1987

Jaboulet vintage report: In the northernmost part, the harvest began on September 22 and ended on October 16. An exceptionally mild autumn, with several beneficial showers. This is a good time to note that over the last decade or so we have seen a change in the seasons. That is to say poor springs and good autumns, with many more good vintages as a result. This remark is further justified by the vintages of 1988, 1989 and 1990.

A mild ...

Champagne: Generally speaking, the rainy year produced a meager harvest, and it was impossible to produce good vintage wines. This year, the region's interest group, CIVC, introduced new regulations to improve the quality of champagnes. Winegrowers received greater compensation when they sold grapes and not wine. For producers, however, it was made so that purchasing ready wine was more expensive than the grapes themselves. This year has been the sabbatical of the decade. It was still not enough to save the poor harvest year of 1987.

The spring was exceptionally rainy and the summer continued in the same vein. In between, however, there was a favorable time for inflorescences in June. In August, there were three more good weeks before the fall rains and mold problems. A few announced that they had made vintage wine, but in general the vintage was really modest and was used only for non-vintage wines.

Italy Vintage report by Tb: 1987 was an agricultural campaign which produced average wines, rather short-lived. After a cold winter, a dry and raw spring slowly brought the vineyards to life. The entire summer and fall were fairly cool and dry, producing an average but quality harvest. In Tuscany, the flowering phase took place in magnificent weather until the rains at harvest time spoiled what was shaping up to be an excellent year. In Montalcino, ripe grapes were harvested before the rains, resulting in an abundant harvest of exceptional quality.

However, the wines are currently at their best and will not gain further ground in bottle maturation. The surprise of the year was the Castello di Ama L’Apparita Merlot 1987, where it placed first in a Swiss Merlot competition in 1992. The Château Petrus 1988 placed second.

Napa Valley by Bob Levy / Harlan Estate

A very good vintage overall in Napa Valley. A year of mild drought, with a drier than normal winter, followed by a cool spring and flowering in mid-May. The heat peaks of June and July punctuated the summer. Voraison was finished on July 27. Two rare thunderstorms in August and September only added to the excitement of an early harvest, resulting in a very small harvest gleaned from our first six bearing acres.

Champagne: Generally speaking, the rainy year produced a meager harvest, and it was impossible to produce good vintage wines. This year, the region's interest group, CIVC, introduced new regulations to improve the quality of champagnes. Winegrowers received greater compensation when they sold grapes and not wine. For producers, however, it was made so that purchasing ready wine was more expensive than the grapes themselves. This year has been the sabbatical of the decade. It was still not enough to save the poor harvest year of 1987.

The spring was exceptionally rainy and the summer continued in the same vein. In between, however, there was a favorable time for inflorescences in June. In August, there were three more good weeks before the fall rains and mold problems. A few announced that they had made vintage wine, but in general the vintage was really modest and was used only for non-vintage wines.