Vintage Scores Compared: What the Charts Tell You
Updated
Vintage scores offer a guide for fine wine collectors, though their reliability is widely debated. A vintage wine is made from grapes primarily grown and harvested in a single specified year. The importance assigned to this is both varied and disputed. For wines from regions at colder climatic limits, vintage can be very important. Warmer seasons produce riper grapes and better wine. Poor seasons affect quality with higher acid and lower sugar, according to Gregory Jones in GuildSomm. Roman Weil is co-chairman of the Oenonomy Society of the US. He found, however, that experienced wine drinkers could not distinguish between wines of good and bad vintages in blind tastings. Bordeaux was the exception. Even then, their individual assessments matched charts little better than chance, as detailed in his 2001 paper "Parker v. Prial: The Death of the Vintage Chart." Weil suggests using vintage charts to find good buys. Wines from years considered worse than average may be priced far below their actual quality.
What defines a vintage wine?
A vintage wine is made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. Most countries permit a portion of wine not from the denoted year. For example, Chile and South Africa require 75% same-year content for vintage-dated wine. Australia, New Zealand, and European Union member states require 85%. In the United States, the requirement is 85%. Wines designated with an AVA, such as Napa Valley, need 95%. Nonvintage (NV) wines, conversely, are typically blends from the produce of two or more years. That is a common practice for winemakers seeking a consistent style year on year. Proper how to store wine is essential for any wine, vintage or nonvintage.
Here is a summary of minimum same-year content requirements for vintage labeling:
| Country/Region | Minimum Same-Year Content for Vintage Label |
|---|---|
| Chile | 75% |
| South Africa | 75% |
| Australia | 85% |
| New Zealand | 85% |
| European Union | 85% |
| United States | 85% (95% for AVA-designated wines) |
How reliable are vintage charts for predicting quality?
The importance assigned to vintage is both varied and disputed. Studies indicate that vintage charts offer limited predictive reliability for most wines. Roman Weil, co-chairman of the Oenonomy Society of the US, tested the hypothesis that experienced wine drinkers "cannot distinguish in blind tastings the wine of years rated high from those of years rated low, or, if they can, they do not agree with the vintage chart's preferences." Weil used wines ranging from four to 17 years beyond their vintage with 240 wine drinkers. He found that tasters could not distinguish between wines of good and bad vintages except for Bordeaux wines. Even when a distinction was made, the match between tasters' individual assessments and the charts' rankings was little better than tossing a coin. When the tests were replicated with wine experts, including French wine academics, the results were again the same as chance. Weil details this in his 2001 paper "Parker v. Prial: The Death of the Vintage Chart." New York Times wine columnist Frank J. Prial declared the vintage chart dead, stating that "winemakers of the world have rendered the vintage chart obsolete." Bill Marsano added that "winemakers now have the technology and skills to make good and even very good wines in undistinguished years." James Laube of Wine Spectator asserted that "even an average vintage can yield some grand wines," further highlighting the nuanced view on vintage importance.
How do climate and winemaking affect vintage quality?
Climate is a primary factor influencing vintage quality, particularly in regions at the colder climatic limits of wine production. There, warmer seasons produce riper grapes and better wine, as noted by Gregory Jones in GuildSomm. Conversely, a poor growing season can result in grapes failing to reach optimal ripeness. That leads to grape juice higher in acid and lower in sugar, which affects the quality of the resulting wine. In many New World wine regions, growing seasons are much more uniform. The systematic and controlled use of irrigation contributes to that uniformity. Modern winemaking also plays a role. Bill Marsano observed that "winemakers now have the technology and skills to make good and even very good wines in undistinguished years."
In Bordeaux, the concept of terroir is pivotal. Top estates aim to create terroir-driven wines, often from grapes collected from a single vineyard. Karen MacNeil details this in The Wine Bible. We attribute the region's success to its excellent environment for growing vines. That environment includes its Atlantic climate and the irrigation provided by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers and the Gironde estuary. The region's best vineyards are often on well-drained gravel soils near the Gironde river. An old adage states the best estates can "see the river" from their vineyards. This combination of climate, geography, and winemaking skill means that even within a region, vintage quality can vary significantly. You can see that when comparing a Bordeaux 2010 vs Bordeaux 2011.
How does storage impact a wine's condition and perceived quality?
Proper storage is crucial for maintaining a wine's condition and perceived quality. Improper conditions, particularly heat and light, can cause significant degradation. Excessive storage temperatures "will have a marked effect on the shelf life of bottled wine," according to AWRI Technical Note TN09. Marais (1986) observed the development of faulty flavors and decreasing overall quality after 12 months' storage of wine at 30°C. Temperatures exceeding 40°C will induce visual and sensory changes to a wine in only a matter of days, as noted by Ough (1986). In general, any storage place where the temperature exceeds 25°C for long periods and 40°C for short periods can affect wine quality, according to Ough (1992). Amon and Simpson (1986) recommend storing bottled wine with the cork in contact with the wine in a cool (15-20°C), dry location.
Leakage of wine or movement of cork stoppers may result from thermal expansion due to significantly greater temperatures than ambient. That affects appearance and marketability, as described in AWRI Technical Note TN09. Such physical damage does not necessarily imply that the quality of the wine has also been affected. It will obviously affect the appearance, though. Understanding wine ullage levels explained can help assess such damage.
Light also has deleterious effects. Maujean and Seguin (1983) demonstrated that 'lightstruck' flavor, or goûts de lumière, is due to the formation of volatile sulfur compounds. Those compounds are believed to derive from sulfur-containing amino acids. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) undergoes photo-activation and subsequent reduction when exposed to light at wavelengths of 370 nm and 440 nm. Dozon and Noble (1989) exposed still and sparkling white wines, bottled in green glass, to fluorescent lamps. They found lightstruck flavor after 31.1 hours and 18 hours, respectively. The same wines in clear glass developed this flavor after only 3.3 hours and 3.4 hours. Gordon Watson notes that direct sunlight provides 4286 times the UV-A radiation of a 36W fluorescent lamp. Rankine (1989) indicates that amber glass is most effective in excluding wavelengths below about 450 nm. AWRI Technical Note TN09 recommends that wine be stored under insulated and/or temperature-controlled conditions that minimize fluctuations in both temperature and humidity. For more on this, consult our guide on how to store wine.
How can you use vintage information to inform your buying and holding decisions?
Vintage charts are not definitive quality predictors. They can still help you identify potentially undervalued wines and guide decisions on when to drink or hold. Roman Weil, of the Oenonomy Society of the US, suggests using a vintage chart to help "find good buys in wine," according to his 2001 paper. Wine made in years considered to be worse than average for vintages may be priced far below its actual quality. This provides an opportunity for collectors to acquire quality wines that might be overlooked due to a lower vintage rating.
Wines of superior vintages from prestigious producers and regions often command much higher prices than those from average vintages. That gap widens if they are likely to improve further with age in the bottle. However, the vast majority of wines are produced to be drunk young and fresh. In those cases a vintage is usually considered less important. In Spain, wine regulators publish official classifications of each vintage. For collectors, understanding these dynamics means that a lower-rated vintage might represent a strategic purchase for immediate enjoyment or a shorter holding period. Top-rated vintages, meanwhile, may be ideal for long-term cellaring and potential appreciation. Our all-in cost calculator can help you factor in all expenses when considering a purchase. This approach is key for those who buy wine at auction and plan to sell fine wine in the future.
To make informed decisions on every bottle in your cellar, leverage our proprietary 40/60 score. It provides a comprehensive assessment of each wine's potential.