, and well-timed rain, resulted in pure, fruit-filled redscombining elegance and power. Aromatically intense and very ageworthy, the top wines can rival those of the best 2016s.
California (96) – Beautiful, high-quality vintage that will be easy to drink with minimal cellaring. A wet spring led to less overt tannic structure, while moderate temperatures in late August and September resulted in a harvest that stretched into October. This yielded ripe and lush yet well-defined wines with dense and pure fruit flavors, making them a worthy follow-up to the benchmark 2018 vintage.
Argentina (94) – A regular year that produced well-ripened and structured reds with concentrated flavors. A cool, very dry winter followed by a hot, dry summer with significant diurnal shifts resulted in healthy grapes and average yields. Malbecs and Chardonnays from high-altitude vineyards in the Uco Valley are particularly fresh, showing remarkable intensity.
The good and the great – 2020-2023
2020
Bordeaux (95) – The standout of the 2018–2020 trilogy, combining warmth and dryness with timely rains and minimal disruption. While the Left Bank shows a mix of elegant and powerful styles, overall quality is consistently very high.
Burgundy White (94.3) – The 2019 Côte de Beaune vintage was challenging, with early-season frost, coulure, hail, and sunburn drastically reducing yields, in some cases by up to 40% compared to 2018. Despite the difficulties, the whites are concentrated, ripe, and powerful yet balanced by vibrant acidity, showing both richness and tension, with excellent potential to age.
Burgundy Red (95.3) – Big, powerful reds from an early harvest and delivering immediate gratification. Though a warm and dry growing season resulted in high alcohol and conspicuous opulence, the best wines are concentrated and dramatic, with surprising freshness. Flavours tend towards black and blue fruit; fine balance and structure will ensure decent cellaring.
Northern Rhône (94.7) – Low-yielding but truly great wines with classic elegance and finesse. Despite record-setting heat and drought, cooler nights and an early harvest helped the Syrah to ripen evenly and retain freshness, resulting in outstanding bottlings that show fine detail and energy, with silky tannins that allow for early drinking pleasure.
Southern Rhône (93.7)– A warm growing season and a wet winter, produced generous yields and wines with solid structure and aromatic complexity. Grenache and Mourvèdre excelled as the harvest extended into early October, resulting in rich, ripe, and expressive reds with refined textures. Less flamboyant than 2019 but deeper than 2021, these wines are harmonious and can be enjoyed both young and with age.
2021
Piemonte (96) – A classic year that produced intense, structured, and balanced wines with fine ageing potential. A cold winter, ample water reserves, and a lack of weather extremes resulted in an October harvest and extraordinary wines that are still tannic, youthful, and slow to mature.
Tuscany (95) – A high-quality year, with winter rains providing critical water reserves to help vines endure one of the driest summers of the decade. Despite reduced yields and early spring frosts, the season's relatively cool temperatures and coastal breezes resulted in a very healthy vintage with fresh, fragrant whites and concentrated reds with ripe tannins.
Rioja (96) – A cool year with a dry summer, but much-needed September rains and cool nights led to a slow, balanced ripening. The results are harmonious and polished, with near-perfect ripeness, remarkable tannins, and a depth of flavour and finesse.
South Africa (94) – A mild and outstanding year, with a cool, lengthy ripening period and a late harvest. Significant rainfall in January and a cool February resulted in fresh and concentrated wines with lower alcohol and higher acidity levels. These wines are still tannic, youthful, or slow to mature, with a quality that reflects a return to a cooler, more European-style season.
Australia (93.5) – More specifically in Coonawarra and around Victoria, 2021 is considered one of the greatest in recent memory, producing wines with exceptional purity of fruit and a classical claret style. A rare combination of finesse, balance, and restrained power, with thick-skinned berries and significant tannins that give them both immediate appeal and excellent aging potential.
California (96.7) – Fresh, vibrant, and powerfully fruited wines despite paltry yields from sustained heat and drought. A cool, even August and a lack of heat spikes led to an even ripening, resulting in wines with tremendous energy and finesse. These concentrated and structured wines show precision, floral lift, balance, purity, and a strong sense of place.
Argentina (94) – An atypical harvest for the Northern Region of Mendoza, requiring patience and expertise. Cool temperatures and rain slowed ripening, resulting in concentrated reds with relatively lower alcohol..
Chile (94) – A mild year for the Central Valley, with a cool, lengthy ripening period that resulted in fresh yet concentrated wines with lower alcohol and great acidity. Cabernets and Carménères ripened well, producing clear red fruit flavors and nuanced aromas with refined tannins. A cold front in January and low temperatures through February produced balanced, fruit-forward wines, with a classic Bordeaux style in Maipo.
2022
Bordeaux (95.5) – A new benchmark. The 2022 growing season was consistently warm and dry from beginning to end, with only a few needed rainfalls in June and August. All major grape varieties thrived, and the resulting red wines have a fleshy fruit character with fresh and pure aromas. Overall, this vintage is more consistent than the previous 2018-2020 vintages.
Burgundy White (95.5) – The 2022 vintage in the Côte de Beaune combined record warmth and sunshine with well-timed June rains that prevented drought stress, resulting in a healthy, good-sized crop. The whites are fresh, floral, and balanced, with concentrated yet elegant palates, silky textures, and moderate alcohol, making for an exceptionally successful year.
Burgundy Red (96.5) – Vibrant, complex, and balanced reds bursting with fruit. A hot, dry summer was offset by late-June rains, and the warmth of July and August provided splendid ripening conditions without drought stress resulting in perfumed and alluring pinots with refined tannins seamlessly bonded to poised, fresh fruit.
Northern Rhône (93.5) – An early harvest despite record heat and drought. Reds show remarkable freshness, elegance, and moderate alcohol, with ripe, expressive aromatics. And although they offer early drinkability, they are also firmly structured, ensuring excellent cellaring potential.
Southern Rhône (94.7) – Ripe and powerful, yielding some gorgeous wines. Despite extreme heat and drought, a late August rain saved the vines, resulting in lush, rich, silky, and balanced reds.
2023
Bordeaux (94.5) – A very good year for producers who meticulously managed the growing season's challenges. The best wines are balanced, expressive, intense and elegant, offering excellent value, while showcasing the skill of winemakers who successfully navigated the year's conditions.
Southern Rhône (93) – The 2023 is shaping up to be a very good, consistent year, with wines that are fruit-driven and approachable, thanks to softer tannins. The best reds are emerging from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Vacqueyras.
Historic pre-millennial vintages
Champagne
1982, 1988, 1990, 1996
Bordeaux Left Bank
1959, 1961, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1998
Barsac/Sauternes
1959, 1967, 1983, 1989, 1990,
Burgundy White
1990
Burgundy Red
1949, 1953, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1971, 1985, 1990, 1999
Northern Rhône Red
1959, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1999
Southern Rhône Red
1961, 1967, 1970,1978, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1990, 1998,
Piemonte
1978, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1999
Tuscany
1985, 1988, 1990, 1997, 1999
Rioja
1964, 1982, 1994, 1995
Vintage Port
1963, 1977, 1994, 1997
Vintage wines: to be continued
Of course, it doesn’t end here. Indeed, any vintage guide by its very nature is a work in progress. Which is why we’re now staying tuned for what consensus emerges regarding the 2024 vintage. Once gained, we’ll update the guide accordingly. In the meantime, it remains at your disposal to support the drinking decisions you make for your own collection and to guide what intentions you may have of investing in both mature, drinking vintages and in newer ones to lay down.
In other words, watch this space!
— David Adamick, FromVineyardsDirect
