1928

What is the best champagne of all time? In my opinion, this is a question for which there is no single answer. And yet, so many wine magazine articles written by so many wine experts still try to find the ultimate answer year after year.

This is a question that seems to have a different “right” answer every time, depending on who is asking and when.

This is a question whose reasonableness – or even necessity – can have many perspectives....

The weather conditions in Bordeaux during the 1928 growing season played a pivotal role in shaping the vintage. The year started with a mild winter, followed by a warm and dry spring that allowed for an early budbreak and flowering. 

Bordeaux 1928 Reds: The red wines of Bordeaux from the 1928 vintage are notable for their unique character and their representation of a challenging growing season.

Appearance: The 1928 Bordeaux reds typically exhibit a brick-red to amber color, reflecting their considerable age.

Nose: On the nose, the 1928 Bordeaux reds offer an array of aromas, including dried fruits, tobacco, cedar, and subtle earthy notes. While they may not possess the vibrancy of wines from more exceptional vintages, they are known for their complexity.

Palate: In the mouth, the 1928 Bordeaux reds are characterized by their delicate and often resolved tannins. The wines tend to be lighter in body and lack the depth and concentration found in 1929 vintage. Flavors of dried cherries, currants, and subtle herbal nuances can be discerned.

Overall Impressions: The Bordeaux 1928 vintage is generally regarded as a fine vintage in terms of wine quality. 

For collectors and enthusiasts, the 1928 Bordeaux wines offer a historical perspective on the region's winemaking. While they all may not consistently deliver the depth and elegance associated with Bordeaux at its best, they can provide insight into a unique period in the region's history and the variability of Bordeaux vintages. When encountering bottles from this vintage today, it's essential to manage expectations and to seek out well-preserved bottles from reputable producers for the best possible tasting experiences.

Burgundy / Fine and fragrant. Some great wines, long-lived and still excellent.  Spring started well and hopes were high until May frost in Chablis and later on serious hail in the Côte de Nuits severely reduced the crop size. The summer that followed was hot. Harvest started in early October. The better terroirs in the Côte de Beaune in particular made great wines. As in Bordeaux, the 1928 Burgundies are sturdier compared to the 1929s.

Burgundy 1928 Reds: The red wines of Burgundy from the 1928 vintage have a reputation for being wines of modest quality. These wines are characterized by their aged appearance and relatively limited aging potential.

Appearance: The 1928 Burgundy reds typically exhibit a brick-red to amber color, reflecting their considerable age.

Nose: On the nose, the 1928 Burgundy reds offer aromas of dried red fruits, forest floor, and earthy notes. While they lack the vibrancy of wines from more exceptional vintages, they still possess a certain charm.

Palate: In the mouth, the 1928 Burgundy reds are marked by their delicate and often resolved tannins. The acidity levels can vary, but the wines tend to be lighter in body and lack the depth and concentration found in more outstanding Burgundy vintages. Flavors of dried cherries and subtle herbal elements can be detected.

Overall Impressions: The Burgundy 1928 vintage is generally regarded as a modest vintage in terms of wine quality. The challenging weather conditions during the growing season resulted in wines that lack the complexity and aging potential of Burgundy's finest years.

Champagne Vintage by Richard Juhlin / The vintage of the century! Krug from this year is considered by many experts to be the most perfect champagne ever made. More than eighty years old, champagne is always a gamble, and I regret to inform you that I am no longer equally impressed with this powerful vintage as I was earlier. Certainly, there are great bottles— and the acidity is always impressive—but most are pitted by maderisation, unlike the delicious 1921. The major exception is, of course, my best champagne experience—the light and magical 1928 Pol Roger Grauves. 

Bordeaux vintage report by Château Margaux / 1928 and 1929, what a fabulous pair of vintages! To find successive years of such quality, we had to wait around sixty years until 1989 and 1990; however, in Margaux we could also cite 1982 and 1983. The wines made in the 1928 vintage were, from the start, incredibly powerful and concentrated, often even harsh and austere, which explains why 1928 was eclipsed by 1929 which was had an almost immediate appeal.
Château Margaux 1928 is a remarkably great wine and is today perhaps superior to the 1929, as it has, overall, aged better. There is more consistency in the bottles, the wine has lost its hardness, but has retained an absolutely extraordinary freshness and richness. It may not have the great finesse of a 1929 bottle, but its freshness is much greater.

Weather report
It was a wonderful time, practically from flowering to harvest, which allowed the grapes to reach an exceptional level of concentration and maturity. (Pick-up started on September 25)

The 1928 vintage is excellent for Latour. The weather conditions were encouraging throughout the summer. Big heatwave before and during the harvest of very healthy and ripe grapes. In Latour, they made 85 barrels of wine. It was long infamous for being an overly tannic wine. However, it has mellowed wonderfully now.

Beloved children's cartoon character Mickey Mouse makes his first appearance in "Steamboat Willie." Steamboat Willie was one of the first successful films to feature synchronized sound in an animated cartoon film. It was produced by Walt Disney and premiered in New York on November 18th of 1928. The short cartoon was quite popular and Disney began producing more films featuring the iconic mouse. Merchandise and fan clubs came soon after, making sure that the mischievous rodent would earn a permanent place in popular culture.

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in and changed the world of modern medicines by introducing the age of antibiotics and his discovery of penicillin has, and still, saves millions of people.

Home Pregnancy Test is first introduced which tests for the presence of hCG which doubles every 48 hrs during early pregnancy and is checked using a urine sample. Introduced by Selmar Aschheim and Bernard Zondek

The Summer Olympics are held for the first time in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

On March 12th the St. Francis dam collapses causing a massive wave into the San Francisquito Canyon in California flooding the towns of Castaic Junction, Fillmore, and Bardsdale and killing an estimated 500 plus although the exact number is not known.