by Bill Hooper » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:40 pm
Nicely done Robin, this is a great poll! It is an extremely important consideration and soul-searching question (whether you meant it to be or not.) Much importance is given to vintage. It often makes sense because (for the most part?) wine is still an agricultural product and you can't really cheat Mother Nature (for the most part...). I suppose that there are two reasons to buy wine in an 'off' vintage. They are polarizing concepts and probably don't both appeal to the same consumer all of the time.
One would be that technology has in some circles in many parts of the world almost eliminated the bad vintage. Reverse osmosis, spinning cones, partial drip irrigation (and really irrigation in general), pesticides and many other forms of manipulation (or quality control depending on how you see it) have provided a consistent product that would be unthinkable in times past.
Two would be either trust in or loyalty to a particular producer or region. Trust because there are many places on the planet where terroir (uh-oh) and experience somewhat trump vintage. My best acquaintances are Burgundy, the Teutonic wine-growing regions of the world, and the Loire (but most certainly the rule can be applied elsewhere.) In these places there will always be a few people who rise above the masses to produce outstanding wine in an otherwise uncooperative vintage.
Loyalty because sometimes it isn't about the quality of the wine. One of the best examples I can site is Domaine Tempier in Bandol. Certainly one of the top producers of the AOC (although I prefer Pibarnon myself.) The 2002 was light-bodied, diluted, under-ripe and rather 'Beaujolais-Bandol', certainly not characteristic of the region. The 2003 was just as bizarre, but in the opposite column, with overly aggressive tannins, blowzy, exaggerated, napalm infused grape juice. BUT, even though I don't particularly LIKE Bandol, I buy a bottle of Tempier every year because it was my first introduction to Provence and I love to see the variation that takes place year in and out. I find great joy in wine sometimes not for the achievement of a great vintage, but because when I drink a particular bottle, from a particular producer in a particular vintage, I can understand why it tastes like it does.
Uh, secondary I guess.
Wein schenkt Freude
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