drink now
Only a moderately good year thanks to widespread rain at harvest time
Weather Conditions
Weather conditions were similar to 1992, although less dramatically adverse. A very cold and wet May slowed down the vineyards and even the hot and dry summer did not quite bring things back into line. Steady rain in the critical period leading up to and during the harvest brought problems of mould in parts of Chianti. Producers who were able to pick early got good results. Unfortunately in most parts of the region, including Montalcino where picking usually begins in the second half of September, the harvest started on the late side.
Best Appellations
Mixed quality from a difficult vintage. A vintage that had attractive fruit early on, but generally did not warrant laying down. Most producers in Chianti made only small quantities of Riserva, if any at all. In Montalcino and Montepulciano however producers who thinned out the crop during the summer were rewarded with raw materials for wines which have kept well. The best examples of Brunello and Vino Nobile have good depth and structure and although the fruit is not particularly exuberant they are drinking well now.
Best Producers
Fontodi’s Super Tuscan Sangiovese Flaccianello was one of the successes of the Chianti area. Another was Antinori’s Tignanello. Castello di Ama’s Merlot L’Apparita again showed its vintage-proof qualities of fruit and body. Lisini’s Brunello Riserva Ugolaia comes very close to the standard of the great 1990s from Montalcino. The Riserva del Nocio from Boscarelli was again the star in Montepulciano.
