Ten Years On: The 1993 Vintage
After the washout that was 1992, and the frostbitten vintage of 1991, the Bordelais were looking for an improvement in 1993. It wasn’t to be – the vintage saw record-breaking rainfall during he harvest month of September, dashing any hopes that this might be a great vintage after what had been a very hot summer. The best producers, however, made some good wine. In Burgundy, things were different. The summer was dogged by rain but the weather was always warm, so there were some problems with oidium and mildew. August, however, was very dry, to the point where vines on the poorest soils suffered dehydration stress with blocked maturation of the grapes and thickening of the skins. A little rain in September solved this potential problem. There followed a harvest which was largely successful – more for reds than whites – despite the continuation of sporadic rainfall.
Nowhere else in France faired any better than Burgundy. The northern Rhône was a washout, the southern Rhône better but irregular. Only the best producers in Champagne made wines worthy of purchase. In the rest of Europe, the most significant contribution was from Germany, which enjoyed another fine vintage – an event which became increasingly common through the 1990s. In Australia the vintage resembled Bordeaux to some extent, with record rainfall in South Australia. Nevertheless there were some individual success stories. California didn’t see a great vintage with weather again not in their favour.
The following notes are culled from two tastings, the second of which was a tasting dinner hosted by myself. In the first the wines were tasted blind, this rule was only partially followed over dinner. The notes below are as written at the time, and the only wine not included was the 1993 Weinert Gran Vino, as it was corked. (17/12/03)
