Vintages

2009 A smaller vintage with another blistering heatwave to contend with. Opposite to 2008, the whites suffered most in 2009. 2008 An extremely hot year wreaked havoc with reds, but the earlier picked whites look to be good quality, and the Barossa’s oldest vines weathered the heat as. More...

2009  Good initial impressions of the fruit, with widespread reports of awesomeness, according to the winemakers, despite a very rainy end to the growing season giving rot problems to many. 2008 Sonoma’s earliest harvest, and very early throughout northern California.. More...

2009 Amongst the greatest vintages, 2009 is proving very alluring at a very early stage. The growing season was dry, warm and reliable. The wines are ripe and appealing but 12% down on volume compared to 2008. 2008 A very late-ripening vintage marked by cool autumn temperatures.. More...

2009 An exceptionally hot summer led to an early vintage with great potential for Port, but extremely high alcohols in the unfortified wines, with some unripe tannins and shrivelled berries. Higher altitude sites will be crucial to making these wines work. 2008 A dry but, like 2007, cool. More...

2009 Very hot conditions gave average temperatures above the infamous 03 vintage. However, timely rains in Rioja and Ribera del Duero relieved the vines and rescued the vintage. Very good quality. 2008 Very good quality for Rioja, with favourable weather throughout autumn. In Ribera. More...

2009 Hot conditions have created ripe reds with fairly high alcohol and good quality. 2008 Good for Nebbiolo thanks to long, late summer sunshine – but the earlier-ripening Dolcetto and Barbera did not fare so well. 2007 Hail and arid conditions resulted in a low-yielding year,. More...

2009 A warm and smaller than average year, especially for whites. Quality is very high quality across the region. 2008 Variable weather and drought in the summer made this a challenging year, but has created some concentrated, fruity and aromatic reds. 2007 Very cool, grey summer. More...

2009 Hot and dry throughout August, but decent levels of rainfall too, and plenty of wind to keep the vines healthy. Very satisfactory quality fruit at harvest. Impressive. 2008 Quite gutless reds, thanks tot the rain, although whites are worth a look. 2007 Very wet spring but the. More...

2009 Warmer and drier than average: volumes were down and harvest was early. Ripening was quick but complete, and quality looks to be very good. 2008 Lots of rain gave a disappointing and dilute vintage. Some producers opted not to make their top wines at all. Largely best to avoid. 2007. More...

2009 This year produced some of the most consistently healthy grapes ever in Alsace, translating into exemplary varietal character throughout the region. 2008 Challenging weather conditions looked ominous for Alsace this year, but the wines have turned out to enjoy good concentration. More...