2014

Bordeaux Vintage 2014 - is not a great vintage like 2005, 2009 or 2010 but it will be able to secure a position as one of the very good vintages of Bordeaux.

Generally scheduled between the end of March and the beginning of April, Primeur Week in Bordeaux is always an exciting time because it allows a first glimpse of the latest vintage. The sheer number of wines available for tasting is impressive and a week almost seems short. This is why the Union de Grands Crus offers a well-organized blind tasting for the press every morning of the week. The previous weekend, the Grand Cercle des vins de Bordeaux organizes blind tastings of more than 200 samples. These impressions are supplemented by tastings in different Châteaux and tastings organized by the Bordeaux trade. Therefore, some wines may be tasted twice or even more often during this week to check quality and style.

An interesting fact is the weather situation. Low weather pressure means wines can close, while high weather pressure presents wines in a more open and flavorful style. This year the wheat was pretty bad during the first few days of the tasting week, but improved a lot in the second half of the week. This had an influence on the tasting notes in general which must be taken into account. Another effect was the late harvest in 2014, which shortened the period between harvest and early tastings by up to a month. A month less time for maturation has effects on the tasting results, which is another aspect to consider, always keeping in mind that each tasting result remains a snapshot and is not an absolute judgment and definitive.

The year 2014 started early with bud burst about 10 days before the average of the last 10 years. At the end of May, flowering began on the first terroirs in heterogeneous conditions, while the later grape varieties such as Cabernet-Sauvignon and Franc as well as the later terroirs benefited from a warm and sunny period at the beginning of June. July and August were quite cool and wet and in the second half of August the winegrowers prepared for an even worse vintage than 2013 but at the end of August everything changed. A splendid Indian summer in September and October saved the quality. The harvest began for the white grapes three days later than in 2012 but two weeks later than in 2011. For the red grapes, the harvest began with the Merlot at the end of September and ended with the Cabernets in the second fortnight of October. The cool climate during summer provides higher acidity, the Indian summer is responsible for good ripening.

The dry white wines are of very good quality showing crisp acidity and ripe flavors. Noble sweet white wines also benefit from the higher acidity balancing the opulent sweetness. Therefore, this vintage looks more elegant. The presentation of red wines depends a lot on the grape varieties and terroirs. Overall, the red wines are at a higher level of quality than the previous three vintages. Saint-Emilion is excellent on the limestone plateau and generally shows very good wines.

In Pomerol, the center of the plateau was advantageous over the surrounding areas. Fronsac was a very positive surprise for 2014. In the Médoc, the southern part turned out to be more heterogeneous than the northern part, where especially Saint-Estèphe was homogeneous and excellent. South of Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan presented a very homogeneous image of a very good level of quality with exceptional wines from Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion.

One final observation: this vintage digests oak wonderfully. Oak is not even evident in wines with 100% new oak barrels for maturation. Now there are about twelve months left for the maturation of the 2014s until bottling in 2016. A lot can happen during this period. Let's see how the wines will present themselves after bottling, it will again be a very interesting tasting. 2014 is not a great vintage like 2005, 2009 or 2010 but it will be able to secure a position as one of the very good vintages of Bordeaux.

by Markus del Monego MW

The 2014 vintage in Burgundy was a very complicated one, although less so than those in 2013, 2012 and 2011, which featured dramatic crop shortages due to shatter, bad fruit sets and hailstorms.

In 2014, there were two problems which resulted in crop loss: hail in the Côte de Beaune, especially inMeursault; and poor flowering in some of the hillside vineyards of Puligny and Meursault.

The winter temperatures were above average with only 4 days the entire winter below freezing. Rain amounts during the winter months were way above normal in January and February but below average for March and April. Temperatures in March and April were above normal but not extreme. May was slightly below normal both in temperature and rainfall.

June was also dry with below average rainfall (.2 inches of rain fell on the 4th, and .67 incheson the 12th), so flowering was much more uniform than in past years. There was no crop loss or rot. Flowering began in early June. By June 6th, flowering was 50% completed and almost entirely overby the 13th. June 6th until the 21st was the warmest stretch of the summer, with temperatures above86 degrees from the 7th to the 13th. On June 28th, the communes of Meursault, Pommard, Volnay and Savigny were hit twice by a devastating hail storm. These same communes had also suffered hail damagein the 3 preceding years.

July and August were unseasonably cool months. There was 65% more rain than the average.There were only 2 days in July with temps above 86o, the highest temps for the remainder of the summer and fall. From August 11th to September, temperatures never rose above 78 and mostly stayed around 72 for the high. It rained quite often in early August. There were no downpours, but it was always grey and damp. Because of the cool weather, the acids were maintained and since it was not too wet, there were few problems with mildew and odium as there had been in 2013.

September was quite dry. A small amount of rain fell on the 9th, 1.02 inches of rain on the 18th,and finally .39 inches on the 19th. Some growers started harvesting around the 11th of September andhad to hurry to get the grapes in before the rain on the 18th.

The 2014 vintage has similar acid levels to the 2013s, which were high. Because the acids in the2014s were 50% malic and 50% tartaric, the resulting wines are richer and more concentrated than the2013s. Natural alcohols were about a half a percent higher than the 2013s. Because of the high levels of tartaric and the less ripe grapes in 2013, it is a vintage of soil expression with lots of precision. 2014

is more of an expression of grapes with lots of juicy, concentrated acidity, refreshing with great bodyand balance. I really enjoyed tasting the wines. The malos had finished because the winter was so warm,therefore the wines were quite easy to taste and advanced, totally the opposite of 2013. The quality was much more heterogeneous than 2013, and quality should be quite high across the board.

It disturbs me that some growers are so concerned with premature oxidation that they will harvest slightly underripe grapes in order to keep the acids, and will add a lot of sulphur. Because the wine lacks alcohol, they will compensate by adding sugar, stirring the lees and using new oak. This is ridiculous – you cannot make wine because you’re concerned about those who want hold the wine for 10 years, and leave consumers who want to drink wines young with acidic, mineral, sour wine. I hope this is only a phase.

I would like to put 2014 in perspective in relation to the previous vintages:

2013 – Mineral, citric-lemon acids with salt and earth and lots of stony terroir.
2012 – More a vintage style with concentration because of the low yields. Good acids but not at all racy. 2011 – A year of the fruit, somewhat like 2014, but without the density. With texture, but not tremendous length on the palate.
2010 – A great year with perfect balance.
2009 – The last year of the sun, with high alcohol and very ripe wines with high pH and low acidity.

What’s lovely about the 2014s is that, along with its lush fruit, there are racy acids and the expression of terroir, too. It’s rare to get such high levels of acidity with so much concentration, and it’snot because of the crop size, but more a reflection of the sunlight hours, which were high without theheat. This allowed the grapes to ripen, and the cool days and nights in August kept the high acids. The fact that there was a lot of wind in September, combined with sunny days and very little rain, made for a perfect harvest window. Even those growers who waited out the few rainstorms in and around the 18thof September were able to let the vineyards dry out and finish their harvest. I am also excited that 2014should be seen as a vintage that is consumer friendly, with its up front fruit and concentration, and also one for purists where the vineyards’ intrinsic character is present, too. It is commercial, yet profound.

I wanted to briefly talk about pricing for 2014s. Given the tiny crops for white Burgundies in2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, you might expect some big price increases. However, the growers have beenreasonable with 2014s, mostly keeping pricing the same, with the maximum increase being 10% at one domaine and 0-5% from all my other growers.

By Clive Coates MW

This year was all about alternating weather patterns. A particularly wet winter gave way to a warm and dry spring. May saw some rain, and even though late June-brought about a minor heatwave, the remainder of the summer was moist and murky. Disease pressure was lifted but once again fine, hot September weather was able to save and concentrate the crop. A large crop (11,553 kg/ha) was picked from September 8th onwards. The year's biggest problem was the sour rot caused by the drosophila suzukii flies. It, and the challenging weather, demanded plenty of care and selection work in the vineyards. The results are variable. The year was especially demanding for Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne, which received a lot of rainfall and was troubled by both mildew and sour rot. With an average potential alcohol of 10.0% and total acidity of 8.3 g/l, 2014 looks good on paper and so too in the glass, despite its challenges. The successful wines come with attractive fruit, lovely vibrant acidity and an overt easiness to them.

2014 California Winegrape Harvest: Earliest and Third in a String of Great Vintages this Decade

California vintners and growers across the state are grateful for another excellent vintage, despite an ongoing drought and earthquake that rocked south Napa in late August just as crush was getting underway. A mild winter and spring caused early bud break, although the overall length of the growing season was similar to past years. A compacted harvest began in July for sparkling wines and started winding down by mid-October for later ripening varieties. Moderate temperatures, with only minimal rain in September, allowed for even ripening.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture Pacific Regional Crop Production Report of August 2014, California's winegrape production this year is forecast at 3.9 million tons, down 8 percent from 2013's record high crop. The 2014 harvest is the third largest on record.

"We are about 80 percent done, going into the second week of October," said Glenn Andrade, vice-president winemaking for Trinchero Family Estates, farmers of more than 10,000 acres of vineyards across Napa, Sonoma, the Central Coast, Lodi and Amador. "We've had pretty light to moderate yields this harvest, resulting in exceptional quality. Our Amador Zinfandels are amazing—great intensity and quality. We should be done by the week of October 20, which is early for us, as typically, it's the first week in November."

"The 2014 vintage was by far the earliest start of any harvest I can recall," said Adam Mettler, director of winemaking for Michael David Winery in Lodi. "Early concerns about adequate storage quickly faded as our vineyards continued to check in at 20-25 percent down in volume from the previous two years. The moderate crop size allowed for rapid sugar accumulation early, which created some challenging high-density fermentations, but resulted in some real nice wines."

Renee Ary, winemaker at Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley is also very pleased with the vintage. "2014 will be noted as one of the earliest vintages in over a decade, but it will also go down as one of the best. Challenged by drought, an earthquake, rain, hail and significant heat, you would think there would be a lot of obstacles to navigate, however the timing of the events paired with some planning allowed us to dodge these curveballs and land another fantastic vintage. Tannins are in check and berries are small, which is translating into great balance and concentration in the cellar. Yields and quality are above average across all varieties, and I am anticipating a lot of beautiful 2014 wines to come."

"Quality is outstanding," echoed Chrissy Wittmann, winemaker at Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards in Paso Robles. "There are small berries with good tannin and color release on the reds, and flavorful fruit with bright aromatics on the whites. Now, we are in the home stretch, with this latest heat wave pushing the last of the hanging grapes into pick mode."

"The 2014 vintage was phenomenal for Wente Family Estates and Livermore Valley," exclaimed Karl Wente, fifth generation winemaker for the family winery. "We had outstanding color, the extractions were fantastic and we had great fruit character throughout. The lack of late-season rain and a long growing season helped ensure optimum fruit maturity."

In Sonoma County, there were more accolades for the vintage from Corey Beck, president and director of winemaking at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. "In the past 17 years that I've been with Coppola, this has to be the best vintage I've ever seen. I remember saying that about the 2013 vintage, too. We've been so fortunate to have two back-to-back phenomenal harvests. We buy grapes from a variety of growers in various sub-appellations throughout Sonoma County, and to see that level of quality and consistency in each of the diverse varieties across the region is remarkable. The Chardonnay grapes were supple and succulent; the Cabernets were deep and complex—across the board, it's a great vintage."

"We are very pleased with the assessments of an exceptional 2014 vintage for California wine statewide," said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, president and CEO of Wine Institute. "And we look forward to sharing these outstanding 2014 wines with wine lovers throughout the nation and the world. Although we came through this harvest without major impact, we're keenly aware of the ongoing drought and its effects on California's entire agricultural community, including wine. We are doing our part as vintners and growers to mitigate water usage through a variety of sustainable practices." 

Vintage report 2014 by Weingut Dr. H. Thanisch:

The 2014 harvest required a lot of sensitivity and strong nerves from the producers of the Moselle valley. The ever-changing weather conditions during the summer and early fall presented us with a difficult situation. We started harvesting both Pinot Noir and Riesling earlier than expected.

After a mild winter and a very warm spring bud break, bud break and flowering took place early, indicating only the best for 2014.

Already at the beginning of April, the vines were budding and flowering took place from the beginning to mid-June in dry weather without problems.

After the very dry spring, rain was absolutely necessary and hoped for. It came with a vengeance in July and August - 295 liters during August alone. The month of September fortunately dried up again.

These weather conditions greatly influenced the harvest. All producers carefully observed the constantly changing weather conditions in September: the spectrum shifted from sometimes almost ideal conditions with sunny days and cool nights to unfavorable humid-hot phases. The health state of the grapes was the decisive criterion for the start of the harvest. To avoid rot and loss of quantity in our main Riesling grape variety, we started picking earlier than in previous years.

We started picking our Pinot Noir very selectively on October 2 and harvested at 90° Oechsle. The quality of the grapes was very good, although there was a strong reduction in quantity due to an extremely harsh selection process that had already taken place in the vineyard. An additional challenge this year presented an insect brought to Europe from Asia. “Kirschessigfliege” mainly concerned red grape varieties and made it essential to pay particular attention to each grape.

Picking ended on October 30. An extreme selection process was carried out in our Riesling vineyards. The quantity harvested from our best vineyards has been reduced to no more than 2000 liters / hectare. The average quantity in our Riesling vineyards is 2700 liters/hectare. The extreme attention to quality has finally paid off. We have been rewarded with a good distribution of quality levels of our Qualitätswein in Kabinett, Spätlese and some beautiful Auslese highlights.

We are very satisfied with the development of our 2014 vintage in the cellar. The musts and wines are characterized by good extraction values, harmonious and well-integrated acidity and very beautiful clean fruit aromas. As in previous years, the wines will be stored on lees for a long time, so they will stabilize naturally and have time to develop complexity and structure.

We are looking forward to next summer, when we can show you the new vintage.

Rhône vintage report: After a warm spring, the vintage looked set to be early. However, the cooler, rainy summer weather delayed vine growth and grape ripening. Ultimately, the Châteauneuf du Pape red harvest began in mid-September and lasted until early October, while the bulk of the northern Rhône hillside sites were picked during the last week of September. This meant that the grapes had a long hanging time so they reached full phenolic ripeness, resulting in wines that display incredibly silky textures and luscious, supple tannins. Another characteristic of the vintage, thanks to its fresher than average freshness, is its dynamism and its relatively low alcohol level – up to 1% less than the average Châteauneuf wine. This long hanging time and a beautiful month of September really made the vintage. There was torrential rain on September 18 and although the northern plains were flooded, the slopes of Cornas, St Joseph, Hermitage and Côte Rotie drained quickly – the great terroirs really showed their value in 2014.

If there's one major stain on the 2014 copy book, however, it's the miserable fruit fly. There was a strong attack on them as the harvest approached, which dictated that the strictest and most back-breaking selections be made (at least, by the estates that wanted to make good wine). Up to 30% of the harvest was lost thanks to the rigorous sorting that was carried out. These wines may not have the concentration of the 2013s but they are a significantly higher level than 2012 (in the northern Rhône. On the other hand, 2012 in the south was one of the great vintages of Grenache.) In general, the 2014s thrill and charm with their elegance and their ripe, refreshing fruits. This will be a vintage to drink earlier than most, but who cares the more enjoyment, the earlier the better! For the reds, there are no harsh edges or sharp acidities, they provide pure pleasure. For whites, particularly Condrieu, this is an excellent vintage that offers a rare blend of vitality, refinement and maturity.

Austria Vintage Report: 2014 is a vintage of (mostly) modest wines that are exceptionally good because they have structure and strength. Managing yields was crucial, and many growers who didn't lose weight over the summer were less ripe when botrytis struck. It was also crucial to harvest carefully, selecting twice in the vineyard and again on belts and/or sorting tables in the press. It was the most expensive and longest vintage in modern times. If you calculate the total cost divided by the amount of useful wine you made, you will probably lose money in 2014.

A few tasters who saw the wines early, for example at Prowein or on private visits to Austria, reported very high acids, but I can only assume that these people have not spent their lives tasting young German Riesling , as the Austrian 14-year-olds have acids somewhere between puddy-tat and cream-puff, although the producers were concerned that I would find the wines sour. Not a chance. While most GrüVe in a normal year have acids in the 6.0-6.5g/l range, the '14s have around 6.4-6.8g/l, hardly worth mentioning, and very well buffered by abnormally robust extracts.

Certainly, 2014 is a much better vintage for GrüVe than for Riesling, and when I evaluate “the vintage”, I think above all of the GV. For Austria's most important grape variety, 2014 is a fine to excellent vintage for which no apologies need to be made. Quite the contrary: winemakers should be excited by the dynamism, torque and energy of (especially) their best wines, the ones that sometimes collapse under their own weight, the bruisers that exceed 14% alc in normal years , and which are absolutely magnificent in 2014.

The “small” wines, those that typically show around 12-12.5% alc are, shall we say, modest but honest in 2014, giving between 11.5 and 12.0% alc and – most importantly – not showing no under-ripe or "green" flavors, but are simply unassuming little wine poops that are pleasant and forgettable. In 2014, it's worth selling yourself to the best wines and cherishing their intense concentrated flavors – minerals, herbs, mint, aloe. I'm not looking for silver linings here; I really like this vintage for Grüner Veltliner, almost as much as I like 2013.

Riesling is a mixed bag. I would say that "large" wineries (by my mixed standards) with substantial Riesling holdings were most likely to lose the gamble of waiting to pick. The honorable exceptions are NIGL and BRUNDLMAYER, who each made several super fine Rieslings and none gnarly. Interestingly, it's the small wineries that only have a little Riesling that seem to have made some oddly and distinctly delicious Rieslings.

Overview of the 2014 vintage report Australia

In its annual vintage survey, the Winemakers' Federation of Australia estimated that Australian grape crushing in 2014 was down 7% overall compared to 2013 (see table below). The year 2014 is estimated at 1.70 million tonnes, a considerable drop compared to the record vintage of 2005 (see table below). This figure is comparable to the seven-year average, but 136,000 tonnes lower than last year's crush estimate. The decrease in overall crush is attributable to generally lower yields per hectare in some of the cooler temperate regions, offset by higher yields in the warm interior regions.

The crushing of red varieties decreased by 5% and that of white varieties by 9%. Red crushing accounted for approximately 884,000 tonnes, or 52% of total crushing, while whites accounted for 813,000 tonnes or 48% of total crushing.

The three main red varieties were Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, together accounting for 87% of the total red crush. Shiraz continues to dominate with 48% of total red crushing, an increase of 3% compared to last year. The tonnage of most varieties decreased, with the exception of ruby cabernet (+1%), lagrein (+10%), malbec (+12%), tempranillo (+22%) and dolcetto ( +43%). The most significant declines, in terms of tonnage, were Cabernet Sauvignon (-15,729 tonnes), Merlot (-13,752 tonnes) and Pinot Noir (-8,514 tonnes).

Among whites, Chardonnay still dominates white crushing with 44% despite a drop of 46,521 tonnes compared to last year. Sauvignon blanc remains in second place with 12% although tonnage has decreased slightly, followed by Sémillon accounting for 9% of total white crushes, although tonnage has decreased by 4,514 compared to last year. Most white varieties declined, with Viognier (-83%), Sultana (-53%) and Moscato Giallo (-37%) recording the largest reductions. The largest relative increases were recorded for Marsanne (+158%), Doradillo (+118%) and Palomino & Pedro Ximenes (50%).

There was no change in the composition of the Top 10 varieties compared to last year, with the exception of Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio which is now ranked 8th while Colombard dropped to 9th place.

2015 vintage outlook

The following is adapted from the Australian Winemakers Federation's 2015 vintage outlook as reported in its 2014 vintage report.

The resistance of wine grape crushing in 2014, the decline in average wine grape prices, the increase in the inventory-to-sales ratio, the increase in unprofitable production and the relatively stable demand projections suggest that the 2015 will not see a fundamental change in industry dynamics or profitability unless action is taken. Additionally, expected above-average vintages in Spain, Italy and France will continue to put pressure on global commodity wine prices.

Looking at AGWA export approval data, Australian wine (in terms of volume and value) continues to be below pre-global financial crisis levels. Australia is still not regaining market share in the US market and has lost volume in China (like most other competitors) due to austerity measures imposed by the Chinese government. Unless the industry takes proactive steps to increase demand opportunity and accelerate supply base correction, the industry will continue to see seasonal price fluctuations around an already low base. This should provide further incentive for the industry to pursue the necessary initiatives outlined in the DPA Industry Profitability Measures.

WFA and AGWA believe there are opportunities to strengthen demand. Although Australia has not achieved pre-global financial crisis volumes in the US market, fob categories above A$7.50 per liter continue to improve.

Likewise, the UK and Canadian markets also present growth opportunities. Australia is still under-represented in the high end of the UK market and in the independent retail sector, but there are some positive signs with export growth above A$7.50 per liter fob. Additionally, Canadian agents (importers) report recent success in high-end sales in Australia and feel “things are starting to change” at higher price points.

THE 2014 BURGUNDY VINTAGE FITS BACK

“After three very small vintages, what Burgundy urgently needs in 2014 is quantity,” wrote Clive Coates MW on June 1. With much of the harvest in store, his prayers may have been answered, to some extent. “We are talking about quality and enough quality to stabilize the market and alleviate price pressure,” said Jasper Morris MW, speaking from Burgundy.

As area manager for Berry Bros & Rudd, Morris is particularly impressed by the whites. “They look really great, and I’ve been seeing grapes of this quality for a long time with excellent sugar levels and good acidity. » The quantity of Côtes de Beaune reds suffered, particularly in Beaune, Volnay and Pommard, due to the devastating hailstorms of June 26. Grégory Patriat, winemaker at Jean-Claude Boisset, estimates losses in Beaune at around 80%, Mersault down 50%. He said: “I’ve never seen anything like this before. »

For some villages, this is the eighth hail attack in 10 years, and insurance premiums have exploded. “Some people close because they can’t afford to pay,” said Charles Lachaux of Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux. While the Côtes de Nuits were relatively spared, losing no more than 5% of their vineyards, the Grands Crus such as Clos Vougeot, Richebourg and Échezeaux lost 20 to 35%, said Lachaux. In August, a new vinegar fly (Drosophila suzukii) made an unwanted appearance in some red vineyards.

“It will be a good harvest – the weather was beautiful,” said Lachaux, who finished picking on Wednesday, September 14. “But we are not in Bordeaux where every year is the “vintage of the century”. In Burgundy, this will be a fresh and easy-drinking vintage. »

Moillard 2014 Vintage Report: Another vintage with surprising weather!
In spring, the vintage seemed quite early. There were, however, some signs of grapes not setting. A violent storm at the end of June caused heavy damage in several villages on the Côte de Beaune. The summer was difficult with wet and cool weather. The sun returned at the beginning of September, accompanied by the north wind which allowed the grapes to reach their maximum maturity and guaranteed great health to the vines.

Our 2014 white wines will be well balanced with a clear and precise personality. The reds show great concentration, supple and pleasant tannins and great finesse. A vintage full of promise...