Argentina Australia Austria Chile France Germany Italy New Zealand Portugal South Africa Spain United States Vintage Grid Back to 1961 Vintage charts summarize the quality and character of the wines from a particular region in a specific year. They are by necessity general in nature, but can help consumers make good choices when faced with unfamiliar wines. They also help collectors determine when their wines will be drinking well. Each year, Wine Spectator editors rate new vintages for more than 50 regions and varieties around the world and provide updates on older vintages based on tastings and analyses of as many as hundreds of wines from each region. Each vintage rating consists of three components: The score indicates the general quality of the wines; the description sums up the growing season and the wines' character; the drink recommendation suggests when the wines will be at their best. Learn more about our charts here. The guidelines we follow for our blind tastings, our tasters and their beats, and our 100-point scale.

Video: Inside Our Tasting Department Tim Fish • James Laube • Kim Marcus • Thomas Matthews • James Molesworth • Alison Napjus • Bruce Sanderson • Harvey Steiman • MaryAnn Worobiec • Gillian SciarettaLog In / Join Now News & Features Home What Am I Tasting Food & Travel Home Wine & Food Pairing Free Trial Online Membership More United States vintage charts 20139691Drink or holdRivals 2012, with amazing density and structure; tannic too and should be long-lived20129692Drink or holdRecord-sized crop with many stars amid a solid vintage across the board; tannic 20118683Drink or holdRare rainy harvest proved it can happen; few sunny spots, variable quality20109689Drink or holdCool, steady year; wines show exceptional quality, tight, dense and layered20099685Drink or holdLate, cool year yielding a surprise bounty of pure, opulent wines20089686Drink or holdFrost year lowered yields but not quality; unique for its depth and concentration20079788Drink or holdTextbook year;

small crop, ideal ripening, wines defined by complexity and plush tannins20069587DrinkA late, cool harvest produced dense, concentrated and ageworthy wines20059283DrinkRecord-size crop; best are elegant and balanced, yet many are tannic and drying out20049584DrinkSmall crop of exceptional quality; ripe, elegant, concentrated and harmonious20038583DrinkUneven ripeness; austere and tannic in style. More like 2000 than 2001 or 200220029382DrinkSuperb in Napa; dense and rich, rivaling 2001 for depth and complexity20019387DrinkExcellent weather; many stunning wines but also a few disappointments20008581DrinkMixed and a bit green overall, but some stellar wines that may be overlooked and undervalued19999787DrinkTremendous depth, concentration and structure from a cool, moderate year; ageworthy19988482Past peakCool, damp year with mostly green, herbal wines marked by gritty tannins; few memorable bottles19979990DrinkHuge crop of ripe, opulent, fleshy, concentrated wines, from near-perfect weather;

super in Sonoma, too19969688DrinkA sleeper, with a remarkable number of compelling wines; warm year with fine concentration and depth19959786DrinkSurprisingly fine year, with wines marked by great flavors, balance and structure19949788DrinkA showy year all around; ripe, complex and fleshy, with excellent depth 19938888DrinkJust off the pace, with well-balanced, supple wines; a few stars19929386DrinkFine growing season led to uniformly rich, fleshy, supple and balanced wines19919186DrinkBig crop, ripe and complex; wine and food dca star early on, only to be eclipsed by others this decade19908986DrinkSmall crop but many deeply concentrated wines that have aged well19898581Past peakBig crop, cool year with rain at harvest; wine to gift indiaearthy, diluted flavors19888383Past peakSmall crop; best food to eat with rose wine

simple wines19879587Past peakSmall crop, early harvest; best wines mix ripe flavors with fine structure19869687Past peakA big crop with intense, richly flavored wines19859787Past peakRipe, rich and fleshy, with superb balance A score range indicates preliminary analysis based on barrel samples and/or a limited sampling; many wines of the vintage not yet reviewed. Vintage ratings: 95-100, classic; Drinkability: "NYR" means the vintage has not yet been released; best wine school in france"drink" means most of the wines of the vintage are ready to drink; best wine paris"hold" means most of the ageworthy wines have yet to fully mature; top rated wine bars nyc"past peak" means most of the wines are declining rather than improving.best buys wine 2013

2015 Vintage Chart and Wine Guide Is the wine you’d like to see a rating of not among the more than 140,000 reviews located in our Buying Guide? Check our latest vintage chart to get an idea of what to expect. Although our expert reviewers base these ratings and maturity estimates on their vast tasting experience and interviews with local winemakers, we can’t guarantee every wine will live up or down to the broad generalizations the ratings on the vintage chart represent—in the world of wine, there are exceptions to every rule. best advanced wine booksMaturity estimates assume proper storage conditions over the life of the wine; best type of wine for pizzathe rule of caveat emptor applies. See the easy, interactive 2015 Vintage Chart and Wine Guide You can also download the infographic version of the 2015 Vintage Chart

Here’s a peek at the great older vintages: Pomerol/Saint-Émilion: 1989, 1985, 1982, 1978, 1970, 1964, 1961, 1959, 1955, 1953, 1949, 1947, 1945 Médoc: 1986, 1982, 1978, 1970, 1966, 1961, 1959, 1955, 1953, 1949, 1947, 1945 Graves: 1982, 1978, 1970, 1964, 1959, 1955, 1953, 1949, 1947, 1945 Sauternes: 1988, 1986, 1983, 1976, 1975, 1967 Red Burgundy: 1985, 1978, 1976, 1971, 1969, 1959, 1952, 1949, 1947, 1945 White Burgundy: 1986, 1983, 1982, 1978 Northern Rhône: 1985, 1983, 1978, 1970, 1961 Southern Rhône: 1985, 1983, 1981, 1978, 1967 Loire: 1985, 1978, 1976, 1971,1969, 1959, 1947 Alsace: 1985, 1983, 1975 Champagne: 1985, 1982, 1979, 1971, 1964 Piedmont: 1989, 1985, 1982, 1978, 1971 Veneto: 1983, 1979, 1976, 1974, 1971, 1970 Tuscany: 1985, 1982, 1978, 1971 Catalonia: 1985, 1983, 1982, 1981 Rioja: 1985, 1982, 1981, 1970, 1968, 1964 Ribera del Duero: 1985, 1983, 1982, 1980, 1979, 1970, 1968, 1962 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer/Rheingau: 1983, 1976, 1975, 1971, 1959