1993

In Burgundy 1993, an early flowering in the month of June, was followed by a wet early July before a hot dry August. The reds of 1993 are outstanding. They are powerful and concentrated with a firm backbone of ripe tannins. The whites although austere to begin with and slow to evolve have developed into magnificent well structured, powerful wines. A vintage that produced wines built for ageing.

Once again, expectations were high in Burgundy for the 1993 harvest. The flowering was as early as that of 1990 (from 6-11 June) and August was very hot and dry . Despite the bad weather during the second half of June and first ten days of July, with rain and notably hail in the Meurault 1er Cru vineyards of Genevrères, Charmes and Perrières. Burgundy was looking forward to an early harvest of high quality.

The 'ban des vendanges' was set for the 15th September in the Côte de Beaune and 17th in the Côte de Nuits. 

As has so often been the case, it was extremely important to undertake a crop thinning in 1993; for those domaines which did not, yields were high and sugar levels mediocre. 

The intensity of colour in the red wine and a correct balance between acidity and tannins allow us to hope for wines of an above average quality. The vineyard which were harvested before the rains are particularly rich and elegant. Fortunately, the small berry size of the grapes meant a greater resistance to grey rot which could so easily have been a problem, with the wet weather.

For the whites, the deterioration of the weather in the Côte d'Or prevented the Chardonnay grape from reaching perfect maturity but the wines will nonetheless be pleasant.

This promising year deteriorated in September with frequent rains resulting in swollen bunches and increasing rot issues. A regular-sized crop was picked commencing September 8th. On paper, the ripeness and acidity levels achieved are less favourable than those of 1992. Yet the best wines of the year, including Dom Pérignon, Philipponnat Clos des Goisses, Louis Roederer Cristal and Dom Ruinart, have brought about good surprises but have largely peaked except for the P2 versions of Dom Pérignon. They are generally balanced wines with often somewhat weak fruitiness due to dilution. Without doubt better than its reputation, though.

Abundant rainfall throughout the winter and spring provided favorable moisture to the vines over the growing season. An uneventful, warm spring concluded with unexpected rain during the bloom period in May, resulting in lower berry set and ultimate crop reduction of 20% to 30% at harvest. Cool growing season temperatures were broken with intermittent heat spells in August and September, resulting in several selective harvests, rather than one extended crush. Grape quality was excellent, with intense flavors off the vine, although some varieties experienced sunburn and required selective picking at harvest.

Bordeaux / 1993 was a poor year, much like 1992. Started ominously and ended frustratingly wet. The Cabernet Sauvignon once again faced the challenge of achieving bearable maturity while the Merlot did surprisingly well. Again, technology and selectivity were the key issues for quality. The best producers could still manage good wines at reasonable prices, such as Haut-Brion, Valandraud and Pétrus. Lafleur and Trotanoy were also solid buys. Of these two, Trotanoy is better available and much cheaper.

Napa valley: An uneventful, warm spring concluded with unexpected rain during the bloom period in May, resulting in lower berry set and ultimate crop reduction of 20% to 30% at harvest. Cool growing season temperatures were broken with intermittent heat spells in August and September, resulting in several selective harvests, rather than one extended crush. Grape quality was excellent, with intense flavors off the vine, although some varieties experienced sunburn and required selective picking at harvest.

Burgundy: Full-bodied reds and fine whites.

The season began well with good flowering, but rain at the end of May slowed development and caused problems with mildew. June was very hot, and an early July hailstorm damaged part of the Nuits-St-Georges vineyards. Fine, warm and dry weather returned and lasted until early September, thickening the skins of the grapes advantageously for vinification. The weather then turned unpredictable and frequent showers tempered the high expectations for an exceptional vintage. When to start harvesting became a matter of personal opinion. 

The acidity in the whites is fairly high, giving them a tighter character. A successful classic red-wine vintage offering wines of structure and rich, ripe black fruit.

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Australia / Barossa: The wettest growing season for more than 50 years with rains persisting from spring right through to January. The weather caused severe downy mildew problems and this was compounded by big, shaded canopies. Fortunately March and April were warm and dry which allowed sound, ripe, good quality grapes to be harvested although some regions were very late, with Kalimna recording its latest vintage on record. Overall the vintage produced high quality wines.