Does The Vintage Matter?

Those who are familiar with this column know that I do not like point scores for wines. They reward the taste of the wine reviewer (which may not be the same as your own), and they are misleading. They do not tell you when a wine is ready to be drunk, or what foods it goes with, or even, on a comparative basis, which wine might be a better buy. That is because wines develop maturity at different times. Your low scoring bottle of wine, for example, that has matured a few years, may well taste very good tonight, whereas your slow maturing, complex and tannic wine, with a point score that is off the charts, may be closed for years, and a total disappointment when you open the bottle, convinced from the high point score that a treat is in store when you taste it.

At best, point scores can give you a comparative valuation according to the tastebuds of one wine writer. Since there has to be some basis for evaluating wines, that can be helpful, provided that it is not your only basis for judging a wine. And that judgment comes into play when you walk into your corner wine store, looking for a nice bottle of Bordeaux or Burgundy. You will probably be assailed by point scores. Let’s get past the scores, and think more about how your precious wine dollars may be wisely spent.

First, are you buying wine for drinking now, or for the future? We all do a bit of both, but I think, perhaps not enough of buying for the future. I would suggest, if you are thinking of starting a wine cellar, and I hope that you will, that to start, you buy at least one bottle of wine for the future for every bottle that you will be drinking soon. Later on, I would increase that proportion. And buy three bottles of wine for laying down for your cellar, for each bottle that you will be drinking soon.

The point of this is twofold. First, you will be accumulating some wines for future consumption, when they are fully mature and ready to drink. That may be at least 8 years from now, more if magnums of wine (which mature more slowly) are concerned, as they should be. When they are ready to drink, these wines will have appreciated in price considerably, if they can be found at all. We are now, for example, enjoying a case of 1983 Chateau Lascombes, a Margaux second growth. I haven’t even found these wines for sale at auction, but it would be no surprise if they fetched over $100 per bottle. They cost me $15 a bottle when I purchased them.

So, the first purpose of laying wines down is to have wonderful wines, ready for drinking when they are ready, at their price when first issued. The second is the joy of drinking them at restaurants, when that is allowed, as it often is, by the payment of a corkage fee, usually $15-$25 a bottle. You add that fee to the price you paid for the bottle, and the savings over what a bottle of mature wine would cost at the restaurant (if any can be found at all) is considerable.

All right, so the point scores aren’t the entire basis for judging a wine. One has to allow for aging, the type of wine, and the foods that will accompany it. What about the vintage charts?

First, let me give you a general rule, that vintages are highly important. The year 1961, or 1982, or perhaps 2000, for Bordeaux, is generally judged to have had fine growing conditions, warm, sunny, with sufficient rains at the correct time. And since grapes are an agricultural product, that is as it should be. The upshot is that in an excellent growing year, say vintage year 1982 in Bordeaux, there is high quality virtually across the boards. Just about any wine that is well made is going to be a fine product. That means that you can safely put down a case or two or three of fine wines, with reasonable assurance that they will mature well. It isn’t necessary to pay absolute top dollar for good quality. However, the best wines always keep their value best. If you are buying for investment, I say shame on you for not buying to enjoy drinking the wines eventually, but if you insist, stick with the grands crus. There is just no comparison for price appreciation between, say, a Chateau Margaux of a superior year, and a lesser ranked wine.

It is, of course, always possible that a winery may have a disappointing wine in an otherwise fine vintage year. It is also possible that in a mediocre vintage year, a highly skilled winemaker may make a wonderful wine. I think, for example, of the 1980 Chateau Beychevelle, a St. Julien wine which was excellent because a new winemaker, anxious to make his mark (and keep his job), declassified virtually all of the chateau wine that year, keeping only the very finest grapes for the Chateau Beychevelle. It is also true that a superior vintage year may not even be the best vintage fo a given region. The fine 1982 vintage, for example, was exceeded in quality in the Margaux region by the 1983 vintage. It had something to do with the patterns of rainfall, which were perfect in the later year. And we are still enjoying the results.

So when you are buying wine, by all means ask the retailer about the various vintages. By so doing, you will also pick up some tips on how long the wines will take to mature, and when ideally they should be ready to drink. (If you can find them, vintage 2002 for Chablis, 2001 for Sauternes, and 2003 for Chateauneuf du Pape, for example, are thought to be uniformly good.) In particular, I am beginning to see reports that vintage 2005 will be exceptional in both Bordeaux and Burgundy. These reports shouldn’t be taken as gospel yet. For one thing, the wines are just being blended now, and they won’t be tasted for a while yet. But the early indications are good, based on the weather.

Perhaps we will be fortunate, and the 2005 vintage will be that rarity, an excellent one in both Bordeaux and Burgundy. So don’t forget to talk with your wine retailer. Perhaps this will even  the year when you should consider buying a futures contract on a case or two of wine. In any event, it will be well worth your time to track this vintage. Don’t let it go by. If it turns out well, here is your advance notice for some future drinking pleasure.