Here in California we see our fair share of excellent wine vintages. Compared to many of the world’s more weather-challenged winegrowing regions, where the differences between average and great vintages can often be quite pronounced, we tend to enjoy more consistency. For the most part, this is a very good thing. After all, who doesn’t want high quality year after year?
This said, sometimes it can be difficult to sort out the good from the truly great vintages. Part of this is due to the fact that great vintages rarely span across the varietal or geographic spectrum in California. A stellar vintage for pinot in Santa Barbara County doesn’t necessarily translate into a benchmark year for cabernet in Napa.
As a winemaker, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have always been my first loves. So as I look back on my 35 years in the industry, I tend to view great vintages through the lens of how these varietals fared in the regions our winery focuses on – most notably Carneros and more recently, the Sonoma Coast.
By these criteria, I still fondly recollect ’79, ’81 and ’94 as outstanding pinot noir vintages. 1990 delivered standout chardonnays. More recently, 1997 and 2004 delivered extremely appealing wines on both fronts. These years stick in my memory for several reasons. They were fulfilling for me as someone who strives to make great wines. And they were also satisfying to me as a wine lover, delivering numerous wines worth savoring, sharing and collecting.
For these reasons and more, I have to admit to being pretty excited about the 2007 vintage. My sense is that 2007 will be regarded as an exceptional vintage for chardonnay and pinot noir – certainly the best vintage in several years, and perhaps the finest in at least a decade. I say this with some hesitation. Not because I don’t think it’s true. But because I know that we vintners have a tendency to over-extol the virtues of every new growing season. Yes, we have a lot of good growing seasons in California, but these opinions are often shaped by a healthy dose of optimism, and at least a dash of marketing hype. I don’t think this is the case for 2007.
So what makes a great vintage?
The truth is, there is no prototypical “great vintage.” Great vintages are almost by definition unique. While some vintages achieve greatness in ways that cause winemakers to go grey prematurely, other great vintages are relatively drama-free. The 2007 growing season was one of these vintages. Temperate and steady, 2007 started out with a balmy early spring that segued to a relatively cool summer without any notable heat spikes or thundershowers. While there was lower-than-average heat accumulation, there was ample sunlight to get things nice and ripe. Equally important, the grapes achieved ideal physiological maturity at lower sugar levels. Or to put it more simply, the wines have amazing flavors at lower alcohol levels. In turn, they possess excellent acidity and balance, qualities that are necessary for age-worthiness – arguably an important element of true “greatness.” Rounding things out, yields were down slightly (which adds to concentration), the harvest came in at a relaxed pace (which adds to quality), and the red fruit extracted easily in the fermentor (something that often separates great from good vintages).
Finally, the question isn’t whether 2007 will be great for chardonnay or pinot noir – it looks to be great for both. The question is whether one will become the defining varietal of the vintage. Either way, once they hit the marketplace, the 2007 wines promise to deliver excellence in abundance, which is something we can all raise a glass to.
Steve MacRostie is a renowned winemaker and the founder of MacRostie Winery and Vineyards. To learn more, visit www.macrostiewinery.com.
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