Robert Parker October 08, 2003 01:13 PM
FRANCE
Burgundy - Smart money will be chasing the superlative 2002 white and red burgundies, and largely avoiding the 2001s and 2000s.
Bordeaux - Except for the well-priced, little-known wine from obscure appellations, prices from such an irrefutably great 2000 vintage are shockingly high. Shrewd consumers will be selectively cherry-picking the profound 2001 Barsacs and Sauternes, the reasonably priced, delicious and charming 2001s and revisiting the great 1996 Médocs and 1998 Pomerols, St. Emilions and Graves. If you are a masochist with time on your side, check out the 2002 northern Médocs.
Rhône Valley - The northern Rhône had various problems in 2000, 2001 and 2002, so the last top vintage was 1999, which has largely disappeared, at least for the finest wines. In the south, it has been an embarrassment of riches with 1998, 2000 and 2001, truly remarkable vintages. Even 1999 is a very fine year lost in the glitter of its neighbors. The thrills came to a soggy stop in 2002, a poor vintage.
Loire Valley - Get ready for the 2002s, the finest vintage in a half-dozen or more years, for the glorious dry Chenin Blancs, Sauvignon Blancs and sweet wines of this region.
Alsace - 2002 holds great promise, but this region fared reasonably well in 2001 and 2000.
Champagne - The two vintages of choice are 1995 and 1996.
Provence/Languedoc-Roussillon - Both 2000 and 2001 have their share of high points. Be careful with 2002.
SPAIN
Everybody......I mean everybody, is raving about 2001 (justifiably so) and crying the blues about 2002, but as Victor has made poignantly clear, 2001 is not consistent ... everywhere!
CALIFORNIA
California northern coast - Approach with caution most big reds for 2000 and save your money for 2001 and 2002. As for whites and lighter reds (Pinot Noirs), 2000 and 2001 are closer in quality than any generic vintage chart will suggest.
California central/south coast - This is a hot bed of exciting wineries, many still works in progress, but 2002 looks fabulous, and the cool 2001 vintage very respectable.
OREGON
2001 is largely shallow, diluted and unexciting. However, 2002 has the makings of one of that state's finest years ever for Pinot Noir.
AUSTRALIA
The cool-climate zones of Victoria and western Australia seemed to have generally fared better in 2000 than such classic hot regions as Barossa and McLaren Vale. The latter two regions and Clare Valley (particularly Shiraz and Grenache) hit titanic heights in both 2001 and 2002. Moreover, the Bordeaux varietals did well too.
SOUTH AMERICA
Both 2002 and 2003 are very exciting vintages in Argentina and Chile.
GERMANY
2001 is where the action has been and continues to be, but 2002 is no wimpy sibling.
ITALY
Piedmont - Piedmont has such a marvelous succession of vintages (1996-2001) that even the limited production, highly rated wines can be easily found in the marketplace. Yet 2002 is largely a failure, so today's bloated inventories of superb Barolo and Barbaresco won't last forever.
Tuscany - In Tuscany, things are more mixed. The top producers fared well in both 2000 and 2001, but 1999 remains the reference point for profound Brunello, Chianti and any of those proprietary blends of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, etc.
Southern Italy - In Southern Italy, the qualitative revolution seems to transcend vintage characteristics. Very exciting wines and a plethora of values continues to emerge from these exciting viticultural regions.
One major complicating factor: the weak USA dollar is making all imports 20-35% more expensive than they were two years ago.
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