1997

Report of the 1997 vintage by Angelo Gaja: This is a vintage that we had five weeks with hot weather, 32°C. This had never happened before. This vintage marked the start of climate change.

The quality may be different in 1997 because some producers were not prepared to ferment high sugar levels and the grapes arrived at the winery very hot because even during harvest the weather was hot. There were wines that had stuck fermentation and residual sugar. High volatile acidity. Some wines were not at a high level. But the vast majority were beautiful. Much more accessible and with a new character.

At the restaurant, the wines were easy to drink and gave a lot of satisfaction. I remember we quickly sold out of our 1997.It also signaled the first conflict between American and European wine writers. Americans welcome it as “the greatest vintage made in Piedmont”.

It was actually an unusual vintage in its accessibility and enjoyment. It had perfectly integrated tannins. No sweetness. But it was similar to gentleness. We only had this in 1961 and 1971. No residual sugar but the consequence of perfect maturation.

“This is a vintage that will last a long time,” said American wine writers. European writers said this was a mistake. Yes, this is an unusual vintage, never seen before. But it is too early to judge and say that it will be able to last very long. It’s a mistake made by American writers who don’t know enough. The 1997 is good but not as good as described and it will not age for thirty or forty years.

1997 VINTAGE in Burgundy

The exciting Burgundy vintage in 1997 is regarded as having produced some of the most charming wines in living memory. The whites are notable for their richness and balance. Full, elegant and well bred, they are for great short to medium term drinking pleasure. The reds have fine intense colour, with well-ripened berry fruits on the nose, and smooth, fleshy flavours in the mouth. They are already very agreeable to drink and, their personality will develop further as they age

At the beginning of the viticultural year the weather was fair, very bright and dry. Bud burst for the Chardonnay took place on the first April and for the Pinot Noir the 10th April. Following this, we had an unbroken stretch of fine weather until flowering, as a result we were twelve days in advance compared to the average year.

The period between the 15th June and the 10th July was not good, cloudy, cold and wet until the 7th July and then stormy between the 7th and the 20th July.

The beginning of veraison (when the grapes begin to change colour) occurred on the 4th August and was completed on the 20th, 4-5 days in advance. There then followed a long, unusual period of dry weather. By the 27th August, we had had only 50% of the usual rainfall, the heat was intense throughout a thirty day period. Despite this there was no sign that the sustained period of hot, dry weather had any adverse effect on the vine and its fruit.

 The harvest was particularly rapid, taking less than 10 days and was not once interrupted by rain. The weather conditions during the harvest were exceptionally good, it was hot, sunny and dry. As a result we were very pleased with the ripeness of the fruit in both the Reds and the Whites. In addition, the fruit harvested was very healthy with virtually no trace of rot in the Pinot Noir. The other interesting effect of these weather conditions was that the sun and wind concentrated the grape juice without reducing the acidity. We harvested the top Cru red wines at between 12.5° and 13°. In general, we had a medium sized crop for the red wines which are of a very high quality which will create some tension at the grower level, considering the international demand.

As for the whites, to begin with they were slow to ripen, but again we benefited from the good weather conditions during the harvest period, picking the top white Crus at between 13° and 13.5° and in terms of quantity it was a good crop. We are pleased with the quality too, which we believe will be very good, with less acidity than the '95's and '96's, they will be powerful and pleasant.

A cold winter was followed by significant spring frosts. The early summer was warm, but cool weather and rain persisted throughout the flowering period. Summer ended with warm temperatures, lending some hot-year characteristics to the year's wines even if acidity remained high at 8.5 g/l. Rot played a role in some vineyards. A small harvest (9,402 kg/ha) was picked from September 12th onwards. The 1997 vintage was rather overlooked, following the successful 1995 and 1996 vintages, and many did not produce a vintage even though the year was not particularly weak. Despite the warmth of the year the best wines have sufficient acidic backbone, but many lack intensity and harmony. Most Champagnes are quite developed already, showing no sign of further potential. Its highlights included Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rosé, Philipponnat Clos des Goisses, Louis Roederer Cristal and Salon Le Mesnil.

The 1997 season started when the warm, dry soils at the end of February triggered budbreak a full month early. Bloom followed in early May. As the fruit set, growers recognized that the outstanding weather of the previous year would result in an exceptional crop. A temperate summer with moderate, steady temperatures allowed the fruit to reach optimal maturity with good hang time for the full development of character and flavors. 1997 was a vintage of great quality and quantity — 144,000 tons compared to the 10-year-average for the region of 121,000 tons.

Italian Vintage Report by Tb: In 1997, the entire Italian wine industry was rejuvenated by one of the greatest vintages of all time. The only negative aspect of the year was subzero night temperatures in April and May, which damaged exceptionally early buds and flowers. As a result, crop yield was lower than desired. Otherwise, the summer season was blessed with sunny and warm weather. Temperatures soared in August and September and the grapes ripened two weeks earlier than normal. This took Piedmont by surprise, as Nebbiolo ripened before Barbera, which was unprecedented. The small grapes were so well balanced that there were only four other Italian vintages like 1997 in the 20th century. Otherwise, the acidity of the grapes has fallen below normal levels due to their ripeness. In Tuscany the situation was the same as in Piedmont – there had not been a harvest of such quality since 1947. The wines can still take years of aging and up to decades for Barolos and Barbarescos .

St-Emilion by Château Cheval Blanc: 1997 was a difficult vintage hampered by a certain dilution requiring careful sorting of the grapes. The wine is nevertheless expressive and without herbaceous aromas. It is easy to drink and has aged quite quickly.

After very cold weather the first ten days of January, with temperatures as low as -9°C, the end of winter and the beginning of spring were mild and dry. The month of May was hot and quite humid. Showers continued into June, accompanied by unusually cool temperatures. The rain gradually subsided in July, but resumed in August (more than 100 mm). It was unusually hot in August, with high humidity. September was beautiful and warm, with very strong sunstroke. Only 11mm of rain fell all month.

WATER BALANCE

To grow well, the vine needs water stress to set in slowly so that the grapes ripen well and concentrate. Due to significant rainfall in May, June and August, there was no significant water stress in 1997. However, this appeared at the end of September, although part of the crop had already been picked by that time. that moment.

VEGETATION

Budburst was exceptionally early: March 15 for the Merlot and March 17 for the Cabernet Franc. Flowering began in the first days of May and spread over a long period due to unfavorable weather conditions. Mid-flowering was observed on May 19 for Merlot and on the 22nd of that month for Cabernet Franc. It was three weeks before the usual date. The fact that flowering was very spread out later resulted in uneven veraison and ripening. Mid-veraison took place on July 23 for Merlot and July 29 for Cabernet Franc.
Heavy rains in August prolonged vegetative growth, thus delaying ripening. The uneven degree of maturity required a very long harvest (21 days at Cheval Blanc). Faithful to the château style and in order to highlight its intrinsic qualities, namely fresh fruits and elegant aromatics, Cheval Blanc does not look for overripe grapes.

A few patches of gray rot appeared in August due to the high humidity. Fortunately, however, these have not spread due to the return of dry weather.

VINTAGE CHARACTERISTICS

1997 was a hot and humid year. The berries were particularly heavy due to the lack of water stress for most of the growing cycle. Maturation was slow due to competition from the shoots that grew until the start of the harvest. As a result, sugar levels and the concentration of phenolic compounds were low, accompanied by above-average acidity. Indeed, the grapes were more affected by a certain dilution than by a lack of maturity, as evidenced by the absence of herbaceous aromas.

It was therefore important in 1997 to control yields, which amounted to 38.8 hectoliters per hectare at Cheval Blanc. The sorting was severe since only 44% of the harvest ended up in the great wine.

CELLAR WORK

Composed of 12% press wine, the Cheval Blanc 1997 was aged in 100% new oak barrels.

Bordeaux 1997 by Château Palmer: Early budding took place at the end of March. This was followed by a cool, wet spring, which led to a prolonged flowering period accompanied by coulure and millerandage. Veraison was slow and uneven due to hot and humid conditions in August, which also led to the constant threat of fungal diseases throughout the summer.

As the vintage approached, vineyard maturity levels varied and the selection and sorting of grapes throughout the harvest was crucial. Harvest dates: from 09/10/1997 to 09/27/1997

Australia 1997 / Good early season growth and spring rains, followed by a warmer than average January and a very hot February, resulted in stressed vines but a low incidence of disease. The vintage produced some very good quality Barossa Valley and Eden Valley reds – a powerful Shiraz and a very good Cabernet. It was also a very good year for Eden Valley Riesling, producing wines with balanced alcohol levels and full of flavor.

In 1997 there were 6,899 hectares of vines in the Barossa and 53,944 tonnes of wine grapes were crushed during that vintage.

Vine plantings continued to increase and demand for vineyard land, particularly land with a proclaimed water supply (dam or borehole) pushed prices above $25,000/ha. Wineries began to worry about the lack of processing capacity and investment shifted from vineyards to building crushing, fermentation and storage facilities.

Orlando celebrated its 150th anniversary by purchasing and restoring the original cellars of Johann Gramp and replanting the original vineyard with bush vine Riesling.

On February 11, a meeting of 98 Barossa Valley wine growers approved geographical indications for the Barossa Zone and the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley regions. The next day, a meeting of Eden Valley wine growers also approved the regional identification. The GI was then presented to the Geographical Indications Committee of the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation and approval was granted later that year.

The 1997 Barossa Wine Show auction set a benchmark price for an Imperial of Barossa Shiraz, when St Hallett's Bob McLean paid $8000 for a blend of Penfolds Grange, Saltram No.1, Henschke Mt Edelstone, Peter Lehmann Stonewell, Yalumba The Octavius, St Hallett Old Block and Grant Burge Meshach. The wine was re-offered at British cricket legend Ian Botham's annual Leukemia Foundation auction.

Irvine Wines' Grand Merlot won the inaugural Swiss Wine Academy and Wein Wisser magazine's World Merlot Tasting for the world's best Merlot, beating international competitors such as Château Petrus.

Winemaker of the Year – Prue Henschke

New Zealand 1997 / It was a year that started well, but flowering was somewhat long and crop management, particularly thinning of clusters during the summer, was a very important quality factor. February was hot and humid, as was most of March. We were nervous about our crops, but decided to wait and keep the canopies very open. We then had a prolonged Indian summer of dry, hot weather, which allowed us to harvest the grapes without pressure. Our practice of hand harvesting our crops meant that lower quality clusters/berries could be omitted, so for us the 97 vintage was a high quality small crop harvest, yielding wines with lifted aromas, strong flavors ripe berries and long palates. The wines are elegant, a word not used as a euphemism for "light", with great concentration and, in the case of the reds, fine and long tannin structures. We think they are very good, but there are not large quantities.