1994

Spain 1994/ Rioja by Riscal: Mainly dry year, except for heavy rains in October and November 1993. Some light spring frost effect; drought from August 5 to September 12. The growing cycle was eagerly awaited, recording very benign temperatures in March, which favored early budding of the vines, almost a month ahead of normal dates for the area. An exceptionally dry and hot summer, the likes of which we have not experienced for more than 40 years. Very early harvest with exceptional health and maturity of the grapes. EXCELLENT quality, being one of the best harvests of recent decades. Great wines for aging.

Bordeaux Vintage Report 1994 / After a mild winter, spring brought heavy rain and frost which significantly damaged the vineyards. After a stormy start to the summer, the weather calmed down and changed very favorably for the latter part of the vintage. The harvest took place in good conditions and the vintage ended moderately to even good. The wines are perfectly pleasant today.

1994 VINTAGE in Burgundy

Not at all bad. A useful vintage for early to mid-term drinking. An unprecedented change in the weather at the beginning of September with a very wet first week, meant that the harvest was difficult. The quality of the reds was uneven and at Maison Latour, to maintain our standards of high quality, Grand Crus and Premier Crus wines were declassified and blended into their respective village appellations. The wines are perfumed and charming with soft tannins that have a correct balance between acidity and alcohol. They offer quality drinking and are developing well. The quality of the whites is much higher in general, as the Chardonnay is more resistant to unfavourable weather conditions. The wines are stylish with good balance between acidity, body and fruit. The overall quality is good, with a few wines of exceptional quality amongst the Grands Crus.

By the end of August Burgundy was preparing for a vintage worthy to rival some of the greatest years- It had been an exceptionally warm summer. However an unprecedented change in the weather on the 31st of August followed by the coldest and wettest first two weeks of September in over twenty years (8 degrees below seasonal norm) meant that plans and hopes had to be revised.

A mild Spring led to an early 'bud burst (10th April) although vegetation growth was then temporarily halted by a cooler end to April. May temperatures were average and considerable work was undertaken in the vineyards to halt diseases such as mildew, oidium and grey rot, the first signs of which were evident due to the wet conditions. Spraying and good weather in June prevented serious damage. A slightly delayed flowering (between 10th and 20th of June) was followed by fine weather and high temperatures (30 °C. - 33 °C.) only broken by occasional rainstorms refreshing the vines and aiding the "veraison" which had slowed during the dry spell, fortunately, the potentially devastating effect of hail were largely avoided apart from some localized damage in the Côte de Beaune on the 18th of July. 

The hopes of a great vintage were dashed as 3Omm of rain fell on the 31st of August and another lOO mm between the 7th and the 18th of September bringing forward the "ban des vendanges" to the 16th and 21st of September for Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits respectively. 

In summary, some of the 1994 whites will be excellent. Even at this early stage they are perfumed and charming, the lack of maceration in the making of white wine making the rot irrelevant. The reds, particularly the Premier and Grand Crus are already showing considerable elegance and finesse. 

California Vintage 1994 / A long, cool spring followed by a cool summer produced slightly lower grape yields of richly concentrated fruit. The effects of low winter rainfall were mitigated by the combination of cool daytime temperatures and evening marine fog. The moderate temperatures were optimum for grape quality. A two-week period of hot weather at the beginning of August created some uneven coloration during veraison, and growers compensated by thinning fruit to allow only the best grapes to reach maturation.

Bordeaux Vintage Report 1994 / After a mild winter, spring brought heavy rain and frost which significantly damaged the vineyards. After a stormy start to the summer, the weather calmed down and changed very favorably for the latter part of the vintage. The harvest took place in good conditions and the vintage ended moderately to even good. The wines are perfectly pleasant today. Among the red wines of the vintage, Pétrus, with Valandraud, occupies first place. Haut-Brion, Margaux and Latour are good second places. Pontet-Canet is a good surprise. For Sauternes the vintage was good and the dry whites, like the Haut-Brion Blanc, were excellent.

Port Vintage Report: A “monumental” vintage, even more intense than that of 1992, with tannins and fruit concentration. According to James Suckling from the American magazine Wine Spectator, which back in 1997 attributed the highest rating (100 points) to the Taylor and da Fonseca Vintages, as well as first place among the hundred best wines of that year, “Great Vintage Ports as the ones from this year come around only a few times in a lifetime “. A general declaration. Excellent weather, harvests under ideal conditions, with perfect grapes.

1994 After many years the English Channel is opened joining England to France for the first time, this year also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Allied landings in France and the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Tensions start over Inspection of Nuclear Plants in North Korea. Rover in the UK is purchased by BMW. In the US the First Genetically Engineered Tomatoes become available and the use and sale of GM Foods is approved