drink soon
Another outstandingly good vintage
Weather Conditions
An unexceptional winter was succeeded by a cool, damp spring. The flowering had a good start in a warmish early June, but cool weather followed. The temperatures picked up in early July and carried on through August but, even though the weather was particularly hot, a good deal of rain fell as well. Drier conditions took over in the latter half of August, but temperatures dropped too. A fine September led into a good harvest in early October.
Whites (sweet): The fine warm conditions of late summer led to the development of a crop of particularly fine botrytis-affected grapes.
Best Appellations
Over-ripening caused problems, especially in St Estephe and Pauillac. Margaux outperformed all other appellations but the northern Medoc was considerably less successful. Quality in Graves was irregular.
Best Producers
(Margaux) Margaux, Palmer, and Rausan-Segla are the stars of their commune. (Pauillac) Quality here is variable with the best wines coming from Mouton, Lafite, and Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse de Lalande. (St Julien) The three Leoville properties stand out. (Graves) Haut-Brion, La Mission and Haut-Bailly demonstrate the superiority of Pessac-Leognan in this vintage.
