Vintage reviews

Since we first started writing our column for The Press, we have seen vintages come and go, good ones and challenging ones. Vintage reviews are generalizations by their nature, there are always exceptions, but here is some guidance on vintages from 2007 forward to help guide your purchases.

For the appellations of the western United States, 2007 will go down as one of the truly great years. The weather throughout the west was warm and consistent, fall rains and nighttime frosts held out until late, providing for long hang times. It was for grape growers and winemakers a plentiful, high quality harvest that produced large amounts of really delicious wines.

The one domestic exception was Oregon. The Willamette Valley had a very cold and wet growing year, causing naturally high acid levels in the grapes to soar higher, resulting in thin, highly acidic wines that were unbalanced and not very good.

Europe had a slightly above average 2007, with a fair amount of variation for the continent. There were very good wines from some regions and not so good ones from others. Trying before you buy European 2007s is vital.

The 2008 growing year was another great one for the western U.S., this time including Oregon. For California, it led Robert Parker to declare 2007 and 2008 the best back-to-back years ever for Napa and Sonoma. While the crop was not quite as big as '07, the quality was consistent and almost as good, making growers and winemakers quite happy.

2008 was better in Europe than 2007, lacking the bumper crop size the US had; the vintage produced some very good wines with more consistency than '07.

2009 here in "the states" was a B-quality year: consistent, but not necessarily remarkable. Average size and quality led to a year when wines were what folks expected. In Sonoma County, there were some late spring freezes and also rains that caused some "shatter," reducing the tonnage harvested. What remained was all of good quality, but no real "block buster" productions.

Similarly in Europe, 2009 was a consistent, reliable, but not great year for grape growing.

2010 was the coldest year in 50 years in California, and the growing season led to much hand wringing among farmers and winemakers. However, fall rains held out for a time, allowing all but the latest-ripening varietals to make it to harvest. Much fruit was "dropped" though, to allow the remaining bunches to ripen. Despite all of the challenges, there were some truly spectacular wines produced all over the west. At best, it was a split year between very good and very bad. It was a year to buy the best producers, who made wines that were both delicious in their youth and also very age-worthy.

Europe had a much better 2010, with a long warm growing season that was nearly perfect. Some of the most storied wine regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy and Piedmont produced spectacular wines.

As tough as 2010 was, 2011 may have been even worse! The year was again cool, motivating growers to drastically cut back canopy to get sun on the grapes to ripen them. No sooner did they cut the leaves back, they were rocked by 10 days of 100-degree heat, causing raisining. Then the hard, early, and consistent fall rains hit, causing severe rot. What little fruit was harvested was inconsistent. There were occasional exceptions in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, where decent wines were produced, but the quantities were tiny.

Europe again excelled in 2011 while the U.S. struggled. While their crop was not quite the powerhouse of 2010, it was still very high quality and good size, producing wines that are reliable and delicious.

Winemakers and growers let out a collective sigh as we approached harvest in 2012. The crop was big, the quality was A+, and for those who made it through a very tough two year stretch, good times returned. Many of the domestically produced wines from 2012 are in the market or will soon arrive, and most all we have tried have been fabulous - ripe and rich with vibrant fruit.

Europe had a very spotty 2012. Several prominent appellations like Burgundy and Champagne lost huge amounts of fruit to spring hailstorms. Crop yields were way down from previous years, and quality was good but not great for vineyards that escaped the damage. It is another year to try before you buy, as large variation is the norm, along with higher prices for areas affected by the spring storms.

The 2013 growing year was eerily similar to 2012 across both the U.S. and Europe. The crop here in the western states was not as bountiful as 2012, but the quality was again exceptional. Many of the 2013 reds are not yet in the market, but if the whites are any indication, the wines will be very good to great.

There are virtually no 2013 reds from Europe released yet, but again, based on the whites, there is some good and some not so much, and areas affected by adverse weather have tiny supplies.

As always, it is important to stop by the shop or consult your favorite wine professional on which wines are best from each of these years.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email george@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and tabletop decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country, and he is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com).

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