Does Vintage Matter?

 

When it comes to your wine purchase, is the vintage Important? You’ve heard the word “vintage” but what does it really mean?

In winemaking, vintage usually refers to the year the grapes were grown. So, if you see a wine with a vintage date of 2004 on it, then you can assume the grapes were grown during the 2004 growing season. Now that makes perfect sense, unless of course you are looking at a wine from the southern hemisphere. Think about it….wines in Australia, for example, have a growing season that runs from about October to April. So what year do you use? The year of harvest is what is on the label. 

Okay, so we have that same bottle of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. All the grapes were harvested in 2004…..wait, not so fast! Most countries allow a vintage dated wine to include a portion of wine that is not from the year denoted on the label. Old World wines (European Union) only requires that 85% of the wine be from grapes in the denoted year. Australia and New Zealand follow the European requirements. In the United States, the requirement is also 85%, unless it is a designated AVA (i.e. Napa Valley or Paso Robles), in which case, it is 95%. In Chile and South Africa, the requirement is less stringent, only 75% required for vintage-dated wine. 

So, if you’ve got a bottle of wine and there’s no vintage date (often seen on wine lists as NV – “Non Vintage”), you can assume that the wine was made from grapes of several years’ harvests, or at least, did not meet the minimum requirements. This is a common practice for winemakers seeking a consistent style of wine, often referred to as a “house style”. Champagne is the most common NV wine, as the producer blends many years together, to maintain a certain flavor profile. That is not to say there aren’t any vintage Champagnes, as there are. Wines from the best vintages often sell for much higher prices than those from average vintages. Vintages wines are assumed to improve with further aging in the bottle. This has led to a misperception that any vintage dated wine is of higher quality, and capable of aging. While that would be great to believe, it is simply not true. There are some very poor quality vintage dated wines.

But why should you care about the year? 

If you live in California, you know we have a drought, and it has been an unusually warm winter, which has tricked the grapevines into early bud break. As I write this, the weather has turned to heavy rain, and is accompanied by cold weather, creating a much higher risk of frost damage or damage to the vine. Those little buds are very fragile and subject to damage during pruning if they have popped out of the wood. This would lead to a reduced crop, or possibly a poor crop. If you remember the weather right now, when the 2014 vintage is released, you’ll know why it tastes the way it does.

The importance of vintage, however, is often disputed. There is no doubt that cooler regions do see fluctuations in quality, a warmer growing season can produce riper grapes, while a colder growing season might produce lower sugar levels, and higher acidity. Extremely hot growing season can also produce flabby wines. The best example of where vintage makes a difference is Bordeaux. This growing region can easily be influenced by the weather during the growing season.

There is an argument that due to new winemaking techniques and the use of irrigation (particularly in the New World) has created a more uniform style of wine, that doesn’t vary much from vintage to vintage. Some even argue that there is not difference between vintages on New World wines. I am not one of those believers. If you’ve read this blog for a while, you have read about some of the vertical tastings dinners I have conducted, and there is a difference between vintages (a vertical tasting is a series of wines from the same producer, over a number of different vintages, i.e. 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 – which would be a 4-year vertical).

Back to Bordeaux….many wine collectors are concerned about vintage, as the best Bordeaux wines will age for decades in the bottle, and actually improve. These wines can be extremely expensive, and you have to have the patience to hold on to them, as well as cellar them under proper conditions. And, isn’t it nice to know the age of the bottle you have in your cellar? Inexpensive wines are typically meant for early consumption, so vintage is probably not as important. But, even with the inexpensive wines, it might be good to know the vintage. If you had that wine before, and you liked it, you can look for it again. If your wine shop is out of that vintage, and you still have one of the older vintages, try tasting them side by side, and see if you can taste any difference, or does that winery make a “house style” that is the same every year?

The importance of vintage is one about which disagreement can be expected to continue. For me, it does matter, particularly for Old World Wines.

Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes

Syrah at Mitchella Vineyards 7-21-12

Same Syrah clusters at Mitchella on 7-29-12

Change is inevitable. Some fear change, and others embrace it. But the changes that are going on right now, are looked forward to every year, and give a clue to what is in the future.

Of course I am talking about wine, but it's not wine yet. Yes, the grapes in the vineyard reaching that point in their annual lifecycle (see budbreak and flowering) , where they go through a process known as veraison. Last week, I started receiving the first reports of  versaison occurring in the vineyards. So what is veraison, and why should we even care about it?

In simple terms, veraison is the point in a grapes' life cycle where it changes from little hard green "pebbles" to larger, colored plump berries.

Claiborne &Churchill Twin Creeks Vineyard 7-19-12

At the beginning of veraison, the grape berries are hard, green, and acidic, and are around half their ultimate harvest size. At veraison, the grape berries start to soften. The acid in the grapes reduces, and is joined by fructose and glucose (sugars). Depending on the grape variety, the chlorophyll green color changes to red/black or yellow/green.

Ampelos Vineyard 7-14-12

Each grape variety goes through veraison at different times, but even the same grape variety will begin the change at different times both in the vineyard, and the individual cluster. The first grapes to change are those that are exposed to warmer microclimates. This can be due to sun exposure, and aspect in the vineyard. The leaf canopy, and how the grower prunes the canopy can affect the time of conversion. It is also interesting to note that those growers who thin the grape clusters (reducing the size of the crop) see veraison occur earlier. Lower yields typically produces higher quality grapes. Early veraison, may be an indication of higher quality. The key words in that last sentence is "may be". If it is true, then there might be a rush to announce veraison in the vineyard.

Riverbench Vineyard 7-14-12

So, we are at the beginning of the end for this years harvest. In about eight to ten weeks, the growers will be watching the brix levels (sugar in the grapes) and watching the weather to determine when to harvest, and ultimately make the best wine out of this years harvest.

Out of a deep sleep

The Winter is over, and Spring is here. It seems that when the weather begins to improve, I see more people out and about. The long cold winter is over, and we are all coming out of our winter slumber, and ready to move forward into the warmth of summer.

The same is true in the vineyard. Grapevines go through a cycle of slumber, growth, harvest, then slumber. This time of year the vines are in a critical and fragile state. Budbreak and flowering are beginning to take place, getting ready for a new crop of grapes, and ultimately the next wine vintage.

Last weekend (Easter, April 8th) I was up in the Central Coast, and spent some time wine tasting, as well as taking a look at the vineyards, to see where we were in the cycle. So far, this winter, and early Spring, have been pretty dry in California. Even so, the vines have started pulling up water from the earth, preparing for production. "Budbreak" is when the tiny buds on the vine begin to swell and create shoots and eventually leaves, that help the photosynthesis process.

The soil temperature and the grape variety will determine where budbreak will occur first. Warmer soils will encourage earlier budbreak, than those in cooler soils. Even the soil type makes a difference. Clay soils tend to be cooler, and retain more water. These soils will delay budbreak, versus rocky soils which can actually retain the suns energy, and are warmer. Usually, the daily temperature needs to exceed 50 °F

Syrah, just starting to bud

The type of grape variety also has an impact on when budbreak will occur. Some early budding varieties are: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Zinfandel. These are also early ripening varieties. Some early budding, but late ripening varieties are: Reisling, Chenin Blanc, Grenache, and Sangiovese.

On the other end of the spectrum are the late budding varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. Both of these are also early ripening. The best known variety that is both late budding and late ripening is Cabernet Sauvignon.

Obviously, soil, climate, and aspect of the terrain are important factors in determining which varieties are best suited for planting.

The vineyard manager needs to watch his vines. Certain decisions must be made at this time, including the first fungicidal spraying (usually a copper based product). If the vineyard is biodynamic, a entirely different set of decisions will be made. Weather during this time is critical. Frost danger still exists, and once the buds push through, they are at risk of freezing. Last year, a deep frost at this time of year, wiped out about 35% of the central coast crop. So, why not try to delay budbreak? Well, if it occurs too late, the grapes might not have enough time to fully ripen, before the fall rains come, and the grower will be in an uncomfortable position of gambling on longer hang time, or picking unripe grapes, or even worse, loosing an entire crop. Just like this time of year, frost or rain at harvest can also have devastating consequences.

Viognier - with embryo clusters

While in the vineyards, I took a look at different grape varieties, all at various stages of growth. At one stop, there were three different varieties planted next to each other. The Syrah grapes were just beginning to bud. If you look very closely at my photos, you can also see how the tiny buds shown are pink, which is an indicator that bud break has recently occurred. Just across the road (literally 20 feet away) the Viognier grapes have fully budded, and are beginning the embryo bunch stage.

The embryo bunch stage is also a very critical part of the grape life cycle. These small green clusters are going to be the flowers that will eventually become the grapes. These are the first indication of the potential size of the crop. Usually, within eight weeks after budbreak, the tiny embryo clusters develop into flower clusters. Since we are not yet in the full flowering stage (usually some time in May), I will defer the discussion of the flowering stage for another article. But again, just like the budbreak stage, this time of year runs the danger of rain, wind and frost. Additionally, the vines can be affected by coulure or millerandage. All of these can dramatically affect the years' harvest and grape quality.

Everyone is closely watching the vineyards right now. Those of you who live in California know that we have rain and much cooler weather hitting us right now. The storm on Wednesday (April 11th) saw temperatures drop here in Southern California, and Friday's storm is supposed to be larger and cooler. Keep your fingers crossed. The next month or so, is critical to this years' wine vintage.