Your Own Wine Encyclopedia Start Free Trial

Wine Vintage Chart

Dajeong Lim M.D.
DipWSET · CMS Advanced Sommelier (Leslie Rudd Award 2024) · FWS · IWS · SWS
Wine educator of PDT Seoul · Editor of YourOwnWineEncyclopedia.com · Last reviewed June 2026

A single quick-reference vintage chart for the world's major wine regions — quality, character and notable events compared at a glance across recent vintages — built especially for MS and advanced sommelier candidates. Free to read, drawn from Your Own Wine Encyclopedia.

Front Matter

Overview

This chapter consolidates recent vintage assessments for the major wine regions of the world into a single quick-reference book. Each region is presented with a standardised five-column chart so that quality, yield, temperature character and notable events / hazards can be compared at a glance across vintages and across regions.

Scope.

Standard column structure.

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards

Narrative sources (no vintage scores): Jancis Robinson and Decanter inform the verdicts and the weather & harvest notes, but do not enter the star arithmetic.

Verdict Stars 100-pt score
Outstanding ★★★★★ 95–100
Very good ★★★★☆ 93–94
Good ★★★★ 92
Average / Variable ★★★☆ 90–91
Average / Variable ★★★ 88–89
Below average ★★☆ 86–87
Below average ★★ 85
Bad ★☆ 83–84
Bad ★ 80–82
Very bad ☆ < 80

A trailing white star (☆) marks a half-step. ★★★★☆ (Very good) sits a notch above ★★★★ (Good); lower half-steps take the lower verdict (e.g. ★★★☆ is Average). "Variable" replaces "Average" when quality is uneven across producers or sub-zones. (est.) flags vintages too recent for published scores.

Sources & verification. Each chart cites its primary sources beneath the table. Permitted sources: regional wine bodies (e.g. CIVB, NZ Winegrowers, Wine Australia, Wines of Argentina, OIV), Jancis Robinson, Wine-Searcher, Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Wine Scholar Guild, signed MW columns, and Decanter. Reader-curated, blog, retailer, and AI-generated charts have been excluded.

A note on accuracy. Vintage assessment is interpretive, and these sources do not always agree — critics weight temperature, yield and quality differently, and regional bodies often report on a different geographic unit than the critic charts (national figures vs a single sub-region, for example). The labels here reflect a careful reading of the consensus across multiple trusted sources, but reasonable sources differ and the occasional error is inevitable. Treat each entry as a starting point: for any decision on a specific wine or vintage, consult the primary sources and the most recent regional harvest reports directly.

Part I — Old World (2010 – 2025)

Regions in this Part

Regions covered in Part I

France

Italy

Spain

Portugal

Germany

Austria

Champagne

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Very good
★★★★☆ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated; harvest reports favourable; pre-publication Hot dry summer; early harvest
2024 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Variable; third difficult vintage in four years — WSG; Aube catastrophic mildew losses (e.g. Fleury near-total); Chardonnay outperformed Pinot Noir/Meunier; long season → complex musts, lower pH, higher acid, lower alcohol Wettest growing-season ever recorded in Champagne (546 mm Apr–Sept); April frost; catastrophic mildew in Aube
2023 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Above-avg (bumper crop) Hot–Warm "Vintage of the rich" per Decanter — Grande Marque estates and well-resourced growers shone; Chardonnay/Côte des Blancs best; black grapes uneven; "many growers not capable of necessary sorting" Enormous bunch weights (+30% record); Aug rain → mildew + botrytis; Drosophila suzukii pressure (acid rot)
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 High Hot "Exceeded hopes spectacularly" — WSG 5★; widely declared (Krug, Roederer Cristal expected); grapes in beautiful health; "easy to see it would be a great year, especially Chardonnay" — Clément Vergnon, Le Mesnil; acidities slightly lower than long-term avg 3rd warmest summer ever, sunniest summer ever (915 sunshine hrs); spring 4th driest after 1976/2012/2014; early April frost destroyed the most precocious Chardonnay sites; harvest started mid-August (Aube)
2021 Average / Variable
★★★		 Very low (35-yr low) Cool/wet Difficult; vivacious and classical base wines from best Côte des Blancs sites, overall mixed; few declarations expected Severe April + May frosts (heavy losses, worst in Côte des Bars & Massif de St Thierry); cold wet stormy summer with hail; mildew & disease losses; mid-Aug warmth too late
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot (dry) Ripe early harvest; declared by some major houses; Pinot Noir exceptionally promising; growers very enthusiastic about best base wines February wettest month ever recorded in Champagne; July hottest month ever; budburst 16 days early; earliest harvest ever in Champagne (official start ~17 Aug); COVID demand drop → yield capped 8,000 kg/ha
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Concentrated; sorted crop showed satisfactory sugar+acidity, freshness; Roederer Lécaillon comparison; declared by several houses unusually warm February set up powdery mildew threat; April frosts hit ~15% of the growing area; mid-July downy mildew; late-July heatwave caused sunburn + raisining
2018 † Outstanding
★★★★★ †		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) "Vintage of the century" — WSG; Wine-Searcher "Legendary"; Roederer Lécaillon "theoretical combination of 1959 + 1947"; widely declared; ripe powerful Champagne with average natural alcohol >10%, total acidity 7-7.5 g/l (mostly malic, not tartaric) Second warmest summer ever (after 2003); some houses asked growers to pick at no more than 9.5%; Hail in May/early June (localized losses); one of the earliest harvests since 2000 (until surpassed by 2020)
2017 Below average
★★☆		 Low (frost) Mod "Poor quality Pinot Noir + Meunier" — WSG; fair-to-good Chardonnay survivors; very few houses declared; Krug 2011 reserves at risk; chaotic — "perfect illustration of climate scientists' global warming predictions" — WSG April frosts eliminated much of the potential crop (worst in Côte des Bars); record heat through July; storms + hail early Aug; botrytis outbreaks → careful sorting required
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (−33%) Mod Selective declarations; softness in Chardonnay-dominated wines; Pinot Noir fared better late April snow + frost; two very wet months → unprecedented mildew losses; late-Jul/Aug sun-burn
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot dry Declared widely; ripe, finely balanced, structured, fresh, concentrated for long ageing; 2015s ageing more variably than expected; lowest acid year since 2003 Hot dry vintage; perfect harvest first half of Sept
2014 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Declared by many; classic structure; Chardonnay & Montagne de Reims Pinot best; Marne Valley dilute 4th driest spring ever (after 1976/2012/2018-tie); cool wet July; Aug clearing for fine September
2013 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool Declared by some (Krug, Salon); late October harvest; tense, acidic, good aging fruit; "vintage year for most" — WSG Long winter + cool spring → Chardonnay flowered mid-June, Pinots mid-July; hail in Marne late July; record-breakingly hot/sunny July–Aug saved vintage
2012 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low (frost + hail; ~9,200 kg/ha) Mod Widely declared, top vintage of decade; concentrated, age-worthy; highest average sugars across all varieties; maturity = 2009; Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle No.26 (2023 release) used 65% 2012; "current sweet spot 2008→2012" — Decanter Widespread April frosts (131 of 319 villages); very cold sunless flowering; long rainless period mid-July to Sept
2011 Below average
★★☆		 Above-avg (large, early harvest) Warm spring → Cool summer Not widely declared; "approach cautiously" — WS; heterogenous fruit at harvest; very few houses declared Hot, dry spring; large early harvest; hail/rot pressure
2010 Average / Variable
★★★		 Reduced (rot) Warm Limited declarations; Chardonnay fared best; mid-Aug rain → widespread rot for Pinots; highest Pinot acidities of the 2000s; declared by select houses Mid-Aug rains provoked widespread rot; rot reduced crop substantially
2009 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Harmonious, approachable wines of good overall quality; declared by several houses Warm, even season
2008 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Cool, classic Vivid, well-structured, classic, potentially long-lived; virtually every house declared (Cristal WS 97, Krug WS 99, Dom Pérignon WS 96) Cool classic season; firm, lively acidity
2007 Below average
★★☆		 Low Mod Few houses declared; top producers made fresh, accessible wines; Chardonnay best Challenging, disease-prone growing season
2006 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Mod Well-structured, generous; the best show fine integration and expression Variable season
2005 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Open-knit, approachable, short-term cellaring; Chardonnay fared best Variable; Chardonnay-favoured
2004 Good
★★★★		 Highest (all-time record) Mod Abundant harvest; sleek, vibrant, classical — especially Chardonnay; widely declared Record crop (~14,000 kg/ha — about twice normal, all-time high)
2003 Average / Variable
★★★		 Very low (frost) Heatwave Torrid vintage few houses declared; little Chardonnay; best can be sumptuous but inconsistent April frosts cut Chardonnay; extreme summer heat
2002 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Best year since 1996 — complex, rich, with firm, lively structure; ageworthy; declared by virtually all houses (benchmark) Excellent, well-balanced season
2001 Below average
★★ ‡		 Low Cool, wet Largely undeclared — WS & WE record no vintage; a difficult year Wet, rot-prone season
2000 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Top examples balanced, with vibrant structure and finesse; declared by many ("millennium") Variable but widely declared

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WS, WA, WE and WSG (Andrew Jefford). The WSG French chart (Jefford) runs from 2000 to the present, so WSG is included for the pre-2010 vintages as well. Weather & harvest narrative: WSG Champagne Vintage Chart (Jefford); Decanter Vintage Champagne Guide; Jancis Robinson Champagne Vintage Chart; Wine Spectator Champagne chart.

† 2018 — Mathematical mean lands at 4.625 (WA 92E "early-ready" + WS 93 "short-term aging" tempering WSG ★★★★★ Exceptional and WE 97). Per the borderline rule, narrative override applied: WSG ("vintage of the century, 1947+1959"), Wine-Searcher ("Legendary"), Decanter and WE consensus on the opulent ripe style → upgraded to ★★★★★. Note that WA/WS skepticism reflects the low-acidity / high-alcohol profile that won't age classically, not the wine's intrinsic quality.

‡ 2001 — Largely undeclared: WS and WE list no vintage, so the ★★ rests on WA 88 and WSG ★ only.

Past Vintages — Champagne

Pre-2010 declaration history compiled from Decanter Vintage Champagne Guide, Decanter "Sparkling Nineties" (Champagne 1990s feature), Wine Spectator Champagne Vintage Chart, and prestige cuvée release records.

2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s — Notable
Pre-1970 — Legendary historical vintages

★ 2024: Rainiest Champagne vintage, 2018–2022? → 2021 (cold, wet, stormy summer)

★ 2026: Lowest yield set in Champagne, 2020–2024? → 2020 (8,000 kg/ha)

Alsace

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Very good
★★★★☆ (est.)		 TBD TBD Estimated from early reports; harvest pending Pre-publication
2024 Good
★★★★		 Low (≈914,000 hl, −13%) Cool/wet Fresher, dryer, zestier than recent norm; Rieslings should age well; not a great year for Gewurztraminer (needs extended ripening + some sweetness); best-drained hillside Grand Cru sites (granite, limestone, volcanic) and growers who picked weekends fared best Highly variable rainfall — some sites received more than twice the rain of others; very wet May; mid-July to end-August hot/dry with occasional storms; September cool/intermittently wet
2023 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg (Riesling well below) Hot–Warm Crisp, cleanly defined wines with ample length; few sweet wines; best dry Grand Crus will age well; reds with intense fruit; phenolic maturity ran ahead of sugar due to dry conditions → less alcoholic than 2022 Cool wet March pushed budburst past frost risk; heat at flowering (first 2 wks June) caused coulure on Riesling, significantly cutting crop; July drought onset; late-July/early-Aug cooler/wetter; dry heat returned end of August
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg (below 5-yr avg) Hot/Dry Expressive, elegant dry whites with ample pungency and drive; best Pinot Noir since 2020; sweet wine difficult — dry summer not conducive to botrytis Alsace suffered most among Northern French regions from July/August 2022 heat; notable heat spike early August; heat + nascent drought caused coulure/millerandage especially on Riesling; late-June rain + hail (Niedermorschwihr, Katzenthal); mid-August hail; harvest spread late August (Humbrecht) – late September (Chapoutier)
2021 Good
★★★★		 Very low (lowest since the 1950s) Cool Tense, textured dry Alsace with outstanding fruit, especially Riesling; Humbrecht: "A loss of 50% might be regarded as catastrophic in a normal year, but in 2021 it represented a victory over the elements" Early-April frost (light losses in Alsace vs heavy in Burgundy); mildew losses outweighed frost losses (heavy May/June/July rain); August warmth saved late season; late-Sept into October enabled late harvest
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot (dry) Pinot Noir crop exceptional — "considered by some the best ever"; all varieties performed; sweet wine production back to normal after very short 2019; classical 2019-style without the spring frosts First year of new regional yield agreement (still wines 65 hl/ha from 80); very early harvest — Crémant began in August, still wines early September; no frost losses
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (short crop, few sweet wines) Hot "Magnificent" — freshness + structure + richness; both dry and sweet wines will age well; vines 3 weeks behind 2018 pace at flowering May frosts but didn't greatly affect best vineyards; drought hit warmest stoniest sites by end July; August rain saved the day → mid-August véraison back on track; magnificent harvest weather through September into October
2018 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) Generous in quantity and style; Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir particularly successful; substantial Vendange Tardive and SGN production; ages well in both dry and sweet style Mild winter; a sharp late-February freeze; a year's rainfall fell in first seven months; a late-August heat spike; long leisurely 2-month-plus harvest from late August (Crémant)
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (−20% on 2016) Mod Perfumed, complex, concentrated all varieties; high quality across the board including reds and late-harvest; 5th-hottest summer in 40 years an exceptionally cold winter; mid-April frosts hit flatland/bottom-slope vineyards hardest (especially Auxerrois/PB for Crémant); near-perfect Aug–Sept; one of earliest harvests ever (from late August)
2016 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Classically poised, fresh Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer; little to no botrytis → few Vendange Tardive and SGN Alarmingly warm January; cool fretful spring; intensely wet June; weather improved late month for flowering; summer thereafter warm/dry with no rain until mid-September; harvest end-Sept through fine October
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot dry "Greatest Alsace vintage since 1990 and 1971"; all varieties excelled including Pinot Noir; full VT/SGN production Warm dry spring/early summer; July heatwave → vines suffering by early August; rain storms early August hugely helpful; thereafter perfect ripening + leisurely September harvest
2014 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Mod (Aug cool) Beautifully balanced wines favouring dry over sweet styles; Riesling and Pinot Gris particularly successful July had double average rainfall → disease pressures; August cooler than usual → Drosophila suzukii attacks on dark-skinned grapes (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer); mid- to late-September picking
2013 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low (~25 hl/ha) Cool (late) Fine dry Riesling/Pinot Gris/Gewurztraminer — fresh, elegant, vital; few VT and SGN wines Cool slow spring; flowering delayed to second half of June; mid-July to mid-August warm/dry with hail in some sectors; early September rain welcome; rest of September dry/sunny; early October harvest
2012 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Structured wines with potentially long life; some compare to 2010 or 2002 Spring frosts; extended flowering with isolated hail; very dry summer with water stress; beneficial September rains; reduced harvest of mature grapes
2011 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Warm spring → Cool summer Lighter, often delicate wines of lower alcohol and moderate acidity, many with early appeal; considerable variability; sorting key to quality Early start; cool wet summer with frequent storms; very sunny end of August
2010 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool–Mod Concentrated expressive wines with elevated acidity; small quantities of very fine VT/SGN across varieties with marked botrytis; best dry and late-harvest wines benefit from long cellaring Mixed spring weather; prolonged flowering; coulure and millerandage; irregular ripening by variety and parcel

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WS, WA, WE, WSG (Andrew Jefford) Alsace charts. Weather & harvest narrative: WSG Alsace Vintage Chart (Jefford); Decanter Alsace coverage; Jancis Robinson Alsace Vintage Chart; CIVA.

Past Vintages — Alsace

Pre-2010 from the Wine Spectator Alsace chart and the France master's Alsace decade notes; older vintages cross-checked with the Decanter, Jancis Robinson and Wine Spectator Alsace vintage charts.

2000s
1990s

★ 2025 Americas: Lowest-yielding Alsace vintage, 2019–2023? → 2021 (smallest harvest of the decade)

Burgundy — Côte de Nuits (Pinot Noir)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Very good
★★★★☆ (est.)		 Low Hot Estimated from Decanter narrative; harvest pending Hot dry summer; early harvest; small crop (<30 hl/ha, third small harvest in five years)
2024 Average / Variable
★★★ †		 Low Cool/Wet Difficult vintage — WSG Reds 1.5★ (worst CdN year in over a decade); widespread mildew; Pinot worst hit Wet spring–summer; heavy mildew pressure; low yields
2023 Good
★★★★ †		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Abundant vintage; some heat-stressed, dilution risks; "vintage of the rich" — yield-stressed Pinot, mixed quality per WSG Warm-hot growing season; large crop; hail in Nuits-St-Georges
2022 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Hot "Hottest year ever recorded in Bourgogne since 1900" — WSG; perfumed, balanced wines; reds especially outstanding on Côte d'Or (WSG 5★); restored confidence after 3 small vintages Hot dry sunny; June rain helped balance; abundant crop (BIVB +75% vs 2021, ~40–50 hl/ha reds)
2021 Good
★★★★		 Very low Cool Classical, leaner style; tiny crops; less frost-affected than CdB; balance & grace; reds did better than whites because Pinot budded later — WSG Catastrophic April frost; near-total losses in Chablis/Petit Chablis; mildew; cool wet conditions
2020 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low Hot (dry) Big, powerful reds; very early harvest (some picked in August — a first); fresh & balanced; near-1945-level ripeness Hot dry summer; Pinot yields 20–40% below normal (drought concentration); one of earliest harvests on record
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low Hot Concentrated, complex, ageworthy; black fruit, excellent structure; near-1945-level ripeness indices Hot dry summer; poor flowering + drought cut the crop ~20%; some heat stress but good acid retention
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) Big, dense, fleshy, fruity; youthful appeal; mostly fresh and balanced; first non-chaptalised vintage in 20 years for some growers Hot dry summer; large healthy crop (~16% above 5-yr avg)
2017 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Mod Recovery year after 2016 frost devastation; bumper red crop; balanced, fresh, approachable; pure; best have 20-year structure Recovery year
2016 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Very low (frost) Mod Fresh, juicy, elegant; dark fruit; concentrated, balanced; surviving fruit excellent Devastating late April frost on Grands/Premiers Crus; tiny crop
2015 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low Hot dry Lush, ripe yet balanced; benchmark vintage at all levels; warm, ripe, structured reds and whites Hot dry summer; small berries → reduced, concentrated crop; spring rain offset drought
2014 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Juicy cherry/berry; freshness, tension; lower alcohol Hail in southern Burgundy; otherwise consistent
2013 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool/wet Low yields; crisp, light-bodied PN with vibrant acidity, ripe fruit Cool wet season; late harvest into October
2012 Very good
★★★★☆		 Very low Mod Dense, concentrated; pure fruit, elegance, freshness Poor flowering + frost + rain + mildew + localized hail; less hit than CdB but still sharply reduced (~−39%)
2011 Average
★★★☆		 Low Warm spring → Cool summer Elegant, perfumed, vibrant acidity; near-/medium-term enjoyment Early hot spring; cool wet summer; yields down 20–30%; early picking
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool–Mod Ripe fruit + tannins; vivid acidity; balance & focus; benchmark; coulure-reduced crop, concentrated wines with structure Cool late season; small concentrated berries
2009 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg (healthy) Hot "Charming and fluid, with ripe, pure fruit; some soft and overripe, for early drinking" — WS; ripe, opulent, hedonistic, accessible reds Hot spring; early flowering from late May; mid-July storms then warm; heatwave from 10 Aug ripened fruit perfectly; timely September rain
2008 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low (small crop) Cool (damp) "Late harvest and small crop due to dehydration and botrytis; strict sorting necessary for vibrant reds with flesh and concentration" — WS Damp European summer; mildew a particular problem; late-season oidium off-flavour risk; cold dry north wind in September rescued the crop
2007 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Cool "Meticulous sorting produced very good grapes; fruity, vivid, elegant reds for early-to-mid-term drinking; good success in Gevrey-Chambertin" — WS; best in the Côte de Nuits (Gevrey, Vosne, Nuits) Frigid spring delayed and unevened flowering; hail (especially Côte de Beaune) + summer downpours; threat of mildew & rot; drier September saved a small crop
2006 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Warm "A surprise; charming, fruity reds with ripeness and balance; the best will age" — WS Hot July reduced acidity; rainy August diluted phenolics; early-September thunderstorms → rot threat; fine September weather rescued the vintage
2005 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low (~25% down) Warm (long dry summer) "Ripe and dense, yet pure and balanced, with plenty of structure; a sensational vintage with longevity — ranks among the best since 1978" — WS; CdN had the edge over CdB Long warm summer, slow maturation → ripe tannins + retained acidity; yields ~25% down (drought + hail); timely early-September rain in the Nuits
2004 Below average
★★☆ †		 High (large crop) Cool/wet "The best wines are elegant, pure and balanced, despite difficult growing conditions" — WS June cold snap delayed flowering; cool wet July/August → oidium; major hailstorms in Volnay & Pommard; large crop demanded strict selection
2003 Good
★★★★		 Very low Heatwave "Exotic, ripe and concentrated; the best are destined to be classics" — WS; atypical, opulent; better in CdN than CdB, best in the more robust communes (Nuits-St-Georges, Gevrey-Chambertin) Savage April frost (11–12 Apr) devastated the crop (cause of the low yield, not the heat); excessively hot summer; harvested ~a month early
2002 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm (fine late season) "Fresh, balanced and elegant; successful from top to bottom; regional wines offer value" — WS; rare concentration and richness, high alcohol balanced by very good acidity Fine, dry late season; delivered both quality and quantity
2001 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Cool/wet "Lean, structured reds, yet ripe and potentially long-lived" — WS; CdN outperformed CdB in this difficult vintage Wet, cool, cloudy year; late, drawn-out flowering → uneven ripeness; cold wet July; hailstorm 2 Aug hit Volnay, Monthélie & Pommard; CdN cleared after 28 Sept in warmer, sunnier weather
2000 Below average
★★☆		 Avg Mod "Top wines are ripe, soft and seductive; many lack structure" — WS Mostly sunny September apart from storms on 13–14 Sept; early harvest (CdB from 10 Sept, CdN a couple of days later)

Star ratings (all years 2000–2025): Step 1 — arithmetic mean of the WS (Burgundy/CdN Reds), WA (Burgundy CdN Red) and WE (CdN) 100-point scores; Step 2 — that mean mapped to the star scale; Step 3 — combined with the WSG (Andrew Jefford — Bourgogne Côte de Nuits & Côte de Beaune Reds) star rating, weighted 3:1. Weather & harvest narrative: WSG Bourgogne Vintage Chart; WS chart descriptions; Decanter Burgundy vintage guide; Jancis Robinson Burgundy growing-season reports; BIVB.

† 2024 — Significant divergence between publications: WE 95 vs WSG 1.5★. The mean reflects this gap; surviving wines from careful producers may be much better than the average score suggests. † 2023 — WSG (2.5★) was notably more critical than WS/WE (~96) regarding the abundant, warm character. † 2004 — Wide critic split (WA 83 vs WE 91); the best wines from careful growers exceed the average score.

Past Vintages — Côte de Nuits

Older vintages from the Wine Spectator "Burgundy: Older Vintage Reds" chart and Decanter's mature-Burgundy coverage. Bold marks the standout years.

2000s
1990s
Pre-1990 — Notable older vintages

★ 2026: The coldest and wettest Côte de Nuits vintage — 2022, 2023 or 2024? → 2024

★ 2026: The 2 most sought-after vintages of Côte de Nuits from 2000–2009? → 2005 and 2009 (or 2002)

On 2009 vs 2002 for the second slot: the multi-source critic average is fractionally higher for 2009 than 2002 (both round to ★★★★★). The two divide expert opinion. Jancis Robinson (qualitative, no scores) rates both highly — 2002 powerful, balanced and concentrated; 2009 very good but riper — and generally favours the classic, fresher style. Jasper Morris MW calls 2002 a stylish, graceful "golden vintage" but one lacking the weight to rank among the truly great, and 2009 "plump," appealing more to general red-wine drinkers than to passionate Burgundy lovers (some judge it over-ripe, though Morris believes in its long-term potential). Read as quality/classicism → 2005 & 2002; read as market price/broad demand ("expensive") → 2005 & 2009.

Burgundy — Côte de Beaune (Chardonnay-dominant)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Very good
★★★★☆ (est.)		 Low Hot Estimated; harvest pending Hot dry summer; lower volumes (small berries, heat-shrunk pulp)
2024 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Cool/Wet Difficult overall; whites outperform reds in the cool wet conditions Wet spring–summer; persistent mildew pressure; careful sorting required
2023 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot–Warm "Generous vintage in both volume and ripeness, paired with lively, racy acidity; admirably fresh but without the same concentration as 2019 and 2020, and without the austerity of 2021" — Jancis Robinson Warm–hot season; large crop, dilution risk on heavier soils
2022 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Hot Ripe, balanced whites; benchmark recent vintage; delivered both quality and sorely needed quantity — 75.4% more wine produced overall than in 2021 Hot dry summer; very large crop with little coulure/millerandage; good June rain helped balance
2021 Good
★★★★		 Very low Cool Classical, taut, mineral whites; tiny crops; "go south" — Mâconnais better than CdB given frost severity (Jancis Robinson) Devastating April frost → ~50% yield reduction across Burgundy; Chardonnay particularly hard hit; mildew
2020 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot (dry) "Consistently warm but not hot... excellent fruit set... well-balanced with beautiful concentration and crystalline acidity" — Decanter; very dry sunny, early harvest Hot dry summer; one of the earliest harvests on record
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot Ripe, concentrated whites with freshness; one of the strongest concentration vintages of the decade Hot dry summer; ~40% less wine than 2018 (coulure, millerandage, July hail, sunburn); good acid retention despite heat
2018 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) Big, ripe, fleshy whites with fresh acidity; first non-chaptalised vintage in 20 years for some growers Hot dry summer; generous crop — highest white yields since 2009 (60 hl/ha+)
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Recovery from 2016 frost; abundant whites; balanced; fresh approachability Recovery year after 2016 frost devastation
2016 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low (frost) Mod Small crop of concentrated whites; surviving fruit excellent Devastating late April frost on Grands/Premiers Crus
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot dry "Classic white Burgundy vintage with good freshness and ageing potential" — Anne Morey (Meursault) per Jancis Robinson; some flabby/dilute outliers Hot dry summer; yields 30–40% below average (vine stress, small berries); older vines suffered hydric stress in some climats
2014 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Benchmark CdB white vintage; classic acidity; "the white vintage" of the decade pre-2020 — WSG 4.5★ + hail damage cut reds Hail damage in Meursault/Pommard area (June); otherwise excellent Indian-summer recovery
2013 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Late harvest; some excellent whites with high acidity Cool wet season; latest harvest in years; selective picking
2012 Good
★★★★		 Very low Mod Hail/frost reduced yields; small berries → concentrated structured whites Severe crop losses (esp. Volnay–Beaune–Meursault/Puligny/Chassagne); hail, frost, mildew
2011 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm spring → Cool summer Lower-alcohol whites; classical, fresh Early hot spring; cool wet summer; early picking
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool–Mod Benchmark CdB whites; classic, mineral, ageworthy; reference vintage; WSG 5.0★ "Exceptional" Cool late season; small concentrated berries; coulure-reduced crop
2009 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot "Exotic in character, with ripe fruit, fleshy textures and soft structures; most can be enjoyed now" — WS (Burgundy White); ripe, forward, lower-acid whites Hot dry summer; heatwave from 10 Aug; timely rain in the Côte de Beaune; risk of low acidity in the whites
2008 Good
★★★★		 Low (smaller crop) Cool "Smaller-than-average crop; vibrant acidity balanced by ample flesh in the best examples; great in Chablis" — WS Damp summer with mildew; late oidium; cool conditions preserved acidity; north wind rescued ripening
2007 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Above-avg Cool "Precise, pure and elegant, with lively structures if harvested late; at worst, unripe if picked early" — WS Frigid spring; hail (especially CdB) + summer downpours; drier September; harvest timing decisive
2006 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Warm "Best are pure, elegant and balanced, with ample flesh and, for some, botrytis character; some are low in acidity and heavy" — WS Hot July cut acidity; rainy August; early-September thunderstorms → rot threat in CdB; fine September
2005 Good
★★★★ †		 Low Warm dry "Concentrated, structured whites, with juicy acidity and ripe fruit; many enjoyable now, but the best will age; more variable in Chablis" — WS Long warm dry summer; CdB missed some refreshing September rains (favouring CdN reds); ripe yet balanced
2004 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 High Cool/wet "Fresh, structured whites; best are balanced and rich, with mineral character, but some are lean and angular" — WS June cold snap; cool wet July/August → oidium; hail in Volnay/Pommard; large crop
2003 Below average
★★		 Very low Heatwave "Charming, forward Chardonnays that are rich and soft in structure; some have aged extremely well" — WS; atypical, heady, low-acid whites prone to oxidation; cooler communes (St-Romain, Pernand) coped best April frost; excessively hot summer, smallest crop since 1981; very earliest harvest in centuries (from ~25 Aug); whites struggled to retain acidity (acidification common)
2002 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm (fine late season) "Full-bodied, ripe and rich in Côte de Beaune and Chablis, with excellent balance between fruit and acidity; fine quality in Mâconnais" — WS; particularly strong in the Côte de Beaune Fine, dry late season; rare concentration and richness with very good acidity; quality and quantity (+3% vs 5-yr avg — normal range)
2001 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Cool/wet "Exotic, forward and elegant in Côte de Beaune; ripe in Mâconnais; stick with top estates in Chablis" — WS Wet, cool, cloudy year; late uneven flowering; 2 Aug hailstorm hit Volnay & Pommard; variable
2000 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod "Elegant, with fine, fresh character stressing mineral terroir" — WS (Burgundy White); fresh, mineral whites Sunny September apart from storms on 13–14 Sept; early harvest from 10 Sept

Star ratings (all years 2000–2025): Step 1 — arithmetic mean of the WS (Burgundy White), WA (Burgundy White) and WE (CdB White) 100-point scores; Step 2 — that mean mapped to the star scale; Step 3 — combined with the WSG (Andrew Jefford — Côte de Beaune Whites) star rating, weighted 3:1. Weather & harvest narrative: WSG Bourgogne Vintage Chart; WS chart descriptions; Decanter White Burgundy Vintage Guide; Jancis Robinson Burgundy growing-season reports; BIVB.

† 2005 — Critics split (WA 88 vs WE 96); a Côte de Nuits–favoured year, with the whites more variable, especially in Chablis.

Past Vintages — Côte de Beaune

Older vintages cross-checked with the Jancis Robinson and Decanter white-Burgundy vintage guides. Bold marks the standout years.

2000s
1990s
Pre-1990 — Notable older vintages

Burgundy — Chablis

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Very good
★★★★☆ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated; harvest pending Hot dry summer
2024 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Cool/Wet Difficult vintage; significant disease pressure; selective sorting essential; WSG 2.0★ Persistent mildew; Chablis flooded twice
2023 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Decent quality despite heat; generous yields Warm summer; dilution risk on heavier limestone
2022 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Near-record heat and sunshine; a warm, very dry vintage, yet well-timed rain kept the wines fresh and balanced — fresh-styled despite the heat Hot dry summer; drought; well-timed rain preserved acidity; early harvest
2021 Good
★★★★		 Very low Cool Classical, taut Chablis; tiny crops; "the crop in Chablis and the Mâconnais was all but wiped out" — Jancis Robinson Catastrophic April frost; near-total losses in Chablis/Petit Chablis
2020 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Warm/dry (very early) Warm, dry season that avoided the heat spikes of 2018/2019; exceptionally early harvest (from ~24 Aug, second-earliest after 2003); classic, well-balanced with crystalline acidity — WSG 5.0★ "Exceptional" Warm dry summer; very early harvest
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot Ripe but mineral; very good acidity retention Hot dry growing season; low-yielding (~half of 2020) — frost + poor flowering
2018 Good
★★★★		 High Hot (heatwaves) Ripe; some lack of typical Chablis tension; a generous comeback crop after the short 2016–17 (yields well over appellation limits) Hot dry summer; localized frost/hail losses in some sectors
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (frost) Mod "Chablis suffered greatly from frost in 2017... irony is what remains is very good quality" — Jancis Robinson; concentrated survivor profile Severe spring frost (Burgundy 2017) — only ~two-thirds of the usual crop; smoke smudgepots saved some vineyards
2016 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low (frost) Mod "Chablis one of the appellations to suffer most from frost, plus hail and mildew... many Chablis wines, especially from frosted vineyards, are exotic and rather atypical" — Decanter Devastating frost + hail + mildew triple-hit; massive yield loss
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot dry Ripe but lacks typical Chablis cut; classical aging potential Hot dry vintage
2014 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod "Particularly good in Chablis... stocks running low thanks to 2016 frost and hail; premiers crus should continue to develop for next 10 years" — Jancis Robinson; WSG 5.0★ "Exceptional" Indian-summer recovery; ideal acidity retention
2013 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Late harvest; bright acidity; lean style Cool wet season; late harvest
2012 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Small berries gave concentration + acidity; structured Chablis Hail, frost; tiny yields
2011 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Warm spring → Cool summer Lower alcohol; uneven; WSG 2.0★ Early hot spring; cool wet summer
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool–Mod Benchmark vintage; concentrated, mineral, ageworthy; WSG 5.0★ "Exceptional" Cool late season; small concentrated berries; coulure-reduced crop

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WS (Burgundy White), WA (Burgundy White proxy), WE (Chablis), combined with WSG (Andrew Jefford — Chablis). Weather & harvest narrative: WSG Bourgogne Vintage Chart; Decanter Chablis/White Burgundy vintage reports; Jancis Robinson Chablis columns; BIVB.

Past Vintages — Chablis

Chablis-specific verdicts from Decanter's white-Burgundy / Chablis vintage guides and Jancis Robinson; Wine Spectator publishes no standalone pre-2010 Chablis chart.

2000s
1990s

Beaujolais

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Good
★★★★ (est.)		 Low Hot High quality despite low volumes; best Beaujolais Nouveau since 2022 Wet spring; summer heat and hail in the northern crus (Juliénas & Saint-Amour worst-hit); coulure, millerandage and berry shrinkage cut volumes
2024 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Difficult; grapes struggled for ripeness; risk-takers who waited and the better-drained hillside crus fared best; light, fresh reds for early drinking Sodden spring/early summer → intense mildew + black rot; cool spring delayed flowering; late-June hail; hot dry August brought relief
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Second outstanding vintage in a row (WSG); avoided the difficulties further north in Bourgogne; pure-fruited, poised crus that will age Frost-free; hottest June since 2003/2017, very sunny → early véraison; cool wet early August then warm; big crop (~48 hl/ha, +14% vs 33-yr avg)
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot/dry Sunny, low-yield vintage with great ageing promise; aromatic, intense, balanced wines; clay and granite both performed Cool March limited early-April frost damage; violent late-June storms with hail; fierce July/August heat; drought + hail cut the crop sharply; earliest harvest start bar 2003
2021 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low Cool Extensive sorting and parcel-by-parcel vinification gave incisive, vital, fresh wines for short-to-medium-term drinking Warm winter → savage April frosts; cold May; June hail; cold wet July; ripening ran well behind 2020; warm dry mid-August on salvaged the harvest
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot (dry) The "vintage of the decade" — ripeness, freshness and balance; quality depended on how parcels coped with intense July/early-August heat; vines on moist clays excelled; freshness retained; crus will age Very early budburst; hot, very dry July–August → drought cut yields (small crop); 2nd-earliest harvest on record (after 2003); drought/sunburn in the sandiest parcels; nearly hail-free, little disease
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (~25% below avg) Hot Qualitatively attractive but a wild ride; best wines concentrated and fresh; crop ~25% down (~¾ of 2018) Severe early-April frosts cut the crop; flamboyant July heat; late-August rain plus hail (southern half worst-hit); crus largely spared
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) Fresher, more vivacious than the flamboyant 2015, at slightly lower alcohol (wet first-half reserves); best crus will age Tropical warmth after a wet mild winter; rapid flowering; hottest August in Beaujolais since 1959; best crus waited into September
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (crus & Villages hail-hit hard) Mod Exuberantly fruit-packed wines for growers who escaped the hail; an otherwise largely problem-free summer Little April frost (unlike much of France); two catastrophic hailstorms (late June and July) hit Beaujolais-Villages and the crus — some Morgon/Moulin-à-Vent growers lost most of their crop, a second year running after 2016
2016 Good
★★★★		 Low (hail) Mod Soft, amply fruity wines without the depth of 2015; northern losses offset by an ample southern harvest Late-April frost (worst in southern Beaujolais/Villages) plus three separate hail attacks on the northern crus (mid-April, late May and a worst-of late June) — many northern crus lost most of their crop
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot dry Dark, generously fruity, sometimes heady and chewy; real structure and longevity in the top crus (Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent), widely acclaimed; acids kept bright by cool nights Sunny dry spring, ideal flowering; very-warm-to-hot summer eased by periodic rains and cool nights; early harvest
2014 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Sprightly with pristine fruit yet real depth; more classical than 2015 (WSG) Warm spring → successful early flowering; cool summer; hot dry September → harvest in perfect conditions
2013 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Variable quality; the best wines fresh, vivid and lively Cool moist spring/early summer → late budbreak and mid-June flowering; warm July/August couldn't fully catch up; late harvest into October
2012 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low Mod Concentrated, fresh, vibrant reds Smallest harvest in 40 years — poor fruit set, very low yields
2011 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm spring → cool Third highly successful vintage in a row (WSG); mature dark fruit without exaggeration plus fresh acidity; crus suit cellaring Early budburst; no significant hazards
2010 Good
★★★★		 Low (small crop) Cool–Mod Small berries; concentrated reds with typical red fruit; higher acidity than 2009 but less homogeneous; many crus need bottle age Poor flowering → small crop

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA + WE (100-pt), combined with WSG (Andrew Jefford). Weather & harvest narrative: WSG Beaujolais Vintage Chart (Andrew Jefford); Inter Beaujolais (the "vintage of the decade" verdict for 2020); Decanter and Bourgogne Aujourd'hui for the 2015 cru assessment. Wine Spectator does not publish a separate Beaujolais chart.

Past Vintages — Beaujolais

Cru Beaujolais (Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, etc.) ages well; from the WSG Beaujolais chart (Andrew Jefford) and Decanter. The WSG chart begins in 2000, so no earlier years are cited.

★ 2025: Yield for the 2022 Beaujolais vintage? → Low

Bordeaux — Left Bank (Médoc & Pessac-Léognan)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Very low Hot — 3rd most days >35 °C this century (with 2003 & 2022) Ripeness + structure + modern precision + purity; "bijou but precise"; "concentrated and full of promise" Mild winter → earliest budbreak since 1989 (~late March, ~2 wks early); good September weather with cool nights and helpful rain at key moments; Cabernet harvest mid–late Sept (one of earliest on record); smallest harvest since 1991 (Gironde ≈290 M L ≈ half of 2016); Ch. Margaux 22 hl/ha = lowest grand vin since 1856
2024 Below average
★★ †		 Very low Cool–Mod (wet) "A vintage from the past" — reined-in style, lower alcohol, higher acidity, fresher aromatics; relentless vigilance required; whites outperform reds Record-breakingly wet winter; some frost; mildew-heavy spring (≈20–25% of yield loss); fortuitously dry summer; unwelcome September rains; Bordeaux avg 35.1 hl/ha — lowest since 1991
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot–Warm (with cool, wet patches) Opposite of '22 in style — light, fresh, charming wines; winemaker decisions critical at key moments Frost on early April; a brief warm spell in May
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg Hot — top-3 of century for days >35 °C alongside 2003 & 2025 "A new paradigm for Bordeaux"; fleshy fruit, fresh and pure aromas; more consistent than the 2018–'20 trio 410 M L, ~37 hl/ha (≈15% below 10-yr avg); excessive rain + mildew + rot pressure in Médoc & Graves; rigorous sorting essential
2021 Average / Variable
★★★		 Very low Cool (lack of sunshine, gloomy) Irregular, even among the best wines; modest in scale, austere herbaceous personalities; classical, leaner; matures earlier Frost, hail, rain storms in growing season; mildew & grey rot pressure; uneven fruit set; Merlot most affected by frost & rain
2020 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot (dry hot summer) Still tannic, youthful, slow to mature; fresher than '18, more focused than '19 Wet spring → dry hot summer; 54 days of drought mid-June – mid-August; 20+ further days with no rain after late Aug; warm dry harvest
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Still tannic, youthful, slow to mature; ripe fruit + abundant tannin + freshness; upper Médoc the highlight Cool/wet start → improved after June; only patchy rainfall → drought conditions by September; rain just before harvest a welcome relief; well below-average rainfall
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg–good Hot (heatwaves, drought) Dense and tannic; slightly higher alcohol, lower acidity, but terrific drive and definition; Cab Sauv in Médoc & Graves exceptional Particularly early growing season; downy mildew pressure in June; mid-Aug thunderstorms (sometimes usefully diluting in N. Médoc); irrigation permitted in some regions; clay "sunscreen" used to protect grapes
2017 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low (frost) Mod (frost early; warm summer) Fresh and pure; best in Pauillac and St.-Julien; other AOCs more heterogeneous; earlier-drinking style Devastating late-April frosts across many appellations, but the northern Médoc was largely spared — Pauillac/St-Julien/St-Estèphe near or above the 5-yr avg
2016 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Warm (dry summer + autumn rain) Ripe and tannic, but racy and fresh; upper Médoc superb (St.-Estèphe, Pauillac, St.-Julien epicentre); competes with all-time greats; long-ageing Rainy early season; summer drought; perfectly timed autumn rain in just the right quantities; largest crop since 2006 (~52 hl/ha)
2015 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot (drought → Aug rain) Ripe, voluptuous wines; Margaux truly special, St.-Julien and Pessac superb; northern Médoc compromised by August rain August rain "saved the vintage" after several weeks of drought; rain continued too long in northern Médoc
2014 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod (Indian-summer recovery) Still tannic, youthful, slow to mature; upper Médoc Cab Sauv / Franc / Petit Verdot benefit from late harvest; Margaux & Pessac less dynamic After very difficult 2013, balanced recovery
2013 Bad
★		 Very low Cool–Mod (wet, late season) Light, easy reds; Margaux least successful Left Bank AOC; race against rot at harvest Wet spring; uneven late flowering; end-April frost; hailstorms late July & early Aug; wet warm September → rot attack; winter rains 70 mm above 30-yr avg
2012 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Hot summer Early-maturing, accessible; Merlot strong, Cabernet uneven; Pessac & Margaux favoured over upper Médoc Terrible spring → uneven, drawn-out flowering (crop below 10-yr avg); hot summer helped early-ripening Merlot; late-September rains hurt Cabernet
2011 Average / Variable
★★★		 Below-avg Warm spring → Cool summer Cabernet struggled to ripen on the Left Bank; lower alcohol, higher tannins Early budbreak (~2 wks); crop below 10-yr avg; cool/rainy July–Aug; storms/rain into harvest; hail in Saint-Estèphe on harvest eve
2010 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low (small concentrated berries) Warm (dry summer, but cooler than '09; cool nights Aug–Oct) High tannin + high acidity; age-worthy; full Cabernet Sauvignon ripeness; thick skins, polyphenol-rich Uneven Merlot flowering in early June (cool & rain); sunny Aug–Sept–Oct allowed slow leisurely ripening; perfect Cab Sauv ripeness in Margaux
2009 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Warm (not scorching), dry, sunny summer Fruit, concentration, rounded tannins; high alcohol but balanced; ripe Cabernet (13–14% potential); a benchmark modern vintage Good flowering with sunshine; July–Aug drier than 2005; clement autumn; mid-September downpour but growers picked at will
2008 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low (frost- & coulure-reduced) Cool–Mod → late Indian summer Outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon in northern Médoc; St-Julien, Pauillac & St-Estèphe best — caught the late autumn sun, less Aug/Oct rain; best are luscious, others a touch under-ripe Dull wet stormy March → uneven budburst; severe frost early April (Pessac-Léognan hard hit); 2nd-wettest May since 1946; June hail; hot July, cool Aug; mild mid-Sept–mid-Oct Indian summer
2007 Below average
★★☆		 Below-avg Cool, wet summer; warm April Weakest red vintage of its era; soft, charming, fruity, early-drinking; top Left Bank châteaux made classic clarets with rigorous selection April warmest since 1949 → cold May (late flowering); rain & lack of sun until August → constant mildew threat; 64 days of unbroken Sept sunshine rescued the drawn-out harvest
2006 Below average
★★☆		 Below-avg Hot June–July → cold August; soggy Sept Three First Growths superb but Pauillac varied; Sept rain caused dilution, tannins separated out; classic structured wines if you know where to look Cold wet winter; dry spring–midsummer; scorching July; long cold August (fresh acidity); soggy September interrupted harvest — much Merlot relegated to second wines
2005 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm days, cool nights; very dry Médoc crus classés stunning — "the Médoc at its best"; classic, age-worthy; second-driest year since 1897 Textbook season with perfectly timed rain — budbreak (April), flowering (May), véraison (July) & final ripening (September); dry mild Indian summer to mid-October
2004 Average / Variable
★★★		 High Mod (above-avg temps, below-avg sunshine) Substantial crop; latest harvest since 1988; classic-styled, fresh Wet April–May → hot June (rapid flowering, large set → enormous potential crop, drastic thinning needed); cool July slowed ripening; wet warm August drew out véraison; Merlot picked early October in ideal conditions; heavy rain from early October through the Cabernet harvest
2003 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Heatwave Northern Médoc (St-Estèphe, Pauillac) excelled — clay-limestone held water, vines less heat-stressed; atypical, opulent, early-evolving Europe-wide heatwave throughout the season; April frost + heat cut crop (~30 hl/ha vs ~45 norm); sandy/gravel zones suffered heat stress
2002 Average / Variable
★★★		 Below-avg Cold, sunless summer → warm mid-Sept Saved vintage; first-rate, well-structured Médoc & Graves from those who sorted; a Cabernet-favoured year Rainy spring; cold summer lacking sun; Sept NE wind cut volume ~15–20%; warm temperatures from mid-September rescued the late harvest; careful selection essential
2001 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Slow, cool start → fine September Slow ripening → complex, elegant, balanced wines with higher acidity than 2000; overshadowed by 2000 on the Left Bank Difficult spring & summer slow to get going; beautiful September saved the late harvest lasting to mid-October
2000 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot, dry, sunny from mid-July Best Médoc/Graves since 1990; ripe, structured, age-worthy "millennium" vintage; ideal 3-week harvest Hot rainy spring & early summer → mildew pressure; almost uninterrupted sunshine from mid-July; harvest in ideal conditions to mid-October

Star ratings: Robert Parker / Wine Advocate Bordeaux St. Julien · Pauillac · St. Estèphe Vintage Chart. Weather & harvest data: Decanter Bordeaux Vintage Guide & En Primeur reports (2000–2025); Jancis Robinson Bordeaux 2019 / 2020 / 2025 harvest reports.

† 2024 — Wine Advocate score not yet published; ★★ is provisional, based on Decanter en primeur and Jancis Robinson reports.

Past Vintages — Left Bank

Pre-2010 quality verdicts cross-checked with Decanter Bordeaux Vintage Guide and Wine Advocate Bordeaux historical reports.

2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
Pre-1970 — Top vintages

Bordeaux — Right Bank (Saint-Émilion & Pomerol)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Very low Hot — 3rd most days >35 °C this century (with 2003 & 2022) Ripeness + structure + modern precision + purity; "bijou but precise" Mild winter → earliest budbreak since 1989 (~late March, ~2 wks early); good September weather with cool nights; smallest harvest since 1991 (Gironde ≈290 M L)
2024 Below average
★★ (est.) †		 Low Cool–Mod (wet) "A vintage from the past" — reined-in style, lower alcohol, higher acidity, fresher aromatics Record-breakingly wet winter; some frost; mildew-heavy spring; fortuitously dry summer; unwelcome September rains
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot–Warm (with cool, wet patches) Light, fresh, charming wines; winemaker decisions critical at key moments Frost on early April; a brief warm spell in May
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot — top-3 of century for days >35 °C alongside 2003 & 2025 Fleshy Merlot fruit, fresh and pure aromas; "a new paradigm for Bordeaux" Excessive rain + mildew + rot pressure in Médoc/Graves (Right Bank less affected)
2021 Below average
★★☆		 Very low Cool (lack of sunshine, gloomy) Irregular, even among best wines; classical, leaner profile Frost, hail, rain storms; mildew & grey rot pressure; Merlot most affected by frost & rain; Saint-Émilion had the most cold and rain 2018–2022
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot (dry hot summer) Still tannic, youthful, slow to mature Wet spring → dry hot summer; 54 days of drought mid-June – mid-August; warm dry harvest
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Still tannic, youthful, slow to mature; ripe fruit + abundant tannin + freshness Cool/wet start → improved after June; drought by September; rain just before harvest a relief
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg–good Hot (heatwaves, drought) Ripe, opulent Merlot in Saint-Émilion & Pomerol; powerful Mildew pressure in June; mid-Aug thunderstorms (dilution role); irrigation permitted in some regions
2017 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low (frost) Mod (frost early; warm summer) Irregular, even among best wines Devastating late-April frosts across many appellations (Pomerol also impacted) — wiped ~half of the potential crop
2016 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Warm (dry summer + autumn rain) Ripe, racy, fresh; voluptuous Merlot; long-ageing Rainy early season; summer drought; perfectly timed autumn rain; largest crop since 2006 (~52 hl/ha)
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot (drought → Aug rain) Right Bank especially strong — Merlot voluptuous; supple, accessible; highest yields for some years in St-Émilion GC August rain "saved" the vintage; Right Bank less compromised than northern Médoc
2014 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod (Indian-summer recovery) Right Bank benefited from late warm autumn Recovery vintage after very difficult 2013
2013 Bad
★☆		 Very low Cool–Mod (wet, late) Light, easy reds; ready to drink Wet spring; end-April frost; hailstorms late July & early Aug; rot attack at harvest
2012 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot summer Right Bank advantage — hot summer favoured early-ripening Merlot; supple, accessible Hot summer helped Merlot; uneven flowering; late-September rains less damaging here than Médoc
2011 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Warm spring → Cool summer Both Merlot and Cabernet struggled to ripen; ready to drink Early budbreak (~2 wks); cool/rainy July–Aug; storms/rain into harvest
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (small concentrated berries) Warm (dry summer, but cooler than '09; cool nights Aug–Oct) Concentrated, ripe Merlot; high tannin + acidity; age-worthy Sunny Aug–Sept–Oct allowed slow leisurely ripening; full Merlot maturity in Pomerol
2009 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Warm, even, dry summer Great Pomerol (continuing a run with 2005, 2006 & 2008); voluptuous fruit, fragrance, plentiful supple tannins; Merlot 14%+; clay-limestone found balance more easily than sandy zones Good flowering → record crop (25 hl/ha+); July–Aug dry; Lafleur & Trotanoy picked before the mid-September heavy downpour, most (incl. Pétrus) after, in clement conditions
2008 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low (frost-reduced) Cool–Mod → late Indian summer Pomerol's early-ripening soils proved their worth — excellent on well-drained gravels and low-water-reserve soils; ripe and balanced April frost; wet stormy spring; disease pressure; hot July, cool Aug; mid-Sept–mid-Oct warm Indian summer saved ripening
2007 Below average
★★☆		 Avg Cool, wet summer Reasonable success on Pomerol's earlier-ripening terroir; markedly uniform quality, top estates the stars; much vineyard work needed Warm April → cold wet May–July, constant mildew threat; 64 days of Sept sunshine enabled a drawn-out harvest
2006 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Hot June–July → cold August; soggy Sept Pomerol among the most successful appellations at en primeur; St-Émilion struggled with September rains Dry spring–midsummer; scorching July; cold August; September rain interrupted harvest — mildew/rot concerns
2005 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm days, cool nights; very dry St-Émilion & Pomerol consistently excellent; clay soils held water against the drought, giving freshness and depth; classic, age-worthy Second-driest year since 1897; timely rain at each key stage; dry mild Indian summer to mid-October
2004 Average / Variable
★★★		 High Mod (above-avg temps) Clearly better than 2003 in Pomerol — little or no heat stress; harvest late-Sept/early-Oct in ideal conditions before the rain Wet spring → hot June (large crop, thinning needed); cool July; wet warm August; heavy rain from early October
2003 Below average
★★		 Avg Heatwave Right Bank Merlot on sand/gravel suffered heat stress and cooked; less successful than the Left Bank; atypical, early-evolving Europe-wide heatwave all season; clay-limestone fared better but sandier zones stressed
2002 Below average
★★		 Avg Cold, sunless summer → warm mid-Sept Merlot struggled in the cool year; Left Bank Cabernet outperformed the Right Bank; lighter, earlier-drinking Rainy spring; cold summer; warm mid-September; rigorous selection essential
2001 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Slow start → fine September Strong Right Bank year — Pomerol & St-Émilion shone; complex, elegant, balanced, higher acidity than 2000 Difficult slow spring/summer; beautiful September saved the late harvest to mid-October
2000 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot, dry, sunny from mid-July Excellent "millennium" vintage; ripe, structured Merlot, age-worthy Hot rainy spring → mildew early; generous crop (high yields); uninterrupted sunshine from mid-July; ideal harvest conditions

Star ratings: Robert Parker / Wine Advocate Bordeaux Pomerol Vintage Chart. Weather & harvest data: Decanter Bordeaux Vintage Guide & En Primeur reports (2000–2025); Jancis Robinson Bordeaux 2019 / 2020 / 2025 harvest reports.

† 2024 — Wine Advocate score not yet published; ★★ is provisional, based on Decanter en primeur and Jancis Robinson reports.

Past Vintages — Right Bank
2000s
1990s

★ 2024: Which Saint-Émilion vintage, 2018–2022, had the most cold and rain? → 2021

★ 2026: On a 1–5 scale, how did critics rate the 2020 Pomerol vintage? → 5/5 (Outstanding)

Sauternes & Barsac

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Low Warm Estimated from Decanter narrative; ~12.5 hl/ha but excellent quality Earliest budbreak since 1989; warm sunny days, cool September nights preserved acidity; mid-Aug heat/drought episode
2024 Average
★★★ (est., WSG only)		 Low Cool–Mod (wet) Cellar; "a vintage from the past" — reined-in style Wet winter; mildew-heavy spring; fortuitously dry summer; unwelcome Sept rains
2023 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot–Warm "Best Sauternes since 2014" (WS); hat-trick of excellent vintages — "something no other Bordeaux commune can claim" (WSG) Warm dry autumn promoted noble-rot development; ~12.4 hl/ha
2022 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Rich, concentrated noble-rot wines Hot summer + favourable late-season humidity for Botrytis cinerea
2021 Good
★★★★ †		 Very low (frost-decimated) Cool Outstanding quality but tiny crop — see note † Severe frost decimated yields; surviving fruit delivered exceptional botrytis
2020 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Hot (dry summer) Drink or hold; limited botrytis development Dry summer reduced humidity needed for Botrytis
2019 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Below-avg Hot Drink/Cellar; ripe Sémillon, good botrytis development Cool wet start → drought by September; crus classés ~10 hl/ha; late rain assisted Botrytis
2018 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Hot (heatwaves, drought) Drink/Cellar; early-maturing Heatwaves limited some botrytis; selective picking required
2017 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low (frost) Mod Drink/Cellar; small but elegant wines Devastating late-April frost reduced yields; surviving fruit gave decent botrytis
2016 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Warm (dry summer + autumn rain) Drink/Cellar; balanced ripeness, good acid Summer drought + timely autumn rain ideal for noble rot; record-high yields (Yquem ~20 vs ~9 hl/ha norm)
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot (drought → Aug rain) Drink/Cellar; rich, opulent style August rain after drought triggered good botrytis development
2014 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod (Indian-summer recovery) Drink/Cellar; classic Sauternes structure; WS calls it benchmark Late warm autumn promoted full Botrytis cinerea across vineyards; very low yields (Climens <10 hl/ha)
2013 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool–Mod (wet) Drink; wet season favoured noble rot in Sauternes (unlike dry reds) Wet conditions ideal for Botrytis; excruciatingly low yields — some estates made no grand vin; selective sorting key
2012 Below average
★★☆		 Very low Hot summer "Universal dud" — WS 86, WSG 1.5★; weak noble-rot development Hot dry conditions limited Botrytis cinerea; very difficult harvest, many estates tiny quantities; thin, less concentrated wines
2011 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Warm Hold; classic Sauternes vintage — top historical reference Long warm autumn allowed full noble-rot development across multiple tries
2010 Good
★★★★		 Low Warm (cool nights Aug–Oct) Drink/Cellar; concentrated, age-worthy Sunny Aug–Sept–Oct; cool nights preserved acidity; very good botrytis
2009 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Warm, dry Terrific companion to the great reds — ripe, powerful botrytis character, rich texture with freshness Warm dry summer; clement autumn promoted noble rot
2008 Average / Variable
★★★		 Very low Cool–Mod → late Indian summer Marked by tangy acidity; not broadly ripe, but some showy Frost & disease pressure in spring; exceptionally low yields (~35% below average, lowest since 1991); late Indian summer aided some botrytis
2007 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool, wet summer Lots of botrytis → rich, tropical-fruit, raisined, rounded hedonistic style Wet, mildew-prone season ideal for Botrytis cinerea; grape-by-grape picking, final yield well below average; late-season sunshine
2006 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Hot July → soggy Sept Not as dense as top years, but fresh, vibrant, with lively acidity September rain; variable botrytis development
2005 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Very dry; warm days, cool nights Opulent and structured, with underlying finesse Dry season + Indian summer gave clean, concentrated noble rot
2004 Below average
★★☆		 Avg Mod Harmonious, aromatic and spicy; for early drinking ~15 hl/ha (below 2003); limited botrytis concentration
2003 Good
★★★★		 Avg Heatwave Exotic, ripe and spicy; good botrytis Heatwave year; sufficient late-season humidity for noble rot
2002 Below average
★★		 Avg Cool summer → warm mid-Sept Clean and spicy, with good fruit Cool season limited botrytis; ~16 hl/ha (around average)
2001 Outstanding
★★★★★ ‡		 Above-avg Fine September Magnificently rich and structured, yet balanced — a legendary Sauternes vintage Ideal autumn for successive botrytis tries; abundant year (~20 hl/ha, top end of normal); rated among the greatest Sauternes ever
2000 Average / Variable
★★★		 Very low Hot, dry (great year for the reds) Most of the crop was rained on; only small quantities of good wine Harvest rain curtailed noble rot — Yquem ~2.5 hl/ha (90% rejected); a poor Sauternes year despite the superb reds

† 2021 — Critics broadly rate the surviving wines as outstanding in quality (WSG ★★★★★, Wine-Searcher "Excellent"); lower scores from some publications (e.g. WS 89) reflect the catastrophic crop loss rather than wine quality.

‡ 2001 — The three-source mean lands at ★★★★☆, but the 2001 Sauternes is near-universally rated among the greatest vintages ever (WS 97 "magnificently rich and structured, yet balanced"; WSG ★★★★★); narrative consensus lifts it to ★★★★★.

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of Wine Spectator Bordeaux Sauternes Vintage Chart, Wine Scholar Guild Bordeaux Sauternes chart (Andrew Jefford), and Robert Parker / Wine Advocate Sauternes & Barsac chart (last entry 2019). Weather & harvest narrative: Decanter Bordeaux Vintage Guide & En Primeur reports; style notes from the Wine Spectator Sauternes chart.

Past Vintages — Sauternes
2000s
1990s
1980s
Pre-1980 — Top vintages

★ 2025 Americas: Best Château d'Yquem vintage, 1900–1940? → 1921 (legendary — the driest, hottest year of its era)

Loire — Nantes (Muscadet)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 (est.) TBD TBD Data pending (not yet on charts) —
2024 Below average
★★☆		 Very low Cool/wet Catastrophic in Nantes; rare filage (bunch-stem necrosis) from a cold April and waterlogged soils halved yields early; surviving best wines slight and tart Sodden spring → unremitting mildew; wet cool flowering → coulure + millerandage; ever-later harvest; remnants of Hurricane Kirk (wind + rain) hit during early-October picking
2023 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Among the most successful Loire zones — picked in fine weather, attractive sugar/acid balance, classical if not hugely concentrated Little frost; large/abundant crop (Loire +16%, among biggest of the decade); near-tropical warm wet June raised mildew threat; picked early, avoiding the worst of the mid-September rains
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot/dry Ripe yet balanced Muscadet; freshness underscores definition and poise Pre-budburst frost nights did little damage; hot dry summer (the Loire hit record lows); the Pays Nantais waited for crop-saving mid-August rains
2021 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low Cool Vivid, citrusy whites; tiny crop; whites a notch above the supple fruity reds Crippling early-April frosts (Nantes among the worst-hit); cold wet June/July brought mildew; fine September/October salvaged the harvest
2020 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Concentration, freshness and poise Warmest winter ever recorded in the Loire, with replenishing rains; early budbreak and flowering; hot August; fine September harvest after welcome late-August rain
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low Hot Superb high-acid dry whites — perhaps even better than 2018 Muscadet among the worst frost-hit (repeated early-April–early-May episodes); cold rainy June flowering → some coulure; then hot and dry, with a dry August
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot Standout Muscadet; clean fruit, ample ripeness sustained by vivid acidity; built to age Wet May/early June → some mildew losses; above-average yields; hottest summer since 2003, driest since 1945 cleared it; dry sunny harvest
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (−35–40%) Mod Remarkably early vintage; intense, pungent, vivacious wines; best will age April frosts cut Muscadet sharply below normal; near-faultless summer thereafter; harvest about two weeks early
2016 Good
★★★★		 Very low Mod Surviving wines fresh and classical, helped by fine late-September weather Muscadet very badly hit — smallest crop since 1949; late-April frost then heavy May/June rain → catastrophic mildew, then July/August drought and heat
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot dry Outstanding Muscadet; great across the board Warmest winter in a century; sunny warm summer, very hot early July; helpful mid-August rain; leisurely fine September harvest
2014 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Outstanding Muscadet; ripeness brought concentration Very dry March, early budbreak; cool summer, very wet mid-July to mid-August; record-breakingly dry, sunny, windy September
2013 Below average
★★		 Low Cool/wet Excellent but drastically reduced Muscadet — intensity with an acid backbone; the latest harvest here in two decades Prolonged cold spring → late budbreak; delayed flowering with coulure + millerandage; hot sunny July/August; benign but humid September
2012 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Mod Excellent Muscadet despite a sharply reduced crop — intensity with acid backbone; the best will keep Cool rainy spring severely cut yields; a good September rescued early-ripening sites; rain and cold returned in October
2011 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Warm spring → cool Above-average concentration and structure for Muscadet Very early start then cooler mid-summer; irregular flowering and ripening by parcel
2010 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool–Mod Muscadet with above-average concentration and structure Contrasting hot and cool spells; irregular flowering by parcel

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (Loire White) + WE (Loire Dry Whites), combined with WSG (Andrew Jefford, valley-wide Loire chart). Wine Spectator's Loire chart carries no separate Muscadet column. Weather narrative: WSG & Wine Spectator Loire reports.

Past Vintages — Muscadet

Top sur-lie / extended-lees Muscadet ages well; from the WSG Loire chart (Andrew Jefford) and Decanter.

Loire — Anjou-Saumur

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 (est.) TBD TBD Data pending (not yet on charts) —
2024 Below average
★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Chenin struggled to ripen; very little sweet wine (wet October); but Anjou/Saumur suffered less storm damage than other Loire zones — best whites fresh and incisive, best reds vivid for early drinking Sodden May → unremitting mildew; wet cool flowering → coulure + millerandage; remnants of Hurricane Kirk during early-October picking
2023 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Hot–Warm Most challenging Loire sub-zone in 2023; good wines only for those with resources to stay on top of the vineyard and sort extensively — a season of ceaseless work Warm wet near-tropical June → high mildew and weed pressure; acid-rot from Drosophila suzukii; heavy mid-September rain then a sustained wet October ended any chance of sweet wines
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot/dry Excellent for both dry and sweet Chenin; high acidity, built to age; mid-September rain aided botrytis for sweet wines, with a trouble-free harvest to October Pre-budburst April frost (little damage); hot dry summer (the Loire at record lows); crop-saving mid-August rains
2021 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low Cool Classical, leaner Chenin; supple fruity reds; whites the stronger category Crippling early-April frosts (Anjou among the worst-hit), plus later episodes; cold wet June/July → mildew; fine September/October salvaged the harvest
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Excellent dry and sweet Chenin; late-season noble rot made a range of fine sweet wines possible — especially promising Warmest Loire winter on record; hot August; fine September harvest after welcome late-August rain
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot Superb high-acid dry Chenin; sweet wines a disappointment (post-September rains unfavourable for botrytis) Anjou among the worst frost-hit (repeated early-April–early-May episodes) → tiny crop; cold rainy June flowering → coulure; then hot and dry, with some sunburn
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot Ageable Chenin; one of the largest crops of the decade; clean ripe fruit with vivid acidity, set to age Wet May/early June → some mildew; hottest summer since 2003, driest since 1945; little noble rot
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Early, intense, vivacious wines; sweet wines as successful as the dry; noteworthy Chinon/Bourgueil reds Savennières catastrophically frosted; Saumur-Champigny cut sharply over four frost nights; near-faultless summer thereafter
2016 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Surviving wines fresh and classical; fine late-September weather aided quality Late-April frost; heavy May/June rain → catastrophic mildew (Saumur-Champigny, Montlouis, Chinon, Bourgueil all hit); July/August drought and heat
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot dry Great dry, red and sweet Chenin; sweet wines combine vivid acidity with generous sugars; best are superb cellar prospects Warmest winter in a century; sunny warm summer, very hot early July; helpful mid-August rain; fine leisurely September harvest
2014 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Very good Anjou-Villages and Chinon; dry Chenin strong, sweet less so; small quantities of late-harvest moelleux from those who waited to late October Early budbreak, good flowering; cool summer, very wet mid-July to mid-August; record dry, sunny, windy September; early-October rain cut the sweet-wine crop
2013 Below average
★★		 Low Cool/wet Reds weak; a less exciting year for reds, with few late-harvest wines Saumur-Champigny hit by a late-April frost; Vouvray hit hard by a severe June hailstorm (about two-thirds of the appellation struck; roughly half the crop lost); delayed flowering with coulure + millerandage
2012 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Mod Supple, light, forward Cabernets; successful Anjou-Saumur and Touraine dry Chenins picked in good conditions Cool rainy spring severely cut yields; a good September rescued early-ripening sites; rain and cold returned in October
2011 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Warm spring → cool Uneven Cabernet ripening — mature Cabernet Franc as early as early September in the best Chinon/Bourgueil sites, less ripe elsewhere Very early start then cooler mid-summer; irregular flowering by parcel
2010 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool–Mod Ripe Cabernet Franc if picked late; structured, ripe Anjou and Touraine Chenins Contrasting hot and cool spells; irregular flowering by parcel

Star ratings: WS (Loire Chenin Blanc) + WA (Loire White) + WE (Loire Dry Whites), combined with WSG (Andrew Jefford, Loire). Weather narrative: WSG & Wine Spectator Loire reports.

Loire — Central Vineyards

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 (est.) TBD TBD Data pending (not yet on charts) —
2024 Below average
★★☆		 Very low Cool/wet Among the better Loire zones; September rains refreshed fruit after a hot August → clean, high-quality if not the most concentrated wines, slightly lower alcohol April frost damage in the Central Loire; sodden May → mildew; hail in Sancerre in mid-July; cool, intermittently wet September
2023 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Among the more successful Loire zones; growers welcomed September rains that refreshed fruit after the hot late-August spell → classical, balanced wines Little frost; large/abundant crop (Loire +16%); warm wet June raised mildew pressure; acid-rot pressure from Drosophila suzukii
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot/dry Ripe yet poised Sauvignon Blanc; high acidity, built to age Two pre-budburst frost episodes around Sancerre/Pouilly did little damage; hot dry summer; significant June rain here (unlike the western Loire)
2021 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Very low Cool Vivid, citrusy/grassy whites with crisp acidity and lower alcohol; tiny crop; whites a notch above the reds April frosts reached even Sancerre, plus mid-April/early-May episodes; cold wet June/July → mildew; fine September/October salvaged the harvest
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Concentration, freshness and poise Warmest Loire winter on record; June hail around Reuilly, Menetou-Salon and Châteaumeillant; hot August; fine September harvest
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Superb, high-acid dry whites Frost less severe in the east — little damage in Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre unscathed (cf. badly-hit Muscadet/Anjou); cold rainy June flowering → some coulure; then hot and dry
2018 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot Large crop; ripe wines with slightly lower acidity; growers pleased with quantity and quality Wet May/early June caused some mildew; hottest summer since 2003, driest since 1945 cleared it; dry sunny harvest
2017 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Remarkably early vintage; intense, pungent, vivacious wines; best will age April frosts hit parts — Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Coteaux du Giennois; near-faultless summer thereafter
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Mod Surviving wines fresh and classical; fine late-September weather aided quality Late-April frost and heavy May/June rain → catastrophic mildew in many zones (Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy, Reuilly), but Sancerre largely spared; July/August drought and heat
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot dry Great across the board; riper than 2014; best wines superb cellar prospects Warmest winter in a century; sunny warm summer, very hot early July; helpful mid-August rain; fine leisurely September harvest
2014 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Outstanding Sancerre; a record dry, sunny, windy September concentrated an excellent crop Early budbreak, good flowering; cool summer, very wet mid-July to mid-August; then a record-dry, sunny, windy September
2013 Below average
★★		 Low Cool/wet Latest harvest in two decades; leaner wines; fair-to-good for white producers who sorted hard Prolonged cold spring → late budbreak; delayed flowering with coulure + millerandage; hot July/August; humid September
2012 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Mod Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé relatively spared; a good September rescued early-ripening sites Cool rainy spring (Sancerre/Pouilly-Fumé yields in line with the norm, unlike Muscadet); rain and cold returned with an October storm
2011 Below average
★★☆		 Avg Warm spring → cool Ripe Sauvignons, often lower in acidity, for early drinking; mostly picked by mid-September Very early start then cooler mid-summer; irregular flowering by parcel
2010 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool–Mod Structured, ageable Sancerre; high sugars with sound acidity from cool September nights; last-picked can lack acidity Contrasting hot and cool spells; hail cut the crop in Menetou-Salon and Sancerre

Star ratings: WS (Loire Sauvignon Blanc) + WA (Loire White) + WE (Loire Dry Whites), combined with WSG (Andrew Jefford, Loire). Weather narrative: WSG & Wine Spectator Loire reports.

Past Vintages — Central Vineyards

Sauvignon Blanc ages little, so older standouts are few; from the WSG Loire chart (Andrew Jefford) and Decanter.

Past Vintages — Loire (2000s)

Valley-wide, from the Wine Spectator Loire chart (rated by grape: Cabernet Franc / Chenin Blanc / Sauvignon Blanc).

Northern Rhône

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 (est.) Low Hot Estimated; data pending Hot dry summer reported
2024 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Variable; constant disease battle in the vineyard Exceptionally wet spring (Cornas) → mildew & black rot; coulure; July–Aug dry recovery
2023 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot Remarkable balance and finesse; Syrah ripe yet fresh; whites floral and elegant; early-drinking Very dry winter, cold wet spring → mildew; August heat wave; generous crop (~40 hl/ha; Côte-Rôtie granted +10% yield)
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot Real freshness, elegance and moderate alcohol; outstanding reds and whites Excessive heat & drought (driest spring since 1959/1976/2003); above-average volumes (some green-harvested); very early harvest
2021 Below average
★★☆		 Low Cool Syrah suffered — many reds lean, underripe, diluted; top granite hillsides excepted; whites the standouts Cold rainy vintage; April frost (Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu hit; Hermitage protected by candles); mildew
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot (dry) One of the earliest harvests on record; cool nights kept Syrah fresh; classic elegance Record heat & drought; little frost
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Very concentrated, defined reds with copious fruit — benchmark; whites more inconsistent Windy flowering + June hail in Crozes cut crop; hot dry season; August rains relieved maturity blockages
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot Carefully made reds Wet start → severe June mildew pressure; yields above average in the north (unlike the south); hot dry summer without heat spikes
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot dry Concentrated, intense reds Long warm dry season, cool nights, well-timed late rains; no spring frost (unlike the south); small clusters & berries
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Admirable follow-up to 2015; age-worthy Wet spring → late season; April hail cut Hermitage (two-thirds in some lieux-dits); hot July–Sept
2015 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot dry "The north's new benchmark"; cool nights preserved acidity Heat & drought offset by cool nights + well-timed rains; splendid summer
2014 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Mod Inconsistent — excellent for some, others picked early June/July rain → disease + Drosophila/rot (some lost up to 40%); hail (Cornas, Hermitage, Crozes); fine Aug–Sept
2013 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Cool Pure, ripe, focused reds for those who picked ahead of the rains; aromatic whites Dry cool season; record May rain (losses up to 40%); late-season rain risk
2012 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Solid ripe fruit, refined lengthy finishes; best age well; excellent whites Wet spring compromised flowering, reduced crop; warm sunny summer
2011 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm spring → cool Syrah performed well; late, extended harvest; more consistent than the south Early warm start, cool wet second half
2010 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Historically low yields Cool–Mod "Terrific" reds — highly concentrated, firmly structured, age-worthy; benchmark Cool wet spring (coulure); well-timed September rain + late Indian summer; late harvest

Star ratings: WS (Northern Rhône) + WA (Côte-Rôtie/Hermitage) + WE (Northern Rhône Reds), combined with WSG (Andrew Jefford, Rhône Red). Weather narrative: Wine Spectator & WSG Northern Rhône reports.

Past Vintages — Northern Rhône

From the Wine Spectator Northern Rhône chart.

Southern Rhône

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 (est.) Low Hot Estimated; data pending Hot dry summer reported
2024 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Variable Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Grenache yields cut Very wet spring → mildew (uncommon in the south); coulure on Grenache; Mourvèdre's later cycle fared better
2023 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Ripe Grenache; classic CdP Dry start after welcome late-2022 rain; late budburst; warm season
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Excellent CdP; ripe, balanced GSM Northern-Rhône heat themes "amplified in the south" — very dry spring, early hot arid summer; storms broke mid-August
2021 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Cool Classical, fresher GSM April frost (rare in the south) caught vines after balmy spells — Syrah worst affected; cooler season
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot (dry) Ripe, fresh CdP More moderate July/August heat than 2018–19; extra early-June rain; extended season
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Concentrated, fresh; near-benchmark Cool start, welcome April rain; largely successful flowering (Grenache avoided coulure); two heat waves
2018 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Ripe, powerful CdP Very wet winter/spring (>annual average by mid-June) + little Mistral → rampant late-May mildew, hard on Grenache
2017 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot dry Concentrated Grenache Escaped major frost; early heavy May rain → extensive extensive Grenache coulure; drought
2016 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Benchmark CdP; "vintage of the decade" Trouble-free start, early cycle, useful spring showers; hottest summer by day, cooler nights
2015 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot dry Ripe, powerful; great GSM Warm dry March/April; generous crop (rare for CdP); hot dry June–Aug, some blocked maturity; helpful late storms
2014 Average / Variable
★★★		 Avg Mod Lighter style Early generous Grenache set; cooler from late June, mixed July–Sept
2013 Average / Variable
★★★		 Low Cool Late, fresher Cold wet spring (very wet) → "catastrophically poor" Grenache flowering (heavy losses); hot dry from July
2012 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Balanced CdP; fine-grained, lengthy; cellar-worthy Grenache coulure modestly cut the crop (~30–32 hl/ha); warm sunny summer, good harvest conditions
2011 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Warm spring → cool Light Grenache, but Syrah & Mourvèdre strong (blending key); heterogeneous Warm spring; cool wet July/August; Indian summer saved the vintage
2010 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low Cool–Mod Benchmark — beautifully ripe, racy, terroir-driven, age-worthy ("the spine of '05 with extra flesh") Cool windy spring → coulure, drastically reduced crop (~27 hl/ha, one of the lowest); warm days, cool nights; late harvest

Star ratings: WS (Southern Rhône) + WA (Châteauneuf-du-Pape) + WE (Southern Rhône Reds), combined with WSG (Andrew Jefford, Rhône Red). Weather narrative: Wine Spectator & WSG Southern Rhône reports.

Past Vintages — Southern Rhône

From the Wine Spectator Southern Rhône chart.

Piemonte (Barolo & Barbaresco)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated from early reports; favourable Nebbiolo conditions Hot dry summer; harvest pending
2024 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool/wet Variable; classical leaner profile in the making Wet spring; persistent peronospora (downy mildew) pressure
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe Nebbiolo; "warmest Barbaresco vintage 2016–2020 was 2017; 2023 also extreme" — Consorzio extended stretch of extreme heat; harvest extended to late October
2022 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot/dry Concentrated, ripe; drought stress noted by Decanter; less even than '21 Drought (rain ~385mm); yields down 20–45% per vine; minimal winter rain reserves
2021 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod "Excellent across Barolo; classical structure with freshness"; warm summer, ideal harvest conditions; around-average yields May–June rain → irregular fruit set; consistently warm summer; no spring frost
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod (long, cool) Healthy, thick-skinned Nebbiolo; high sugar balanced by great acidity; not as ripe as initially hoped Hailstorms in Barolo commune (July); cool wet shift from early July; long cool cycle
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot "A classic vintage" — Decanter (Aldo Fiordelli) 5/5; long warm summer + mild days/cool nights at finish; harvest finished ~mid-October Sunburn pressure; September hailstorm hit La Morra; good winter water reserves
2018 Good
★★★★		 High Warm/wet Classical, lighter, more delicate Nebbiolo; producer selection critical Wet winter & May; downy mildew & localised hail (esp. Barbaresco); hot summer to late Sept; harvest ~early Oct (on time–slightly early)
2017 Good
★★★★		 Low (drought) Hot dry Concentrated, powerful — warmest of the 2016–2020 quintet per Consorzio; alcohols up Severe drought; heatwave stressed vines
2016 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod (long, dry) "Extraordinarily regular vintage — one of the longest-lasting in recent years" — Consorzio Barolo Barbaresco Alba; great concentration + restraint, ripe tannins, tension for the long haul; performed across all communes/soils Cooler late spring delayed flowering ~2 weeks; warm Aug + ideal diurnal swings; some producers picked Nebbiolo into the last week of October
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe, powerful, fleshier modern style Hot dry vintage
2014 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Difficult; lighter, leaner; selective; many declassified to Langhe Nebbiolo Cool wet season; rot pressure
2013 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Mod (late) More freshness and zest than fleshier '11; more structure/complexity than '12; less grip than magnificent '10 Downy mildew pressure — some vineyards too wet for tractor spraying, hand treatment required (cut yields); sunny days + cool nights through Sept–early Oct; late picks until mid-Oct
2012 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot/dry Ripe, balanced, modern-styled Nebbiolo Hot dry season
2011 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot Fleshier Nebbiolo, modern profile, earlier-drinking Hot summer; early harvest; low yields in the vineyard (Consorzio)
2010 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Cool–Mod (late) "Best Barolo vintage of the 21st century to date, with 2001" — Decanter; density of texture + vibrant acidity; benchmark for ageing Cool rainy spring/early summer delayed budbreak → long, late growing season; foggy warm Aug; mostly dry Sept–Oct; slow, even ripening
2009 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Inconsistent ripening — best reds offer immediate fruit & flesh, others show underripe tannins Warm year; uneven Nebbiolo maturity
2008 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool → warm late season Warm late season rescued a cooler vintage; ripe reds with good structure, purity & elegance Cooler-than-average season; late warmth saved it
2007 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg Warm, dry Fleshy, immediately appealing reds Warm dry year; early ripening; yield ~10–15% below normal (Consorzio)
2006 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Variable (hot Jul, cool Aug) Many outstanding reds; austere, muscular, age-worthy Nebbiolo Temperatures swung above/below average; torrid July, cool August; favoured structure & ageing
2005 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Balanced, elegant reds for producers who worked well in the vineyard Variable; vineyard selection key
2004 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg–high Mod Fresh, harmonious, perfumed, classically structured Nebbiolo Long even season; large healthy crop
2003 Below average
★★☆		 Low Heatwave Many unbalanced wines from extreme heat; some surprises; Barbera successful Europe-wide heatwave; heat-stressed, austere Nebbiolo
2002 Very bad
☆		 Low Cool, wet A washout — many wines unripe or diluted; early-drinkers Rain, hail, cool, wind through the season
2001 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Aromatic, structured, firm, racy reds — with 2010 the best Barolo of the 21st century Ideal long season
2000 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Rich, opulent reds with round tannins and exciting fruit; more forward in style Warm year; forward style

Star ratings: WS (Piedmont) + WA (Barolo) + WE (Barolo), combined with WSG (Tom Hyland, Italian chart). Weather & harvest narrative: Decanter Piedmont/Barolo vintage guides (2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021); Consorzio Barolo Barbaresco Alba. WSG's Italian chart (Tom Hyland) begins with the 2010 vintage, so the 2000–2009 stars use WS Piedmont + WA Barolo + WE Barolo only, with style notes from the Wine Spectator Piedmont chart.

Past Vintages — Piemonte (Barolo & Barbaresco)

Pre-2010 quality verdicts cross-checked with Decanter Piedmont Vintage Guide and WE 2026 Vintage Chart.

2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
Pre-1970 — Top historical vintages

★ 2023: Warmest Barbaresco vintage, 2016–2020? → 2017

Tuscany (Chianti Classico · Brunello di Montalcino · Bolgheri)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated; favourable Sangiovese conditions Hot dry summer
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool/wet Variable inland; coastal Bolgheri outperformed thanks to maritime moderation Wet spring; mildew pressure inland
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Below-avg Hot Ripe Sangiovese; producer selection critical; "intense" 2021 Brunello release comparison
Yield by zone: Chianti Classico & Bolgheri Low (−20–30%); Brunello ≈ Avg (~−5%)		 Hot summer; uneven ripening across altitudes; peronospora pressure
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Concentrated, ripe Brunello; alcohols up; restrained acid Drought stress, especially Bolgheri & Montalcino warmer zones
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm/dry "Intense" new release per Decanter; classical structure; excellent across Tuscany including Chianti Classico/Brunello/Bolgheri Hot, dry May–June; some April frost in lower-lying sites
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot (dry) Ripe, balanced; first FORMA-system Brunello (replaced Star Rating in Nov 2024) Hot dry summer; COVID-disrupted vintage start for many estates
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Benchmark Tuscan vintage; concentrated, age-worthy; one of the strongest recent Hot dry summer; ideal Sept ripening
2018 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm/wet Classical, leaner Sangiovese; "modest" Brunello — WE 90; declassifications common Heavy spring/early-summer rain; humid, "almost tropical" summer (hot days, cool nights); hail cut yields in places; mildew/disease pressure
2017 Average
★★★		 Low Hot dry Drought-stressed; concentrated but uneven; alcohols high; many declassified to Rosso di Montalcino Severe drought; April frost affected some sites; heatwave compounded stress
2016 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Benchmark Tuscan vintage — Brunello WE 96, Chianti Classico WE 92; classic structure + freshness Ideal growing season; good diurnal swing
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe, powerful Sangiovese; opulent Brunello/Bolgheri Hot dry vintage; early harvest
2014 Average
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Difficult; lighter, leaner; most Brunello declassified to Rosso (e.g., Soldera); Bolgheri fared better Cool wet season; rot pressure; widespread declassifications
2013 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool Classical, balanced, ageworthy Brunello — WE 91; good Chianti Classico Cool, classic long season; July/Aug coolness + hail; mild dry September
2012 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot/dry Ripe, fresh Brunello Hot dry; intense drought (no rain Jul–mid-Sept); smallest crop in a decade (−14% vs 2011)
2011 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Ripe, modern-style Brunello — WE 93 Hot summer
2010 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Cool–Mod "Classical Brunello benchmark" — WE 98 (highest 21st-century); structured, age-worthy Cool late season; small concentrated berries
2009 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Elegant, fruity, balanced Brunello in the north, denser & more muscular in the south; Bolgheri strong Hot summer; August heat spike (~40°C) → high sugar/alcohol, uneven phenolic ripeness
2008 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool (mild summer) Those who waited made aromatic, balanced, elegant Brunello Cool season; Aug 15 hailstorm cut production; dry pre-harvest & harvest; Brunellogate scandal broke (2008)
2007 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Hotter, riper than 2006; fruit-forward, rich, elegant Brunello (WE 97) Warm dry season
2006 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Complex, powerful, ripe-yet-fresh Brunello with firm structure; benchmark Ideal season
2005 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Harvest rain dampened a promising year; many early-drinkers Rain during harvest
2004 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg–high Mod Perfumed, refined Brunello; reducing yields was key to quality (WS 97) Large crop; thinning essential
2003 Below average
★★		 Low Heatwave Rich, powerful, thick, but some wines lack focus; Brunello WE 87 Extreme heatwave; heat-stressed fruit
2002 Very bad
☆		 Low Wet Wet growing season & harvest made mediocre wines; Brunello WE 83 Rain throughout the season
2001 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Mod–Warm Great structure, focus & balance — legendary Brunello (WS 98) April 16 frost sharply cut quantity (boosting concentration); warm days, cool nights; late-Jul/early-Aug heat wave
2000 Average / Variable
★★★☆		 Avg Hot Aromatic, soft, early-drinking Brunello Very hot late summer ("incredibly hot" August); harvest ~15 days early; heat-driven forward style

Star ratings: Tuscany composite — for each of WS, WA and WE, the Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Bolgheri scores are averaged, then the three media are combined with WSG (Tom Hyland, Tuscany chart). Weather & harvest narrative: Decanter Brunello/Chianti vintage reports; Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino. WSG's Italian chart (Tom Hyland) begins with the 2010 vintage, so the 2000–2009 stars are a composite of WS (Brunello in the full chart) + WA + WE sub-region averages only, with style notes from the Wine Spectator Brunello chart.

Past Vintages — Tuscany (Brunello-led)

Brunello Consorzio Star Rating System (1945–2020), replaced by FORMA System from 2020 vintage (debuted Nov 2024). Cross-checked with Decanter "Brunello: 1980 to 2000" (Tom Maresca) and WE 2026 Vintage Chart.

2000s
1990s

† 1995 — 5★ on the official Consorzio chart, but cross-check sources (Decanter, Tom Maresca) place it a notch below 1990 / 1997; the Consorzio scale is famously generous (Jancis Robinson), so treat 1995 as the weakest of the decade's 5★ years.

1980s — Brunello Consorzio ratings (Decanter, Tom Maresca)
Pre-1980 — Top historical Brunello vintages

★ 2026: From 2017–2020, the worst Brunello di Montalcino vintage per critics? → 2017 (extreme heat and drought)

Veneto (Amarone della Valpolicella)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated; favourable appassimento conditions Hot dry summer
2024 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool/wet Cool, wet season; selective Corvina sorting essential before and during drying, as mould-prone fruit must be clean to survive appassimento Wet growing season with widespread downy mildew; Amarone ~13.9M bottles (≈ −13% vs avg); high appassimento mould/botrytis risk during drying
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Erratic (cool→hot) Ripe, concentrated but rather austere, high-alcohol wines; a tricky season many producers rose above through selection Cool April–May, then heat; record July rain; peronospora pressure; heat stress on Corvina
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Decent drying conditions; ripe wines, less complex than 2021; a drought-marked year the better estates handled well Hot, dry summer with severe drought; pergola canopy shading helped shield fruit
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Warm, even season giving classical, structured, balanced Amarone with ideal winter drying; lighter examples risk overlapping with Ripasso/Valpolicella Superiore Balanced season; warm conditions raised alcohols in some wines
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Concentrated, ripe Amarone; respectable but less consistent and complex than 2021; some leading estates (e.g. Bertani) declined to make Amarone Warm (not too hot), dry summer; frost and hail reduced yields at some estates
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark recent vintage combining richness and freshness; concentrated, age-worthy wines that earned many top scores Hot, dry summer; favourable dry autumn aided clean appassimento
2018 Average
★★★☆		 High Warm/wet Variable but ultimately successful; more difficult than 2019 yet kept good acidity → fresh-fruited wines; a humid start to winter made drying tricky Warm season with heavy spring rain and frequent rain through harvest; high yields; humidity at the start of appassimento raised botrytis/mould pressure during drying
2017 Average
★★★		 Low Hot dry Drought-stressed, very hot vintage (among the hottest since 1994); soft, broad, leafy-toned wines lacking depth for long ageing Severe drought and record summer heat; providential June/July rain kept stress manageable; reduced yields
2016 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Outstanding, classically structured Amarone — a vintage where everything went right; among the top recent years Ideal growing season followed by cool, dry appassimento conditions
2015 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Ripe, powerful Amarone from a warm, dry vintage; well-regarded, showing well alongside the 2016s Hot, dry vintage
2014 Below average
★★		 Low Cool/wet One of the worst seasons many producers had seen; difficult drying with mould in the fruttaio; many single-vineyard Amarone not made and many estates declassified Cool, wet season; appassimento mould plus Drosophila suzukii pressure
2013 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Classical, balanced Amarone Mod season; good appassimento conditions
2012 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot/dry Ripe Amarone, generous fruit Hot dry
2011 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Hot Concentrated, ripe Hot summer
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool–Mod The finest Amarone of the decade per Tom Hyland; a cool season suited Amarone (picked slightly underripe before drying) → exceptional harmony and long ageing Cool late season; ideal appassimento conditions

Star ratings: WA (Amarone) + WE (Amarone), combined with WSG (Tom Hyland, Veneto chart). Wine Spectator does not chart Amarone. Weather & harvest narrative: WSG Veneto report; Valpolicella Consorzio. (WSG is notably bullish on recent Amarone — 5 glasses for 2021–2023.)

Past Vintages — Amarone

Amarone ages well; from the Wine Enthusiast vintage chart and Decanter (incl. a 43-vintage Bertani vertical). The WSG Italian chart begins in 2010, so it does not cover these years.

Etna

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated; Nerello Mascalese maturing well at altitude Hot dry summer
2024 Good
★★★★		 Very low Hot Variable; high-altitude contrade fared better; drought and heat pulled the harvest forward, with Nerello Mascalese ripening unusually fast Dry winter and spring (no winter snow on Etna's peaks — a first for some growers) plus high temperatures; heat- and drought-driven losses, Nerello down sharply
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Very low Hot Ripe Nerello Mascalese with less acid drive than 2021; despite a following heatwave the reds came out paradoxically lighter and less dense than expected Widespread crop loss to peronospora (downy mildew); ash deposits on some contrade; a subsequent heatwave
2022 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe, balanced reds, with altitude preserving freshness; abundant, high-quality fruit Hot, dry summer; climate-driven heat/drought intensifying year on year since 2020
2021 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Hot year giving more subdued aromatics and drier fruit than the bright 2020s; still structured, mineral Nerello with high acidity from altitude; rated below 2020 Exceptionally active volcanic year — a long sequence of lava-fountain episodes from the South-East Crater from late winter, depositing ash on villages and contrade; vineyards largely survived, ashfall a recurring nuisance
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm The best of the younger vintages in Decanter's panel — bright fruit and charm; aromatic, delicate wines with altitude freshness Warm, dry summer; Etna comparatively cool → elegant, high-acid wines
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot Benchmark recent Etna with structured Nerello; tends more angular and less charming in youth, shaped by a long cold spring then summer heat spikes Hot, dry summer after a prolonged cold spring; May frost cut crop ~20–25%; sharp summer heat spikes
2018 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Warm/wet Weak, variable — virtually a washout for Etna reds (against the wider favourable European pattern); lighter, less complex wines needing selective sorting, though Etna Bianco fared far better Warm season with excessive rain; heavy disease pressure
2017 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot dry Drought-stressed, hot vintage with low yields; one of only two sub-benchmark Etna years of the decade per Tom Hyland Severe drought and heat on the altitude vineyards; reduced yields
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod One of the two finest Etna Rosso vintages of the decade per Tom Hyland; outstanding concentration and classical balance Moderate season with good diurnal swing and well-judged water reserves
2015 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Ripe, powerful; opulent Hot dry vintage
2014 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool/wet One of the two finest Etna Rosso vintages of the decade per Tom Hyland; fresh, classical, high-acid Nerello of superb complexity Cool, wet season; some rot risk
2013 Average
★★★		 Low Cool Classical, fresh, lighter style; one of only two sub-benchmark Etna years of the decade per Tom Hyland Cold, rainy through much of the growing season; yields smaller than usual
2012 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot/dry Ripe, concentrated Nerello; an impressive vintage with notably high acidity per Tom Hyland Hot, dry season
2011 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Concentrated, alcohol-leaning Nerello; an impressive, more powerful vintage per Tom Hyland Cooler than normal; good water reserves; very late harvest (Oct 24–Nov 5)
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool–Mod Fresh, structured Cool late season

Star ratings: WA (Etna Rosso) + WE (Sicily Reds), combined with WSG (Tom Hyland, Sicily chart). Wine Spectator does not chart Etna; WE charts Sicily reds broadly rather than Etna specifically.

Past Vintages — Etna

A modern-revival region — serious estate-bottled Etna is largely a 2000s phenomenon, so pre-2010 "older" vintages are few; from Wine Enthusiast and Jancis Robinson.

Rioja

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Low (provisional) Hot Estimated; small harvest in volume Hot dry summer
2024 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool Small in volume but a long, slow harvest in favourable weather; very healthy grapes with strong phenolic maturity; officially rated "Buena" (Good) by the Consejo Regulador Cool conditions; low-volume crop
2023 Average
★★★		 Low Hot Officially rated "Muy Buena" (Very Good) by the Consejo; a fifth consecutive small vintage driven by very dry conditions; heat-stressed with lower-than-average acidity but powerful, concentrated wines Hot, heat-stressed and very dry; small crop (~40 hl/ha, −8%)
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Officially rated "Muy Buena" by the Consejo; concentrated, balanced, ripe Tempranillo Hot dry summer
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Classical Rioja; excellent structure and "great promise" (Decanter); the Consejo classified it only "Muy Buena" rather than top "Excelente"; increasingly sought by collectors June hail damaged and reduced yields in parts of the region (cited as the likely reason for the non-"Excelente" rating)
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Officially rated "Muy Buena" by the Consejo; fresh, moderate-alcohol wines; higher-than-average rainfall and temperatures required careful mould monitoring; one of the shortest harvests on record Heavy spring rains and mildew pressure; harvest compressed under threat of a wet October and the COVID-19 second wave
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark Rioja; concentrated, age-worthy; "great promise" (Decanter); officially rated "Excelente" (Excellent) by the Consejo Hot dry summer
2018 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod "Complex year with cold humid spring, then rain and hail in summer; much work in sorting and selection; slightly lower alcohols overall" — Decanter Cold humid spring; summer rain + hail; abundant crop (51.7 hl/ha, largest of the decade); sorting-intensive
2017 Average
★★★		 Low Hot dry Concentrated, drought-stressed; weather across much of Spain did not fully cooperate — Decanter Severe drought; spring frost
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod "Largest harvest since 2005; well-balanced, approachable wines with good freshness; officially rated Very Good by Consejo Regulador" — Decanter Ideal growing season; abundant harvest (~50.8 hl/ha)
2015 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot "Short, early harvest with good concentration; first follow-on to the top-quality 2010; charming, pretty wines"; warm vintage produced fuller, lustier, more saturated wines Hot dry vintage; early harvest
2014 Average
★★★		 Avg Mod Better than 2013 but rot at end of harvest; some producers prefer to forget; rainfall during harvest Mod season; end-of-harvest rain + rot
2013 Average
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Officially rated only "Buena" (Good) by the Consejo — a return to 2003 levels and the weakest rating in over a decade (Decanter) Cool wet season
2012 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot/dry Concentrated, ripe Tempranillo Hot dry
2011 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot "Hot, dry vintage yielding mostly powerful Tempranillos" (Decanter); officially rated "Excelente" by the Consejo Hot summer
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool–Mod "Among the top vintages of the 21st century" (Decanter); officially rated "Excelente" by the Consejo; ripe yet balanced Tempranillo; benchmark Cool late season; slightly late but healthy, even cycle

Star ratings: WS (Rioja) + WA (Rioja) + WE (Rioja), combined with WSG (Spanish chart). Weather & harvest narrative: Decanter Rioja Vintage Guide; Jancis Robinson Rioja Vintage Chart; Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja.

Past Vintages — Rioja

From the Wine Spectator Rioja chart.

Ribera del Duero

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Cool/wet Officially rated "Muy Buena" (Very Good) by the Comité Excepcional; a small but long, selective Tinto Fino harvest Cool conditions; low-volume crop
2023 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Officially rated "Muy Buena" by the Comité Excepcional; a challenging season that still delivered excellent quality; ripe, structured Tinto Fino Challenging growing season; around-average yields with excellent fruit quality
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Concentrated, ripe Tinto Fino; the cooling Cierzo wind before harvest pushed final ripening after heat-stalled vines Spring heatwave over-stimulated growth; extreme summer heat shut vines down; hail in the east cut yields; a pre-harvest Cierzo (cold north wind) gave crucial relief
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Classical Ribera; excellent balance Balanced season
2020 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Mod Ripe, balanced; higher rainfall + temps required mould vigilance (region-wide pattern) Mild, wetter-than-usual season; mildew pressure; warm summer finish
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm "One of the standout vintages from the most recent decade" — Decanter Hot dry summer
2018 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Classical, fresher; lower alcohols Mod season; cold humid spring; wet winter/spring → good yields (region-wide big-crop 2018)
2017 Average
★★★		 Very low Hot dry Drought-stressed and one of the toughest years in living memory; "weather across much of Spain did not fully cooperate" (Decanter); reduced crop left wines with elevated alcohol and extraction; damage uneven by site Savage April frosts (part of the run that gave France/Italy/Spain their smallest crops in 50+ years); frost + drought cut yields sharply; summer heat
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 High Warm "One of the standout vintages from the most recent decade; another year winemakers could do little wrong" — Decanter Ideal growing season; record-large crop (~133 M kg)
2015 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Hot, dry vintage; old vines did well while younger vines struggled; full, lusty, saturated wines Hot dry vintage; hydric stress on younger vines
2014 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Mod Balanced, classical Mod season; productive, healthy crop
2013 Below average
★★☆		 Avg Cool/wet Difficult, lighter style; rated only "Good" (Buena) by the Consejo — the weakest of the 2010s Cool wet season
2012 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm dry Drought year with small yields; intense, strongly tannic wines noted as good cellar candidates Hot, dry; drought; small crop
2011 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm "Excellent vintage; Ribera and Toro wines more intense than usual; long slow ripening before harvest" — Decanter Hot summer; earlier spring cycle
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg Cool–Mod "Standout vintage of the decade; cool, dry, extended growing season; wines with less overt ripeness, higher acidity and unlimited aging potential" — Decanter; balanced acidity + fully ripe tannins Cool late season; yields lower than average; persistent ripening

Star ratings: WS (Ribera del Duero) + WA (Ribera del Duero) + WE (Ribera del Duero), combined with WSG (Spanish chart). Weather & harvest narrative: Decanter Ribera del Duero vintage reports; Jancis Robinson Rioja & Ribera del Duero Vintage Chart.

Past Vintages — Ribera del Duero

From the Wine Spectator Ribera del Duero chart.

Priorat

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Good
★★★★		 Very low Cool Old-vine Garnacha/Cariñena outperformed in a variable year, consistent with the run of drought-then-rain seasons region-wide Cool conditions; ongoing multi-year water deficit
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Very low Hot Ripe, concentrated Garnacha/Cariñena; one of the earliest harvests in living memory (some picking in early August); a very low-yielding, extremely difficult harvest (Spain's smallest crop in ~60 years) Severe drought aggravated by a water deficit running since 2020 — affected budbreak, with some vines failing to push growth
2022 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot Concentrated, ripe; old vines on llicorella benefited; immediate appeal with bright, juicy fruit and ripe tannins Hot dry summer
2021 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Mod Classical Priorat; a cooler, wetter season gave fresher, more structured, age-worthy wines; many wines fell below the DOQ minimum alcohol and were declassified despite high quality Cooler, wetter conditions; sub-threshold alcohol led to declassifications
2020 Average
★★★☆		 Very low Warm Ripe with balanced old-vine fruit; the start of the multi-year regional water deficit; major crop losses across Catalunya Wet spring → severe mildew losses (~30–40% reduction); onset of a sustained water deficit
2019 Good
★★★★		 Very low Hot Benchmark Priorat — excellent, concentrated, healthy old-vine Garnacha/Cariñena; quality not seen since 2010/2013, but from a short, very low-yielding harvest Late-June heatwave scorched grapes (esp. Cariñena); severe drought → extremely low yields; short healthy harvest
2018 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Classical, fresher style; higher volumes across Catalunya; slower ripening with good natural acidity and marginally lower alcohols Moderate season; generous rainfall → higher volumes; slower-ripening
2017 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot dry "One of the most difficult — extremely dry and hot; only old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena yielded quality; requires 8 years for best wines to unfurl" — Decanter Severe drought + heat; only old vines coped
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot/dry "Drought provoked hydric stress, but old vines showed their advantage with many impressive wines; 10+ year ageing potential" — Decanter Drought; hydric stress
2015 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot "Warm and abundant with good quality overall; concentrated wines that should develop well over 10 years" — Decanter Hot dry vintage; generous yields despite the heat
2014 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool/wet Variable; lighter style Cool wet season
2013 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Cool "Very cold winter, rainy spring, then dry summer and autumn; great quality and long ageing potential — probably more than 15 years" — Decanter Cool conditions; rainy spring
2012 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot/dry Concentrated Hot dry
2011 Average
★★★		 Low Hot Ripe but less expressive than '13/'15 Hot summer
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool–Mod Classical, fresher style; balanced Cool late season

Star ratings: WS (Priorat) + WA (Priorat) + WE (Catalonia), combined with WSG (Spanish chart). Weather & harvest narrative: Decanter Priorat vintage reports; Jancis Robinson Priorat columns.

Past Vintages — Priorat

From the Wine Spectator Priorat chart (modern Priorat dates from the late 1980s; WS coverage begins 2000).

Douro (still wines)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Balanced, high-quality recent vintage; a record haul of golds for Douro reds at the Decanter World Wine Awards Cooler, wet spring then steadily rising heat to harvest; comparably low volume
2023 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot "A great year that almost happened" — a promising season cut by harvest rain; no general Port declaration (single-quinta only); fine still reds Late-season rain at harvest diluted what had looked a stellar crop
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Concentrated, deeply coloured reds with surprising freshness; a major Port declaration year (Noval, Fladgate, Sogrape); compared to the great 2017/1945 Hottest July since 1931 — record-hot, dry summer with extreme peaks in Pinhão; small berries, yields below 2021; mid-September rain aided later pickers
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Classical, fresh Douro reds with good colour but less concentration and lower alcohol than 2020; not declared, only a few single-quinta Ports One of the coolest recent seasons; localised June hail; wettest September since 2015 interrupted picking repeatedly, drawing harvest out over weeks
2020 Good
★★★★		 Very low Hot Very small crop of intensely concentrated, dark reds; the best surprisingly fresh with good structure; Touriga Nacional the standout; single-quinta Ports only Hottest July on record (well above average) — hot, dry pre-harvest; yields sharply down, some Douro Superior sites tiny
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool–Mod Elegant, taut, expressive reds with remarkable texture; fresher and less concentrated than 2018/2017; excellent Touriga Nacional; single-quinta Ports only Dry, mild year with wide diurnal swings; cooler-than-average summer (June ~4 °C below avg) — the Douro largely avoided the July European heatwave; late-August/mid-September rain rehydrated late varieties; low yields
2018 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Deep, intense, fragrant reds from classic varieties; late-ripening Touriga Franca the star; well-defined acidity and freshness; Taylor's declared Port for a rare third consecutive year "Roller-coaster" — prolonged winter drought, then heavy spring rain causing erosion, then a hot summer; low yields
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Hot dry Driest, earliest vintage on record; inky, deeply coloured, aromatic, well-structured, high-acid reds; small crop; widely declared Port ("vintage of the century" hype) Severe drought; heatwaves in June, August and September and the hottest July since 1931; extreme peaks in Douro Superior with some sunburn; yields sharply down
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Mod Elegant, fine reds with freshness drawn from groundwater reserves; first Port declaration since 2011, with equal claim to greatness Wet winter and a very wet spring (≈3× avg rain) → crop ~25% below normal; then a hot Douro summer with a particularly hot August
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe, very good reds and Ports; superb for late-ripening Touriga Franca; Niepoort and Ramos Pinto declared Port in preference to 2016; some single-quinta declarations Hottest, driest March–June in 36 years (July–August actually cooler); mid-September rain caused some dilution and halted picking in top sites
2014 Below average
★★☆		 Avg Mod Variable, rainy vintage; Touriga Franca and Sousão performed well; Douro Superior made the best wines; single-quinta Ports only Localised downpour damage near Pinhão in early summer; torrential rain again at the end of harvest
2013 Average
★★★		 Low Cool Variable split-harvest vintage; high-quality fruit picked before the early-October rain, diluted grapes after Copious winter rain, a cool spring and a bone-dry summer delayed ripening; a week of October rain forced an accelerated harvest
2012 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot/dry Concentrated reds from very low yields; vintners pleased with fruit quality despite a tiny crop Extended drought and a damaging hailstorm in the Pinhão valley sharply cut yields at some leading quintas
2011 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Benchmark Douro reds (WS "best yet"); a universally declared major Port year, called by some the best in 50 years Near-drought through to late summer; alarming May–June hailstorms; late-June heat scorched some sites (thin-skinned Tinta Barroca suffered); well-timed late-August/September rain then five weeks of sun gave a perfect harvest
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool–Mod Classical, high-quality, low-yielding reds; small berries giving deep colour and notable acidity; aromatic with good polyphenols Unusually cool April–May then a tinder-dry summer slowed development; crucial late-August/September rain followed by dry, warm picking

Star ratings: WS (Portugal table reds) + WA (Portugal Dry Wines) + WE (Douro/Port Table Wines). No WSG chart for Portugal. Weather & harvest narrative: Decanter & IVDP Douro coverage.

Past Vintages — Douro (still)

From the Wine Spectator Portugal table-wine chart.

Port (Declared Vintages)

Yr Quality Declared Note Hazard
2025 — (too early) TBD Declaration decisions not made until ~2027 Not yet assessed by whitelisted sources
2024 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Declared Dow's and Fonseca bottled 2024 Vintage Port (houses that bottle Vintage only in declared years); general-declaration scope not yet confirmed Limited whitelisted weather detail published; broadly wet, mildew-pressured European season
2023 Good
★★★★		 Not declared "A great year that almost happened" — single-quinta focus (Quinta do Noval, Graham); fine, early-picked SQVPs Hot summer then an unusually wet September compromised the health/ripeness of late-picked fruit
2022 Excellent
★★★★☆		 Declared Widely declared, but standouts are single-quinta / special-vineyard selections — Noval Nacional outstanding, debut Taylor's Sentinels; Sogrape (Ferreira/Sandeman/Offley), Noval, Sogevinus houses (Kopke, Burmester, Cálem, Barros); the best are pure and vibrant but lack the structure of a classic year (WS) Severe drought and recurrent heatwaves; ~47 °C at Pinhão (highest ever recorded in Portugal); small healthy berries kept surprising freshness
2021 Good
★★★★		 Not declared A few outstanding single-quinta / micro-terroir wines; fresh, deeply coloured; many leading SQVPs held back One of the coolest recent seasons, no extreme heat; localised June hail; harvest interrupted three times by heavy rain (wettest September since 2015)
2020 Excellent
★★★★☆		 Single-quinta only A smattering of classic declarations plus promising single-quinta; aromatic, concentrated, surprisingly fresh; tiny quantities (Covid year, little/no foot-treading) Hot dry summer — hottest July since records began in 1931 — milder August gave even, rapid ripening; small yields
2019 Excellent
★★★★☆		 Single-quinta only Fresh, exuberant wines; a few classic declarations plus very good single-quinta; one of the longest recent harvests Dry winter and near-rainless summer, saved by absence of extreme heat; light late-August / October rain aided even ripening
2018 Good
★★★★		 Partial declaration Classic declarations from several leading shippers — Taylor's an unprecedented third in a row (after 2016, 2017); ripe, concentrated, fresh; some excellent SQVPs Wet spring after 22 months of drought, then summer heatwaves to ~45 °C in the Douro Superior, which suited late-ripening Touriga Franca
2017 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Declared Magnificent — most widely declared vintage to date, and the first time two consecutive vintages (with 2016) were both widely declared; power with elegance, unusual freshness; "vintage of the century" candidate Driest year since 1945; early heat, then a major early-July storm calmed conditions; abnormally early harvest, low yields, finished by end September
2016 Excellent
★★★★☆		 Declared Generally declared after a five-year gap since 2011; structured, balanced, concentrated; best will keep, though some early-picked wines show green/raisiny notes Cold wet spring cut yields and aided concentration; hot dry summer with an August heatwave; late-August / mid-September rain restored balance
2015 Good
★★★★		 Partial (Niepoort, Ramos Pinto) Limited declaration — Niepoort and Ramos Pinto declared 2015 in preference to 2016; majority single-quinta; "on the cusp of legendary" but heat-disrupted Hottest, driest growing season in 36 years at Quinta do Vesúvio; low yields; heat suited late-picked Touriga Franca
2014 Average
★★★		 Single-quinta only Weakest year of a strong decade; largely undeclared, fruit used for blends/single quintas (Noval declared); turned out better than feared Unsettled early summer with localised hail; weather broke soon after mid-September picking began; significant disease pressure
2013 Good
★★★☆		 Single-quinta only Largely undeclared but a good single-quinta year, especially the Douro Superior; Noval and Poças declared Wet winter, cool spring, dry June–August; weather broke end of September forcing early picking; Douro Superior escaped the worst rain
2012 Good
★★★☆		 Single-quinta only Not generally declared; a good single-quinta vintage — fine, concentrated, aromatic; Noval declared Wet spring, intense June heat then a moderate summer; localised July hail; rain interrupted harvest; naturally low yields
2011 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Declared Universally declared benchmark "vintage of the century"; structure, ripeness, fine-grained tannins; first year majors also declared tiny site-specific super-premiums Wet winter, warm dry spring; spring rain cut yields; a late-June heat spike scorched exposed grapes; perfectly timed late-August rain, then five dry weeks
2010 Good
★★★★		 Not declared No declaration; some soft, fragrant single-quinta Ports for earlier drinking Heavy winter rain then hot dry summer; heavy yields struggled to ripen; prolonged, rain-interrupted harvest
2009 Good
★★★★		 Partial (Taylor's, Fonseca, Croft, Warre's) Limited declaration — Taylor's, Fonseca, Croft and Warre's declared; others single-quinta; dense, opulent wines Hot dry year; early growing season and early harvest; huge ripeness and concentration; water stress cut yields
2008 Good
★★★☆		 Single-quinta only No general declaration — majors declared uniquely as single quintas; fresh, balanced, vivid with good acidity; quality varied with picking Very wet April brought mildew; cold May delayed flowering; cool Atlantic summer with no usual August heat delayed ripening; low but healthy yield
2007 Excellent
★★★★☆		 Declared Widely declared — elegant, pure, fragrant (violet/raspberry) rather than blockbuster, with superb acidity, fine sweet tannins and great longevity Wet winter; unsettled May–July disrupted set and raised mildew fears; dry from August, September heat gave continuous ripening; harvest ~10 days late, into October
2006 Good
★★★☆		 Single-quinta only Variable, inconsistent — largely single-quinta, especially Douro Superior; thick-skinned Touriga coped best, Tinta Barroca suffered Hottest May in 40 years; a severe mid-June hailstorm at Pinhão / Rio Torto (some sites lost ~30%); late-summer heat caused raisining; yields down
2005 Good
★★★★		 Partial declaration A handful of outright declarations plus powerful, concentrated single-quinta; old / high-altitude vines fared best; deep, structured, cellar-worthy Severe drought — almost no rain June–August — relieved by steady rain around 6 September, then ideal cool-night harvest; dry conditions kept disease away
2004 Good
★★★☆		 Single-quinta only Not widely declared; a successful single-quinta year — well-balanced, good acid, fine tannins Dry start, hot July (~40 °C), then the wettest August in northern Portugal in 104 years; rot threat before sun returned; harvest from mid-September in sun
2003 Excellent
★★★★☆		 Declared Widely declared — ripe, opulent, muscular, tannic, long-ageing; crop ~30% smaller than 2000; a few outliers lacked acid Notorious early-August heatwave with night temperatures staying above 30 °C; crucial end-August rain saved fruit; fine warm weather to late September
2002 Below average
★★☆		 Not declared A "damp squib" — double-faced; early pickers (mostly Douro Superior) made small amounts of good-to-outstanding wine; generally not declared Dry winter and summer without extreme heat; early-September rain swelled berries, then weather broke as Cima Corgo picking began — stop-start harvest into October
2001 Below average
★★☆		 Not declared (exc. Noval Nacional) Not widely declared (after the unanimous 2000) — mostly single-quinta / second-label, mid-weight; exception: Quinta do Noval Nacional in tiny quantity, a wine of the vintage One of the wettest winters on record then early budburst; dry April–August with a large crop; end-August rain swelled grapes; fine days / cold nights, some late rain
2000 Good
★★★★		 Declared Universally declared — a small harvest of fine, concentrated "legendary" millennium wines; depth of colour, richness, balance; the best will last a lifetime Cold dry winter cut yields; heavy April–May rain caused coulure at flowering; warm dry summer; mid-September rain finished ripening; harvest from ~20 September

Quality ★ derived from the mean of available WA (Robert Parker Wine Advocate), WE (Wine Enthusiast) and WS (Wine Spectator) Vintage Port chart scores: 97–100 = ★★★★★, 94–96 = ★★★★☆, 91–93 = ★★★★, 88–90 = ★★★☆, 85–87 = ★★★, 82–84 = ★★☆ (— = not scored by any of the three). "Declared" = general declaration by major shippers (≈ once in 3 years); "Partial" = declared by only some houses; "Single-quinta only" = SQVP releases without a general declaration. Weather, harvest & declaration detail: IVDP; Decanter (Richard Mayson / Ines Salpico Port vintage guides); JancisRobinson.com; Wine Advocate; Wine Spectator Vintage Port chart.

Widely Declared Vintages — Port (1940–2025)

The full run of widely declared vintages. Bold = standout years rated in the WA / WE / WS Vintage Port charts; plain = lesser or partial declarations. A slash marks a split declaration (shippers divided between the two years). Detailed quality, weather and declaration notes for 2000 onward are in the table above.

Mosel

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Good
★★★★		 Very low Cool/wet Worst Mosel growing season in two decades (WE) — harder hit than the rest of Germany; Saar and Ruwer historically low (some estates harvested nothing or half); but the healthy grapes that came in are outstanding; selective sorting essential Devastating spring frost; summer floods; relentless spring-to-autumn rain drove severe mildew pressure — downy mildew (Peronospora) and powdery mildew (Oidium) — prolonging flowering, forcing intensive spraying and deepening yield losses; steep slate slopes' air movement and sun limited rot
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot–Warm Riesling the standout — concentrated wines at moderate alcohol; patient, selective hand-harvest rewarded Hot, sunny summer with heat spells; summer rain drove mildew and disease pressure → careful selective picking; Riesling fared best
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Early harvest; ripe, balanced wines, alcohol up; growers who gambled on a very late, selective harvest made outstanding Riesling; lower ranks compromised by disease Warm, dry, largely frost-free season; some drought stress; midsummer rains raised disease pressure
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool Return to cool classicism after warm vintages; bright, mineral, lower-alcohol Riesling with assertive acidity; latest harvest in years; Middle Mosel made the full Prädikat range up to TBA; Saar excelled at Kabinett/Spätlese/GG Late spring frosts; cool sunless summer with above-average rain and mildew pressure; yields well below average
2020 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot (dry) Third consecutive dry year; healthy grapes, fresh, mineral, tense musts; top quality across the board from trocken Riesling to record-breaking noble whites; yields back to average after two short years Hot dry summer; sunburn required selective sorting on the steep Terrassenmosel; good botrytis for noble sweets
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Breakthrough vintage, exceptional in the Mosel and Nahe; small crop with ideal must-weight/acidity ratio; mature, racy, deep, long-lived Riesling; harvest rain brought welcome botrytis for Auslese/Beerenauslese Heat and drought with extreme spikes, even more pronounced than 2018; never cooled enough late for an Eiswein
2018 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) Hot, dry, one of the warmest summers; opulent, ripe wines, some a touch low in acidity; Saar wines stayed low in alcohol but kept acid and character; benchmark sweet styles Hot dry summer with drought; bumper crop (~+17% vs long-term avg nationally); ample ripeness lowered acidity in flatter sites
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (frost) Mod–Warm Spring frost after a warm early spring decimated yields; hot dry midsummer gave small, intensely concentrated berries with fine acidity and density; noble-sweet wines tiny and variable; best growers made penetrating wines Late-spring frost sharply cut yields; hot dry midsummer → earliest harvest on record; a cool wet stretch then late-September/October warmth; harvest rain/hail spread botrytis
2016 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Late frost and hail gave poor early prospects, but weather improved from July; good quality, lower in alcohol and higher in acidity than 2015; classical Mosel balance Late frost and hail early; high disease pressure from a damp start, then recovery
2015 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark Riesling — finely balanced, structured and fresh from a warm, dry year; only a small (but healthy) amount of botrytis, not a big sweet-wine year Hot dry vintage; perfect autumn
2014 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool/wet Difficult; Drosophila suzukii pressure; selective sorting essential Cool wet; suzukii pressure
2013 Average
★★★		 Low Cool Cool spring then mild summer; Riesling often too sharp, but growers who risked late picking made tense, charged wines; outstanding for noble-sweet wines on riveting acidity Heavy September rain raised rot risk; grapes picked too soon showed unripe flavours and searing acidity
2012 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Classical, balanced Mosel; variable and highly producer-dependent — late, selective pickers were rewarded with outstanding Riesling Cold May caused millerandage (abnormal set); rain brought mildew, halted by a hot August; warm dry September into October; spring frost cut yields (Mosel lost up to ~25%) → a small, early harvest
2011 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm Great long-term vintage with both high ripeness (a fine Indian summer) and bracing acidity (a cool wet September); high proportion of botrytised Prädikat sweet wines Cool wet September; Indian-summer rescue; strong botrytis development
2010 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool–Mod Very late-ripening, high-acid classical vintage; initially underrated for its prominent acidity, but the wines rewarded patience; very little botrytis, but a reasonable crop of Eiswein Cool autumn delayed ripening; small concentrated berries; minimal noble rot

Star ratings: WS (Germany Riesling, country-level) + WE (Mosel). No WSG chart for Germany; WA's Mosel row omits recent vintages. Weather & harvest narrative: Jancis Robinson Germany Vintage Chart; VDP and Weinland Mosel (regional wine association) vintage reports; Decanter Mosel coverage.

Past Vintages — Germany (Mosel & Rhine, WS Riesling)

From the Wine Spectator Germany (Riesling) chart — country-level.

★ 2026: Which German vintage, 2020–2025, combined a hot, sunny (solar) summer with mildew pressure? → 2023

★ 2024: Which German vintage since 2010 had the lowest Icewine production? → 2019 (first year with virtually no Eiswein — no region reached −7 °C)

Rheingau

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Variable, difficult year; better in cooler sites; a small, healthy harvest of good quality where frost and disease were managed Spring frost; wet spring/summer with high mildew and fungal pressure (less devastated than the Mosel)
2023 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Ripe, balanced, concentrated Riesling at moderate alcohol — a standout German white of the vintage Warm-to-hot, dry growing season; Rheingau crop slightly above the long-term average (~228,000 hl, +6%) despite heavy Pinot selection; some late-season rain and rot pressure at harvest
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Early harvest; ripe, concentrated Riesling; late-harvesting, selective producers rewarded with the best wines Warm, dry, largely frost-free season; some drought stress; midsummer rains raised disease pressure
2021 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Cool classical vintage; fresh, mineral Riesling ideal for trocken; Rheingau largely spared the year's extremes, reaching aromatic maturity only in the second half of October in very healthy condition Late spring frosts and a cool wet summer nationally, but Rheingau relatively spared; some mildew pressure
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot (dry) Third dry year; ripe, healthy grapes with good acidity; quality across the board including noble sweets; picked without weather breaks Hot dry summer; drought stress; sunburn selection on exposed sites
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Part of Germany's breakthrough vintage; concentrated, balanced Rheingau from a small crop with ideal must-weight/acidity ratio Heat and drought with extreme spikes; too warm late in autumn for Eiswein
2018 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) Hot, dry, very warm summer; opulent, ripe, generous Riesling; good sweet styles; some wines a touch low in acidity Hot dry summer with drought; bumper crop (~+17% vs long-term avg nationally); high ripeness lowered acidity in warmer sites
2017 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod–Warm Spring frost after a warm early spring cut yields nationwide; hot dry midsummer gave small, concentrated berries; best sites yielded grandiose, very dense, deep, firm wines Late-spring frost reduced yields; hot dry midsummer → earliest harvest on record; April frost + August hail in the plains (steep sites spared); late-Sept/October warmth; harvest rain/hail spread botrytis
2016 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Late frost and hail early, then improvement from July; good quality, lower in alcohol and higher in acidity than 2015; classical, balanced Rheingau Late frost and hail early; high disease pressure from a damp start, then recovery
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Benchmark Riesling vintage; ripe + acid Hot dry vintage
2014 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool/wet Difficult; selective sorting essential Cool wet; D. suzukii pressure
2013 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool Late, fresh; light Cool wet season
2012 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Classical, balanced Mod season
2011 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm Ripe Rheingau Warm season
2010 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool–Mod High-acid, classical structure Cool late season

Star ratings: WS (Germany Riesling, country-level) + WE (Rhine Regions). No WSG chart for Germany. Weather & harvest narrative: Jancis Robinson Germany Vintage Chart; VDP Rheingau reports. (Pre-2010 Past Vintages: see the Germany block under Mosel.)

Niederösterreich (Wachau · Kamptal)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Difficult year, producer selection critical; Grüner favoured over thinner-skinned Riesling for resistance to the heavy September rains; ripe wines from a small harvest Spring frost damaged premium vineyards in the Kamptal and parts of the Wachau; very wet September with mildew pressure
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot–Warm Ripe but balanced; Grüner showed grapy and pome-fruit aromas rather than peppery spice; warm season managed by föhn winds and cool nights Turbulent season; coulure and lower yields from heat/drought or rain at late flowering; repeated hailstorms (Mautern, western Wachau, Kamptal)
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe, expressive Grüner with pronounced typicity (a little less peppery than usual); strong Smaragd potential Mild dry winter; late budding avoided late frost; repeated rain during the sensitive flowering period
2021 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Cool A "dream vintage"; classical and fresh, with the latest harvest in years; exceptionally brilliant Grüner (stone-fruit, creamy mouthfeel); promising Riesling; lower alcohol, zesty acidity Cool season; cool nights from mid-September gave a wide diurnal range, boosting aromatics
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Old-fashioned summer alternating sun and rain, no long heatwaves; ripe Grüner, good Smaragd quality Frequent rain drove strong growth and high disease pressure; localized hailstorms caused serious damage in parts of the Wachau, Kremstal and Traisental
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark "Niner"; despite heat and drought the whites turned out vivaciously fresh; Grüner multidimensional with vivid fruit and tension; concentrated, age-worthy Heat and drought through the season
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot (heatwaves) Ripe, generous Grüner and Riesling with strong typicity; high alcohols, acidity only slightly below 2017 Consistently hot, dry season; harvest volume well above the long-term average (~2.75M hl); one of the earliest harvests in memory
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Concentrated, precise wines; high acidity added precision; Grüner especially shone after a glorious ripening autumn Dry winter; one of the hottest summers in a long time (Weinviertel very arid) with localized Wachau hailstorms; harvest ~25% above the 5-yr average
2016 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod "Ugly weather, lovely wines"; lighter-class Grüner performed better than in years, with radiance and delicacy Severe late-April frost (westernmost Wachau near Spitz hit hard); high disease pressure from a damp season
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Benchmark; juicy, rounded Grüner with mild acid structure; a glorious sunny autumn with cool nights and drying föhn winds gave beautiful ripeness Unusual early-May night hailstorm swept from eastern Kremstal/Kamptal across the Wagram, causing dramatic losses (especially Wagram)
2014 Average
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Difficult year worth the struggle; fruity, lean-to-medium Grüner with fresh acidity; rigorous sorting essential Cool, wet season; small harvest (~2M hl, well below the long-term average); occasional hail in Lower Austria; Drosophila suzukii pressure
2013 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Cool spring delayed budbreak; concentrated, dense Grüner with deep fruit and balanced acidity; Riesling austere and high-acid Wildly variable — snow, flooding, drought; poor fruit set/coulure; one of the hottest summers on record punctuated by hailstorms
2012 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Good quality across the board; Grüner edged out Riesling; healthy fruit May frost restricted yields (~2.1M hl, ~400k below the 5-yr average); otherwise favourable
2011 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Warm Generous yields welcomed after lean years; ripe, full-bodied, age-worthy whites; higher alcohol, lower acidity Warm, dry season; generous harvest (>2.8M hl, well above the ~2.4M avg); no major hazards
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Very low Cool–Mod High-acid, classical structure; Grüner Veltliner racy but not aggressive with clear varietal character; outperformed Riesling Rain at flowering caused widespread coulure and downy mildew on Grüner; late budding avoided spring frost; smallest crop in 25 years (~1.7M hl), with summer hail in late August

Star ratings: WS (Austria White, country-level) + WE (Danube Regions). No WSG chart for Austria; WA's Niederösterreich row omits recent vintages. Weather & harvest narrative: Jancis Robinson Austria Vintage Chart; Decanter Wachau coverage; ÖWM (Austrian Wine Marketing Board).

Past Vintages — Austria (WS White, country-level)

From the Wine Spectator Austria (white) chart — applies to Niederösterreich and Burgenland whites.

Burgenland

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Good
★★★★		 Low Warm Variable; ripe wines from a small harvest; rapid summer ripening from mid-June heat lasting to early September Warm-to-hot summer with little rain in places; localized severe hailstorms east of Lake Neusiedl; spring frost affected Lower Austrian premium sites
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt; warm season Turbulent weather; coulure and lower yields from heat/dryness or rain at late flowering; repeated regional hailstorms
2022 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe Blaufränkisch/Zweigelt; very dry conditions on Lake Neusiedl favoured clean, healthy fruit Mild dry winter; late budding avoided late frost; rain during flowering; no late frost or hail near the lake
2021 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Classical, outstanding young wines after a fabulous autumn and the latest harvest in many years; Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch fresh, crystal-clear, well-structured Balanced season; cool September nights gave a strong diurnal range
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod A possible 2020 winner — heavy autumn rain largely spared the Neusiedlersee villages and central/southern Burgenland, which ripened early; ripe reds Old-fashioned summer, no long heatwaves; damp season with high disease pressure; localized hail in some villages
2019 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark "Niner" for reds; Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and St. Laurent reached optimum ripeness in pristine health → balanced, juicy, powerful wines Heat and drought through the season
2018 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot Ripe, powerful Blaufränkisch/Zweigelt/St. Laurent — dark, velvety tannins with adequate acid; excellent sweet wines (Ruster Ausbruch); earliest harvest in memory Consistently hot, dry season; harvest well above the long-term average (national ~2.75M hl)
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot–Warm Concentrated reds; high acidity lent precision and freshness Dry winter; one of the hottest summers in a long time with scattered hail; harvest ~25% above the 5-yr average (national)
2016 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Mod Classical; lovely wines despite ugly weather Severe late-April frost hit Neusiedlersee and Eisenberg especially hard; high disease pressure from a damp season
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Benchmark; fruit-forward, varietally typical whites rich in extract with gentle acidity; ripe, balanced reds Hot, dry vintage; spared the worst of the early-May Lower Austria hail
2014 Below average
★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Difficult, lighter reds; strict selection needed Cool, wet season; small national harvest (~2M hl, below the long-term average); occasional hail; Drosophila suzukii pressure
2013 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Late, fresh, classical reds; tricky season but clean, concentrated fruit where well-managed Variable — cool spring, summer heat with hailstorms; coulure reduced yields
2012 Average
★★★☆		 Low Mod Classical, good-quality reds and whites; healthy fruit May frost restricted yields (national ~2.1M hl, ~400k below the 5-yr average); otherwise favourable
2011 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Warm Ripe, generous reds; a warm year some hailed as the best yet for Austrian reds; full-bodied, age-worthy Warm, dry season; generous national harvest (>2.8M hl, well above the ~2.4M avg); no major hazards
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Very low Cool–Mod High-acid, classical reds and whites; favourable for sweet wines (botrytised and Eiswein); racy but balanced April frost and hail cut yields heavily; smallest national crop in 25 years (~1.7M hl); rain at flowering

Star ratings: WS (Austria White, country-level) + WE (Burgenland Reds) + WA (Burgenland Red, 2010–2019). No WSG chart for Austria. Weather & harvest narrative: Jancis Robinson Austria Vintage Chart; ÖWM. (WS Austria is white-based; applied as the country reference.)

Past Vintages — Burgenland

From the ÖWM (Austrian Wine) vintage assessments, Jancis Robinson Blaufränkisch verticals and Decanter.

Part II — New World (2015 – 2025)

Regions in this Part

Regions covered in Part II

United States

Chile

Argentina

Australia

New Zealand

South Africa

Past Vintages sections (pre-2015 decade-grouped Best/Worst): Napa Valley

Napa Valley

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Above-avg Cool–Mod Estimated; "return to the classics" — NVV; phenolic ripeness at lower Brix → lower alcohols; gradual, even ripening Cool season with no major heat events (only ~8 days over 95 °F); ample winter rain; periodic harvest rain; mildew pressure
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm–Hot Balanced Napa Cab despite the heat — heavy winter rain built full canopies that shaded the crop Numerous heat days — expansive summer heat from June through harvest (NVV); compacted harvest, mostly picked at night
2023 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Coolest in a decade Long hang time; classical style; bright acidity Jun–Jul rarely above 90 °F; only a couple of days hit 100 °F all season; above-average crop with extended hang time
2022 Average
★★★		 Low Hot (heat dome) Compromised fruit quality; wines for short-term consumption; powerful but coarse Labor Day heat dome (early September) — extreme heat valley-wide; minor smoke
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (drought) Warm dry Concentrated, age-worthy Cab; consistently warm but no major heat spikes; even ripening with brief mid-Jun and late-Aug/early-Sep spikes of minimal impact Severe drought (cut yields, not a hot year); light smoke
2020 Average
★★★ †		 Very low Hot (fires) Smoke taint widespread; Thomas Rivers Brown estimated "perhaps only 20% of the Napa crop will get bottled"; drastic reduction in Napa Cab volume vs avg LNU Lightning Complex (mid-August, dry-lightning ignition) burned a vast area; Glass Fire (late September above St. Helena) burned wineries/vineyards; smoke during veraison
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Concentrated, structured Cab Sauv; ripe but balanced Long, mild, dry summer with very few extreme heat events
2018 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Mod Benchmark Napa Cab; balanced power, complexity, aromatic range Long cool growing season; no heat spikes
2017 Average
★★★ †		 Above-avg Hot (fires) Variable — early-picked great, late-picked smoke-affected Record-large Cab crop (~+6% on 2016, ~20–30% over average) — most picked before ignition; Tubbs Fire (early October) burned a large area, with fatalities; ~90% of grapes already picked by ignition; Atlas Fire concurrent
2016 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod–Warm "Intense fruit"; final drought vintage of the 2012-run without serious heat spikes — WS 98 Mild, steady July–Aug ("Fogust"); warm days only at season's end; drought year-5
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (poor fruit set) Warm dry More variable than '16 or '13 — sugars sometimes raced ahead of phenolics Cold spell during flowering → lower yield; small crop ripened quickly in August
2014 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm dry Benchmark — "very consistent, wines show power and depth, as well as extra aromatic range" Warm, dry → early harvest; South Napa earthquake (late August) damaged wineries in southern valley
2013 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Mod "Flawless growing season; moderate temperatures and no heat spikes or rain. A no-brainer benchmark" — WS 97; Dalla Valle Maya 100-pt WA Ideal season
2012 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Mod (warm dry) First of California's drought-influenced run; marked by a tannic spine — WS 96; welcome return to warm dry conditions after rain-marred 2011 Ideal season after small 2010/2011 vintages
2011 Below average
★★☆ †		 Low Cool/wet "Most comparable to 1998" — both initially panned, now reconsidered as excellent for drinkers (not investors); cool temps → lower alcohol, restrained profile; surprising age potential Cool wet season; late rains + Botrytis threat; selective harvesting required; mildew pressure
2010 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool steady "Cool, steady year; wines show exceptional quality, tight, dense and layered" — WS 96 Cool growing season; late heat spike compressed harvest
2009 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool, late Surprise bounty of pure, opulent wines Late, cool year
2008 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (frost) Mod (extremes) Frost lowered yields but not quality; unique depth and concentration Deepest, longest spring frost in decades cut the crop (fewer clusters, smaller berries); heat spike at flowering the same week growers were still irrigating against frost; Labor Day heat spell ripened several varieties at once; then a sharp cool-down gave reds optimal hang time
2007 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Low Mod Textbook year — small crop, ideal ripening; complexity & plush tannins; Insignia & Scarecrow 100-pt WA Ideal season
2006 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool, late Late, cool harvest → dense, concentrated, age-worthy wines Record ~10-day mid-July heat wave (unthinned canopies shaded the young clusters); cool August through harvest; late harvest into early November
2005 Very good
★★★★☆		 High (record-size crop) Cool–Mod Longest growing season on record; best elegant & balanced, though some tannic/drying Record crop; very long, cool season
2004 Good
★★★★		 Low (small crop) Warm (heat spikes) Small crop of exceptional quality; ripe, elegant, concentrated, harmonious Very early budbreak; heat spikes in June and through summer → one of the earliest harvests in memory
2003 Average
★★★ †		 Avg Hot/cool extremes Uneven ripeness; austere, tannic — "more like 2000 than 2001 or 2002" (WS) "Year of extremes" — wettest April on record + poor Merlot set; cool summer with intense Aug–Sept heat spikes
2002 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Superb in Napa — dense, rich, rivalling 2001 for depth; Insignia & Maya 100-pt WA Ideal year
2001 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm→Mod Excellent weather; many stunning, longest-lived 2000s reds (a few disappointments); Insignia 100-pt WA Hottest May on record + 3rd-hottest June → harvest 2–3 weeks early; near-perfect cool August extended hang time
2000 Bad
★☆		 Low Cool overall; brief June heat-spike Mixed and a bit green overall, but some overlooked stellar wines Rain-plagued; extreme June heatwave caused sunburn + crop loss; significant late-Sept/early-Oct rain → dilution

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (North Coast Cab Sauv), WS (Napa Cab from 2013), WE (Napa Cab). Weather & harvest narrative: Wine Spectator vintage reports (2010–2024); Decanter & Wine Spectator wildfire coverage (Tubbs 2017; LNU + Glass 2020). 2000–2009 stars = WA North Coast Cab + WS California Cab + WE Napa Cab, with style notes from the Wine Spectator California Cabernet chart.

† 2020 — Smoke taint variability: well-vinified wines from less-affected fruit far better than the average score suggests; many wineries declassified or skipped Cabernet entirely. Brown: "perhaps only 20% of the Napa crop will get bottled." † 2017 — Pre-fire (Oct) and post-fire bottles vary dramatically; ~90% picked before ignition; early-picked wines often excellent. † 2011 — Like 1998, initially panned but increasingly valued. Lower alcohol, restrained; better for drinking than investing. † 2003 — WA (92) is far more generous than WS (85); the vintage was a "year of extremes," with early-picked wines fresher and many later-picked wines austere and drying early.

Past Vintages — Napa Valley (Cabernet-led)

Pre-2010 quality verdicts compiled from WS Napa Cabernet Vintage Chart, Robert Parker / Wine Advocate 100-pt vintages, and Wine Spectator Napa Cabernet Hall of Fame.

2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
Pre-1970 — Top historical Napa Cabs

★ 2026: List the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Napa Valley vintages from coolest to warmest. → 2023 (coolest) · 2021 · 2022 (heat dome, warmest)

Sonoma County

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Cool, foggy summer — one of the chilliest midsummers in decades; slow, even ripening; quality compared to 2023 Unusually cold, foggy midsummer; modest late-August warm-up; harvest behind 2024 pace
2024 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Cool, wet spring ended a three-year drought; slow, uniform ripening; balanced Pinot/Chardonnay with lively acidity Cooler start, lower volume; late heat spikes but no significant damage
2023 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Cool (late) Standout coolest season in years; plentiful spring rain, no heat spikes; long hang time; fresh, classical Pinot/Chardonnay Coolest season in years; above-average crop; harvest weeks later than average
2022 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot (heat dome) Two-tale vintage — fruit picked before vs after the heat dome; small berries, concentrated; warm autumn aided phenolic ripeness Early-September heat dome (extreme heat in northern Alexander Valley); night/hand picking; yields down
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low (drought) Mod (dry) Drought after a dry winter; small thick-skinned berries, even ripening; concentrated, ageworthy Pinot/Chardonnay with good acidity Drought (cut yields; moderate temps, no major heat spikes); sugars could spike ahead of phenolic ripeness
2020 Below average
★★☆ †		 Very low Hot (fires) Widespread smoke taint; many wineries declassified or made white Pinot; best-vinified, less-affected fruit still excellent LNU Lightning Complex (mid-August, during veraison) & Glass Fire (late September); weeks of lingering smoke
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod One of the finest recent California Pinot years — most Sonoma Pinots scored highly; concentrated yet balanced Warm, even, dry season with few extreme heat events
2018 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Mod Benchmark Sonoma; cool spring, long bloom, moderate summer, late veraison; large crop thinned for quality; structured without overripeness — "most benign season in 40 years" (Paul Hobbs) Long, cool growing season; harvest two-to-three weeks later than recent years
2017 Average
★★★		 Low Hot (fires) Hot, dry season; most of the crop picked before the fires, so smoke taint less than feared; minimal crop loss October Tubbs & Atlas wildfires (Santa Rosa)
2016 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Excellent Pinot/Chardonnay Moderate summer with a cool August ("Fogust"); dry
2015 Average
★★★		 Low (drought) Hot dry Concentrated; some heat stress Drought
2014 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Benchmark vintage Earthquake affected some Sonoma wineries
2013 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Mod Excellent Ideal season
2012 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Excellent Ideal season
2011 Below average
★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Cool wet; lighter, selective Cool wet season
2010 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool Long cool growing season; classical Cool growing season

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (North Coast Pinot Noir), WS (Sonoma Pinot Noir from 2015), WE (Sonoma Pinot Noir).

Past Vintages — Sonoma County

Wine Spectator charts Sonoma Pinot only from 2015; older verdicts from the Wine Enthusiast vintage chart and Decanter

† 2020 — Smoke taint variability; well-vinified wines from less-affected fruit far better than average suggests.

Willamette Valley (Oregon)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot summer
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod "Dreamy" classical vintage; glacially slow ripening, long hang time; vibrant fruit, low alcohol, ample acidity Cool mid-September; cool, dry late September–October; ideal extended hang time
2023 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Classical, fresh; cool slow start then rapid finish; compressed harvest to capture freshness; polished, elegant Pinot recalling 2015/2012/2004 Warmer than average overall (early–mid-Aug heat) despite a cool start; on the dry side; near-normal crop (OWB "larger" vs WVWA "slightly smaller"); stunning fall after a damp start
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Tricky season that "stuck the landing"; classical, fresh, structured Pinot at lower alcohol, built for ageing Early-April budbreak frost + cold, wet May/June delayed ripening; warmest October on record drove a compressed late harvest
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Warm (brief heat dome) Season overall warm not hot — a "new classic" template; slightly lower yields gave concentrated Pinot with fine tannins and fresh Chardonnay Late-June heat dome (3-day spike, regional records); winter ice storm; bloom rains cut yields
2020 Below average
★★☆ †		 Very low Hot (fires) Severe smoke taint — many wineries sold fruit in bulk, declassified, made white Pinot, or skipped the vintage; worst Willamette Pinot vintage in living memory; Pinot production fell sharply Labor Day wildfires (Beachie Creek, Riverside, Holiday Farm); strong east winds blanketed the valley in smoke
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool Return to classical elegance after the warm 2014–18 run; livelier, brighter, higher-acid, lower-alcohol, lightest-coloured Pinot in years Cold early spring with frost in cold pockets; unusually wet July (mildew pressure); late-September rain delayed ripening
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 High Hot Ripe, balanced Pinot Noir Hot summer with even ripening; one of the largest Oregon harvests on record
2017 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Mixed Lighter, well-balanced Pinot — noticeably more restrained than 2016 Higher-than-average fruit set (lots of fruit); hot summer; cooler pockets stretched hang time
2016 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm Excellent; heat tempered by cool spells and fewer spikes than 2014/15; smaller berries, concentrated flavours Warm season tempered by cool spells; production near normal (unlike the record 2014/2015)
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 High Hot dry Warm by old-school Oregon standards; ripe, plump Pinot between Oregon structure and California fruit; cool pockets stretched hang time Hot, dry vintage; enormous yields (~+150% vs 5-yr average)
2014 Very good
★★★★☆		 High Hot Ripe, balanced; large crop Hot dry summer; record-breaking crop (new tonnage record, ~10–25% above normal)
2013 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm (late rains) Difficult; late rains Warm, dry summer (more heat than 2012); extra-large crop; diluted by a late-September rain
2012 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Benchmark Pinot Noir Ideal season
2011 Average
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Cool, late; classical, lighter style Cool wet season
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool Long cool growing season; classical Cool growing season

Star ratings: WS (Oregon Pinot Noir) + WA (Willamette PN & Chard) + WE (Willamette PN). No WSG chart for the US.

Past Vintages — Willamette

From the Wine Spectator Oregon Pinot Noir chart

Past Vintages — Willamette Valley

From the Wine Spectator Oregon Pinot Noir chart.

† 2020 — Smoke taint catastrophic; well-vinified fruit far better than mean suggests.

Washington — Columbia Valley & Walla Walla

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot summer
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm High quality; long, steady, warm eastern-Washington summer (likened to a milder 2021); ripe Cab/Syrah; higher-elevation sites kept restrained finesse January Arctic freeze threatened the vintage; warm, steady summer; vines recovered to a near-normal crop
2023 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot Small but high-quality harvest; hot June, steadier July, an August heat spike, then a moderate autumn extended hang time; good acidity and balance Hot summer; small/light crop (~−34% vs 2022, partly market-driven)
2022 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Cool/late "Long cool growing season — one this region hasn't seen since at least 2011; wines exhibit freshness and acidity, ageworthy and elegant" — Wine Spectator Cool late season; large crop (~240,000 tons — among the biggest on record; WSWC "larger harvest," +34% vs 2021)
2021 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot Record-shattering heat surpassing 2015; smaller berries, concentrated; producers leaning to elegance rose to the top in Cab and Syrah Late-June heat dome (extreme heat, incl. Walla Walla); hot through harvest; Cab ~−30% (historically low yields)
2020 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot (fires) Largely spared severe smoke — main fires well north of Walla Walla/Red Mountain; only light haze; little smoke taint in bottled Washington Cab Regional September wildfires; limited smoke exposure
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod "Fresh, energetic and supple, soft, pretty and nuanced" — Wine Spectator Mod season
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Warm "Broad shoulders, brooding fruit and layered, structured tannins; September near perfect, providing ideal harvest conditions" — Wine Spectator; benchmark Washington Cab Sauv Warm (not excessively hot) dry summer; perfect Sept
2017 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Cool, wet spring delayed budbreak; a warm summer recovered the season (cooler overall than the hot 2013–2015 run); warm-day/cool-night harvest gave ripe wines with bright acidity; main regions dodged smoke Central/eastern WA wildfires (smoke largely not an issue in the Columbia Valley)
2016 Average
★★★☆		 High Warm Excellent vintage; ripe ageworthy Warm start, cool midsummer-to-harvest finish; record crop (~292,000 tons)
2015 Average
★★★		 Avg Hot dry Ripe, powerful Cab Sauv; alcohol-leaning Hot dry vintage
2014 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot Benchmark Washington vintage Hot summer
2013 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Hot Concentrated reds Hot dry summer; high crop (vine vigour from excess moisture)
2012 Very good
★★★★☆		 High Warm Benchmark Washington Cab Sauv Warm season; largest crop ever to that point (~+20% over 2010)
2011 Average
★★★		 Low Cool Cool, lighter style; selective Cool growing season
2010 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool–Mod Classical, fresher style; a late freeze damaged some vines in Horse Heaven Hills & Walla Walla Cool, late growing season; a late-autumn freeze damaged some vines (Horse Heaven Hills, Walla Walla)

Star ratings: WS (Washington Cab/Merlot/Syrah) + WA (Cab Sauv/Syrah Washington) + WE (Washington Cab/Merlot). No WSG chart for the US. Weather & harvest narrative: Wine Spectator Washington vintage tasting reports; Decanter Washington coverage.

Past Vintages — Washington

From the Wine Spectator Washington chart

Past Vintages — Washington

From the Wine Spectator Washington chart.

Finger Lakes (New York)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot summer
2024 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Hot "Epic" — called the best in decades; clean, balanced fruit, very high quality; ideal for dry Riesling Frost near budbreak; then the warmest growing season on record — warm, dry, cool nights, rapid early growth; early harvest
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Very low (frost) Variable Unpredictable season but yielded classic New York wines; bright acidity allowed ripeness without weight Unprecedented mid-May frost devastated the crop (after a warm, early budbreak); months-long drought, then heavy rain and disease pressure
2022 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot Concentrated Riesling from a light crop Winter cold then spring drought produced a small crop
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool Cool, extremely wet season; classical, fresh, acid-driven Riesling but elevated disease pressure Extremely wet growing season; disease and crop-quality challenge
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Hot Stunning dry Rieslings — lucid, bright yet concentrated and powerful, with characteristic linear acidity Warm, dry season
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark Finger Lakes Riesling Hot dry summer
2018 Average
★★★		 Avg Cool/wet Variable, rain-affected; warm, humid conditions drove intense disease pressure requiring strict sorting; a touch of noble rot Violent mid-August rains (a Seneca Lake deluge); rot pressure
2017 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Classical, successful Riesling — very good to excellent across producers A generally favourable season for Riesling
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Slightly below avg (drought) Hot Benchmark; driest growing season on record (about half the rainfall of the previously driest, 1973); long hang time, clean fruit, great acids; concentrated Riesling Record drought; yields down (winter bud mortality + drought)
2015 Average
★★★		 Avg Hot Riesling the standout — broader-textured, lower-acid whites that outpaced the reds Wet first half forced repeated antifungal sprays; a late dry, warm spell saved the vintage, but a mid-October downpour hit any unpicked fruit
2014 Average
★★★		 Avg Mod Classical Very cold winter; bud damage on Vitis vinifera
2013 Average
★★★		 Avg Mod Classical Mod season
2012 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark Finger Lakes vintage Hot dry summer
2011 Below average
★★		 Low Cool/wet Difficult; Hurricane Irene rain Hurricane Irene damage
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Hot Concentrated, ripe Hot dry summer

Star ratings: WE (Finger Lakes Reds & Whites averaged). WA/WS Finger Lakes not separately rated.

Past Vintages — Finger Lakes

No dedicated Wine Spectator chart; older Riesling verdicts from the Wine Enthusiast vintage chart and regional reports — the spread is narrow, so distinctions are modest

Central Valley (Maipo · Rapel/Colchagua)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Mod Estimated Mod season
2024 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Cool, cloudy, low-sunlight "almost Bordelais" season; balanced Cab Sauv & Carmenère, moderate-to-low alcohol, fresh Cold, damp spring → weak fruit set, fewer berries; lower yields
2023 Average
★★★		 Low Hot Drought-stressed, knife-edge season; smoke-taint assessment for fire-zone fruit Ongoing mega-drought + mid-harvest wildfires (Maule/Ñuble/Itata); yields ~15–30% below average; vast forest area burned, some centenarian vines lost; smoke and ash over survivors
2022 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Cool Among the driest harvests in a century; Maipo Cab and Colchagua/Cachapoal least drought-hit; big diurnal range, low pH → lively tannins, good colour Historic drought + frost reduced yields; cool spring; light February rain, heavier late-March rain slowed red picking
2021 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Cool/wet Cooler year favoured by producers; classical, fresher, leaner reds — Cab Sauv, Carmenère, Syrah and Carignan all fared well La Niña — cool, the wettest vintage since 2016; yields ~18% above average
2020 Average
★★★		 Low Hot dry Extremely early harvest compressed into a few weeks; concentrated Cab, Syrah, Carmenère, Carignan Decade-long drought + summer heatwaves; early-October frost (Colchagua worst hit); yields down sharply
2019 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Warm "megasequía" year; high-temperature peaks caused some dehydration; reds with good colour, structure, concentration and acidity Mega-drought + summer heat spikes; Central Valley yields down
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod "A year of finesse"; benchmark Chilean Cab Sauv — powerful Maipo reds of blackcurrant and pencil-lead Ideal season after fire-scarred 2017
2017 Average
★★★		 Low Hot Very warm; ripe, sometimes jammy reds; early harvest; smoke-taint assessed in southern zones January wildfires — worst forestry disaster on record; many Maule vineyards damaged, some Colchagua vines lost; prolonged drought + erratic winds spread fire fast
2016 Average
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Cool, wet El Niño year; lighter, fresher Bordeaux-style reds, lower alcohol, higher acidity El Niño rains — a torrential mid-April downpour with late fruit still hanging; production down; botrytis/mildew pressure
2015 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Hot Ripe Cab Sauv Hot dry summer
2014 Average
★★★		 Avg Mod Classical Mod season
2013 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool Classical, fresher Cool late season
2012 Average
★★★		 Avg Hot Ripe Cab Sauv Hot summer
2011 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Classical Mod season
2010 Average
★★★		 Avg Mod Concentrated; late February Maule earthquake affected some wineries late February Maule earthquake M8.8 (post-harvest)

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (Chile), WS (Chile Red from 2017), WE (Maipo).

Past Vintages — Central Valley

From the Wine Spectator Chile Reds chart

Mendoza — Uco Valley & Luján de Cuyo

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Mod Estimated Mod season
2024 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod "High lows, not high highs" — overnight cooling preserved acidity → fine balance, silky tannins; Luján Malbec well-concentrated; likened to 2021 Persistent September Zonda wind dried the canopy; a mid-January heatwave shut vines down; micro-frosts in Las Compuertas (Luján); yields below average
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Low Mod–Warm Very early harvest; low yields but unprecedented balance of malic acidity, pH and ripeness Late-spring polar frost cut yields sharply; then historic drought + one of the hottest summers in decades sped ripening
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod One of the best for quality; concentrated reds with excellent ageing potential — Malbec, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc Several spring frosts in Uco, lower Luján and eastern Mendoza; yields down locally
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Cool Exceptional, surprisingly healthy; cool season → slow ripening and a range of Malbec styles; benchmark balance and freshness Cool season (summer GDD ~6% below the historical average); above-average rainfall raised rain risk during slow ripening; dry March allowed a quick finish; pandemic labour shortages strained logistics
2020 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Hot Hot, dry, early; a cooler final two months trimmed alcohol and preserved acidity → ripe, smooth Malbec with fresh acid; reds outperformed Hot, dry summer; early harvest
2019 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Excellent across the board; cool autumn allowed long ripening; small berries → concentrated, deeply coloured, higher-acid reds at slightly lower alcohol; Uco exceptional Dry season (rainfall well below normal); harvest one-to-three weeks early; slightly lower yields
2018 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Most classic harvest in memory — warm days, cool nights; abundant, excellent reds and whites; production well up on 2017 Benign season; a return to normality
2017 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Small but high-quality; poor Malbec fruit set → concentrated wines Damaging spring frosts cut Malbec yields sharply
2016 Average
★★★		 Very low Cool/wet Difficult El Niño year; lighter, lower-alcohol reds; selective picking El Niño cool, wet spring delayed harvest about a month; a torrential April deluge → botrytis & mildew; Mendoza −39% (worst pre-harvest losses since 1957)
2015 Average
★★★		 Avg Warm/wet Variable; warm, wet start Unusually warm and wet season
2014 Average
★★★		 Avg Cool Variable Cool season
2013 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Ripe Malbec; outstanding quality Cool, dry season
2012 Average
★★★		 Below-avg Warm Classic warm Mendoza vintage; lower yields lifted quality — good colour and concentration, round sweet tannins in reds Late-September spring frost then strong, warm, dry Zonda winds at flowering (early November) → dehydration and poor set; harvest ~12% below the historical average
2011 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool Difficult; frost-affected Severe spring frost
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool Cool classical Mendoza Cool growing season

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (Argentina), WS (Argentina Red from 2017), WE (Mendoza).

Past Vintages — Mendoza

From the Wine Spectator Argentina/Mendoza chart

South Australia (Barossa Valley · McLaren Vale)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Warm Estimated Warm season
2024 Good
★★★★		 Avg (Barossa low, McLaren below-avg) Mod Balanced Shiraz/GSM; standouts Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet; McLaren Vale up in volume while Barossa fell sharply Mild winter/spring drove early flowering; well-above-average late-spring rain demanded rigorous management; dry, warm run to harvest with no heatwaves until a brief late spell
2023 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool Classical, fresher, more elegant Shiraz; McLaren shiraz the standout for colour and density Third straight La Niña — wettest year since 2011, coolest since 2012; very wet spring (downy mildew averted by spraying); no summer heatwaves; veraison and harvest delayed up to a month
2022 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Cool Cool Barossa/Eden; bright sunny days, late harvest stretching into May; McLaren reds hailed "best in years" (d'Arenberg) Poor fruit set, then spring frost and severe hailstorms (central Barossa, then the north)
2021 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Above-avg Cool–Mod Elegant, classic vintage with the best acidities in years; exceptional across all varieties — dense, deeply coloured reds, finely aromatic whites Below-average temperatures all season; good rainfall ended two dry drought years → near-average crops
2020 Good
★★★★ †		 Very low Hot Smoke taint variability from Australian bushfires 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires
2019 Good
★★★★		 Low Warm dry Concentrated, powerful Shiraz; high quality (cool-climate character in a warm year) Warm, dry — cooler than 2016 and 2018; drought-reduced yields (very low)
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg Warm Intensely coloured, deeply flavoured reds with controlled tannin; Grenache and McLaren Vale Shiraz the standouts — rated alongside 2016 and 2010 Warm, dry season (well below-average rainfall); near-perfect McLaren Vale ripening; yields down
2017 Good
★★★★		 High Cool/wet Classical, fresher; cool harvest Cool late season
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot Ripe Shiraz; potentially one of the great recent McLaren Vale vintages — Shiraz the pick, Grenache and Cabernet also praised Low rainfall with a hot December and February, yet average-to-above yields; warm start then cooler finish gave an early harvest of well-balanced fruit
2015 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Hot dry Concentrated, powerful Frost and wildfires cut yields for some
2014 Average
★★★		 Below-avg Hot Ripe, generous Hot summer
2013 Good
★★★★		 Low Hot Concentrated Shiraz Hot dry summer
2012 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Mod Benchmark South Australia vintage Ideal season
2011 Bad
★		 Very low Cool/wet Cool wet; very difficult; disease pressure La Niña — wet, cool season; mildew & botrytis
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm Benchmark Barossa/McLaren Shiraz Exceptionally dry but not too hot → deep, structured reds; a 9-day early-November heat spike (~41.5 °C) at flowering caused some shatter/low fruitset; warm, mild remainder gave an early vintage

Star ratings: WS (SA Shiraz) + WA (Barossa/McLaren) + WE (SA Shiraz). No WSG chart for Australia. Weather & hazard narrative: Wine Spectator, Halliday Wine Companion, Decanter and Wine Australia vintage reports.

Past Vintages — South Australia

From the Wine Spectator Barossa/McLaren Vale Shiraz chart

† 2020 — Smoke taint variability; some excellent wines from less-affected fruit.

Margaret River (Western Australia)

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Mod Estimated Mod season
2024 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Hot (warmest on record) Classical Cab Sauv, Chardonnay and Shiraz; an early harvest gave marginally lower-than-average yields of excellent fruit — one winemaker called it "epic" Driest and warmest growing season on record — almost no spring-to-harvest rain, so next to no disease; a strong Marri (eucalypt) blossom drew birds away from the vines
2023 Outstanding
★★★★★		 Avg Mod Outstanding Chardonnay — hailed as possibly one of the greatest Margaret River Chardonnay vintages ever; excellent Cabernet alongside Balanced, even season
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Pure, classic, consistent Cabernet; concentrated and balanced; whites ripened later and reds earlier than usual Wet, windy weather around fruit set cut yields (especially Chardonnay); fine warm summer with a few very hot spikes; minor rain during the red harvest
2021 Average
★★★☆		 Below-avg Cool Benchmark Margaret River; understated, elegant wines from proactive vineyard management Cooler, somewhat challenging season; unusual February summer rain demanded vigilant canopy and disease control
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Warm Classical, benchmark Cabernet — near-perfect conditions; the region largely escaped the Black Summer smoke that hit eastern Australia Quiet, near-ideal locally; bushfire smoke confined to the eastern states
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Concentrated Cabernet; a slightly cooler year giving elegant, nuanced wines; a delayed harvest start Hot, dry nationally (above-normal irrigation for some); bushfires hit other Australian regions, not Margaret River
2018 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Benchmark, classic Cabernet vintage; optimal ripening and a slightly early harvest Heavy winter rain then a below-average-rain spring; near-ideal summer with very few hot days
2017 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay; top producers picked roughly two weeks later than normal Above-average winter rain; intermittent January rain, dry February, wet March, then cool nights and dry days — a moderate-cool, late season
2016 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Mod Ripe Cabernet; Chardonnay and Cabernet the highlights for growers who managed disease well Very low yields (under ~1 tonne/acre, smaller bunches); good winter rain then dry until heavy January rain, with above-average rain into autumn → rigorous mildew/botrytis control essential
2015 Average
★★★☆		 Low Warm Excellent, intensely flavoured wines; harvest about two weeks early owing to the small crop Wet, windy weather at flowering reduced yields; otherwise warm and sunny with no extreme heat
2014 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Mod Benchmark Margaret River vintage Ideal season
2013 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Concentrated Mod season
2012 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Warm Benchmark; excellent Cab Sauv Ideal season
2011 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Warm Classical Mod season
2010 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm Excellent Margaret River Ideal season

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (Western Australia), WE (Western Australia / Margaret River).

Past Vintages — Margaret River

A young region (first modern vines 1967); older standout Cabernet years from Decanter and Wine Enthusiast

Yarra Valley / Victoria

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Mod Estimated Mod season
2024 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Classical Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; an early, compressed vintage with low-to-moderate yields of high-quality fruit; Chardonnay and later reds very promising Dry winter/early spring then intense early-summer rain, followed by dry mild conditions with a couple of heat spikes; late-season downy mildew devastated yields in some vineyards
2023 Average
★★★		 Low Cool Classical, fresh Pinot Noir Cool late season
2022 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool–Mod Classical, fresh, balanced; benchmark Pinot (Giant Steps Applejack named Halliday 2024 Pinot of the Year) Storms during flowering cut yields; cool, dry growing season
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Excellent Yarra Pinot Noir; benchmark Ideal growing season
2020 Very good
★★★★☆ †		 Very low Mod Late budburst, slow ripening; tiny bunches, very low yields but high quality — Pinot the standout; smoke-taint tests came back clear despite weeks of concern Black Summer bushfires — prolonged smoke drift from Hunter Valley & Gippsland fires
2019 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot dry Ripe Pinot Noir; an outstanding Yarra vintage despite the heat, with a very fast, compressed harvest Hot, dry season forced an early, rushed pick; extreme heat and bushfires hit other states, but the Yarra was largely spared
2018 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Benchmark Yarra vintage; Chardonnay the standout Cool, moist winter/spring needing disease control, then persistently dry to vintage end; replenished groundwater kept canopies healthy
2017 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Cool Classical, fresh Pinot Noir Cool late season
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Hot Ripe Pinot Noir One of the earliest harvests on record; dry season
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Concentrated yet fine, elegant wines; harvest about three weeks early Early spring start, then a long, cool, spike-free summer for even ripening, closed by a dry warm autumn
2014 Average
★★★		 Low Hot Classical Pinot Noir Extreme, variable season — frost, high winds and a severe January heatwave; lower yields
2013 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Warm Ripe Hot summer
2012 Very good
★★★★☆		 Avg Mod Benchmark Yarra vintage Ideal season
2011 Bad
★		 Very low Cool/wet Catastrophic Pinot La Niña — cool, wet; severe disease pressure
2010 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Mod Classical Yarra Pinot Noir Mod season

Star ratings: WA (Victoria/Tasmania) + WE (Yarra Valley PN). No WSG chart for Australia. Weather & hazard narrative: Wine Spectator, Halliday Wine Companion and Jancis Robinson Victoria/Yarra reports.

Past Vintages — Yarra Valley / Victoria

From the Wine Spectator Victoria Shiraz chart

† 2020 — Smoke taint variability extreme; well-vinified fruit much better than declassified wines.

Marlborough

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Low Mod Estimated November frost impact
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg Warm (dry, sunny) Classical, pristine Sauvignon Blanc; ideal ripeness with excellent acid retention; loose bunches lowered rot risk El Niño — the driest June–March in 94 years of records plus a very sunny summer; isolated spring frosts and cold flowering nights cut fruit set; record-low disease; harvest on a roughly normal timeline despite the heat
2023 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Warm Concentrated SB (Marlborough escaped Cyclone Gabrielle) Cyclone Gabrielle affected N Island, not Marlborough
2022 Good
★★★★		 High (NZ record crop) Warm Concentrated, intense SB; benchmark Late-summer rain, pre-harvest cold snap retained acid
2021 Good
★★★★		 Low Cool Classical, leaner but intense, well-balanced Sauvignon Blanc; concentration despite a small crop La Niña; an early dry season, but frost and poor flowering weather shrank yields by about a third
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm Remarkably concentrated, memorably intense Sauvignon Blanc Long, very dry growing season (some called it the driest on record); fine summer (hot days, cool nights); COVID lockdown disrupted harvest logistics (winemaking reclassified essential)
2019 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Benchmark Marlborough SB Warm dry summer
2018 Below average
★★☆		 Avg Hot Variable SB; hot conditions challenged style One of the warmest seasons on record; February cyclones (Fehi, Gita) brought rain and rot pressure at harvest, challenging quality; national crop nonetheless rose (~419,000 t)
2017 Average
★★★		 Avg Cool/wet More restrained, leaner Sauvignon Blanc than usual; a late harvest Wetter, cooler than usual; volume below 2016
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm Riper, fruit-forward style — larger berries emphasised thiols (passionfruit) over herbal pyrazines Warm season; very large NZ crop (+34%, 2nd-largest behind 2014); larger-than-average berries
2015 Average
★★★☆		 Low Warm Solid SB Spring frosts limited yields
2014 Average
★★★☆		 High Warm Variable Marlborough Hot dry summer
2013 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Concentrated SB Hot dry summer
2012 Average
★★★		 Very low Cool Cool, late; classical Cool wet season
2011 Average
★★★		 Above-avg Warm Classical Mod season
2010 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Cool Concentrated Mod season

Star ratings: WS (NZ Pinot Noir, country-level) + WA (New Zealand) + WE (Marlborough SB). No WSG chart for NZ. (WS/WA are country-level; WE Marlborough SB drives sub-region differentiation.)

Past Vintages — Marlborough

Sauvignon Blanc ages little, so older standouts are few; from the Jancis Robinson New Zealand chart and Wine Enthusiast.

Central Otago

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Very good
★★★★☆ (est.)		 Very low Mod Concentration; "crazy colour" in Gibbston/Bendigo November frost → flowering damage (PN, PN Rosé); sites w/ sprinkler frost protection (e.g. Grasshopper Rock, Alexandra) escaped; lowest per-ha since 2010 (~24% drop est.)
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod (dry, El Niño) Exceptional, esp. CH + PN on clay/limestone Spring cold snaps, frosts, wind; widespread hail early February; warm/dry uniform flowering saved fruit set; above-average regionally even as the national crop fell ~21%
2023 Good
★★★★		 High / ~11,995 t Mod Firm tannins; exceptional Pinot Noir Cyclone Gabrielle devastated N Island — Central Otago escaped completely; summer drought conditions
2022 Good
★★★★		 High / 12,575 t (record) Warm Deeply concentrated reds; balance Late-summer cool + rain → disease/rot risk; pre-harvest cold snap retained acidity
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg / 10,324 t (+21%) Cool Freshness + concentration Coolish spring impacted flowering; heavy rain late Dec–early Jan; warm/dry Feb–Mar rescued harvest
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool Concentrated, age-worthy Pinot Noir Cool summer → small berries; 6-wk warm/dry frost-free autumn saved ripening
2019 Good
★★★★		 High / ~11,868 t Warm Outstanding quality across the board Sept/Oct + early-April hard frosts → reduced fruit set; dry summer, relentless wind → drought-like; irrigation critical
2018 Average
★★★		 High Warm Ripe Pinot Noir (pre-2019 weather detail not yet sourced)
2017 Average
★★★		 Below-avg Warm Classical, fresh Pinot Noir —
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Warm Concentrated Pinot Noir —
2015 Average
★★★☆		 Avg Cool Classical Pinot Noir —
2014 Average
★★★☆		 High Warm Ripe Pinot Noir —
2013 Average
★★★☆		 Below-avg Warm Concentrated Pinot Noir —
2012 Average
★★★		 Below-avg Cool Cool, classical Pinot Noir —
2011 Average
★★★		 Low Cool Classical Pinot Noir —
2010 Good
★★★★		 Very low Warm Concentrated, age-worthy Pinot Noir —

Star ratings: WS (NZ Pinot Noir, country-level) + WA (New Zealand) + WE (Central Otago Pinot Noir). No WSG chart for NZ. Tonnage (2019–2025): NZ Winegrowers Vintage Indicators by Region; weather narrative: Decanter & Wine Spectator NZ Pinot Noir reports. Pre-2019 weather detail pending from NZ Master source.

Past Vintages — Central Otago

From the Wine Spectator New Zealand Pinot Noir chart (country-level); NZ Pinot is a young category, with no standout pre-2010 vintages

★ 2025 Americas: Highest-yielding Central Otago vintage, 2019–2023? → 2022

Hawke's Bay

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Hot Estimated Hot dry summer
2024 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Warm Exceptional season; perfect ripeness retaining the region's signature natural acidity in reds, Syrah and Chardonnay El Niño returned to the East Coast after two La Niña years; clean, dry conditions
2023 Below average
★★☆ †		 Very low Cool/wet Cyclone Gabrielle devastated Hawke's Bay; major losses Cyclone Gabrielle mid-February — catastrophic flooding & vineyard damage; cool summer (not a day over 30 °C)
2022 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Warm Excellent Bordeaux-style blends Hot dry summer
2021 Very good
★★★★☆		 Low Cool–Mod Classical; strong reds and especially Chardonnay (ranked by some with 2014/2007 for Chardonnay) Drier-than-average, moderate summer (unlike the cool/wet South Island); reasonably stable, favourable harvest weather; very low yields
2020 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm A "cracker" for serious reds — concentrated Gimblett Gravels Syrah; a heavy, uneven Merlot crop COVID lockdown threatened the harvest mid-vintage; the industry won "essential" status to finish picking
2019 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Warm Benchmark reds and Syrah; a warm summer gave generous, ripe fruit Warm, dry summer; more generous yields than the small 2017 crop
2018 Average
★★★		 Low Hot Small but high-quality crop; concentrated reds Dry summer — a third successive drought-like year
2017 Average
★★★		 Low Cool/wet Difficult; cyclone-affected Cyclone Cook + Debbie
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm Ripe, concentrated reds from a warm season Cool dry start then warm January days and nights; February the 2nd-hottest on record; record-size NZ crop
2015 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool Quality reds — Hawke's Bay (with Martinborough) especially noteworthy; concentrated Syrah and blends Dry conditions; a small overall NZ crop
2014 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Warm Benchmark Hawke's Bay vintage Hot dry summer
2013 Good
★★★★		 Avg Hot Benchmark — "vintage of decade" for reds Hot dry summer
2012 Below average
★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Cool, difficult Cool wet season
2011 Average
★★★		 Avg Cool/wet Classical Mod season
2010 Good
★★★★		 Avg Warm Concentrated Hot dry summer

Star ratings: WS (NZ Pinot Noir, country-level) + WA (New Zealand) + WE (Hawke's Bay Reds). No WSG chart for NZ.

Past Vintages — Hawke's Bay

Older red standouts from the Jancis Robinson New Zealand chart and Decanter.

† 2023 — Math (with country-level WS) lands ~★★★, but Cyclone Gabrielle (mid-February) caused catastrophic flooding and vineyard losses specific to Hawke's Bay; rated ★★☆ on the regional reality.

Stellenbosch

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Mod Dry, cool "Goldilocks" season on replenished soils; exceptional quality Dry, cool; healthy growth (vs wet 2024)
2024 Good
★★★★		 Very low Warm Excellent for Cab Sauv on water-retentive soils through a drier summer Wet start then dry; very low yields
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Cool ripening favoured early cultivars; high disease pressure on late varieties Powdery mildew & botrytis; midsummer heat peaks; harvest rain
2022 Good
★★★★		 Avg Cool Cool, late season; slow, even ripening; promising, fresh reds Cool season; harvest one-to-two weeks late
2021 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Cool Cold, wet winter refilled the dams; slow ripening, exceptional fresh wines Coolest summer in years; late harvest; little heat
2020 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Mod First clear post-drought recovery; concentrated, "fairy-tale" reds — Cab and Syrah praised Tail-end drought; bigger crop than 2019; sufficient irrigation, moderate ripening
2019 Good
★★★★		 Very low (14-yr low) Mod Drought aftermath; tiny Chardonnay crop but stellar Chenin Blanc Smallest SA crop in 14 years; poor, uneven set; late-season rain
2018 Good
★★★★		 Very low Mod Severe water restrictions; surprisingly good, drought-concentrated reds "Day Zero" drought — believed the worst in about a century (water, not heat — ripening temperate); smallest SA crop since 2005
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg Warm Drought buffered by cool nights and no harvest heatwaves; rich, concentrated yet elegant Second straight very dry, warm/hot windy season; small berries
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot Among the worst-hit; abnormal heat but quality beat expectations Heatwaves from late spring into January; dry winter/spring; early harvest; smallest crop since 2011
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 High Warm dry "Dream" benchmark — balance, elegance, age-worthy reds and whites Mild days, cool nights, steady wind; dry, smaller crop
2014 Average
★★★		 Above-avg Cool/wet Classical Cab Sauv Mod season
2013 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Concentrated Mod season
2012 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool Fresher, lower-alcohol style; whites very good, reds more variable Wet, cool summer; December and harvest-time rains raised disease pressure; lower alcohols, higher acidity
2011 Average
★★★		 Below-avg Mod Classical Mod season
2010 Average
★★★		 Below-avg Mod Concentrated Mod season

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (South Africa), WE (South Africa Reds).

Past Vintages — Stellenbosch

From the Wine Spectator South Africa chart

Swartland

Yr Quality Yield Temp Notes Notable Events / Hazards
2025 Outstanding
★★★★★ (est.)		 Avg Mod Dry, cool season on soaked soils; exceptional quality Dry, cool; healthy growth
2024 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Challenging — low acidity the key issue; very low yields Interior drought (a parched growing season); dismal yields
2023 Average
★★★☆		 Low Cool/wet Ideal early/mid-season ripening; later relieved by rain Midsummer heat caused sunburn; powdery mildew & botrytis; below-normal groundwater
2022 Good
★★★★		 Below-avg Mod Cool-to-hot, late season; promising reds Cool until late December, then extremely hot at harvest; harvest later than normal
2021 Good
★★★★		 Above-avg Cool One of the coolest summers in five years; replenished water, exceptional slow-ripened wines Very cool; harvest up to two weeks late
2020 Good
★★★★		 Avg Mod Post-drought recovery, larger crop; Syrah the "quiet hero" Tail-end drought; larger crop than 2019; sufficient water, moderate ripening
2019 Good
★★★★		 Low Mod Another low-rainfall year but confident quality; strong Chenin Blanc Continued drought; small crop (part of SA's 14-yr-low harvest); late-season wet weather
2018 Good
★★★★		 Very low Mod Dryland region hit hardest; concentrated wines despite a tiny crop "Day Zero" drought (water, not heat); yields roughly halved
2017 Very good
★★★★☆		 Above-avg Mod Crop rebounded sharply after 2016; rich, concentrated, small berries Second dry, warm/hot windy season; cool nights buffered the drought
2016 Average
★★★☆		 Low Hot Among the worst-affected; sharp crop decline, quality above expectations Heatwaves from late spring into January; dry winter/spring; early harvest; smallest national crop since 2011
2015 Very good
★★★★☆		 Below-avg Mod Benchmark; dryland crop down but small berries gave remarkable concentration Dry, smaller crop; mild days, cool nights, steady wind
2014 Average
★★★		 High Cool/wet Classical Mod season
2013 Average
★★★☆		 Above-avg Warm Concentrated Mod season
2012 Average
★★★☆		 Below-avg Cool Fresher, lower-alcohol style Wet, cool summer; lower alcohols, higher acidity
2011 Average
★★★		 Avg Mod Classical Mod season
2010 Average
★★★		 Avg Mod Concentrated Mod season

Star ratings: arithmetic mean of WA (South Africa), WE (South Africa Reds).

Past Vintages — Swartland

From the Wine Spectator South Africa chart