2004 and 2003 Rhone Valley Wines

The Northern Rhône. Conditions in 2003 conspired to produce wines that are all over the map stylistically. Harvesting commenced in some appellations as early as mid-August, a full month earlier than normal, resulting in some peculiar and often disjointed wines that combine roasted notes with high-pitched acids. The bright side is that many wines, notably in Cornas, appear to have benefited from the fresher acidity that came from earlier harvesting. The best examples in this style possess two characteristics that have been missing in several highly touted vintages of the last decade: vibrancy and clarity of aromas and flavors. So simply looking at the broiling temperatures the Rhône Valley suffered through in July and August tells only part of the story. The best wines—and my cellar visits were generally limited to the most consistent high-quality producers of the region—show little evidence of roasted fruit character and can be as impressive as anything produced in such thoroughly ripe vintages as 1999. Yields in many cases were off by 50% or more in 2003, and the concentration and power of the better examples are as profound as one can hope to find in syrah.

Vintage 2004 is another story entirely. Grower after grower I talked to swooned over the pain-free growing season and the ability to draw out the harvest. This meant that grapes could achieve full maturity, and that harvesting could, in almost all cases, be determined by the producer rather than by Mother Nature. The vines, which had been stressed as a result of the very hot, dry summer of 2003, responded with lower than average yields, often in the 20 to 25 hectoliters-per-hectare range rather than a more typical 30 to 35. Nonetheless I heard descriptions like "a dream," "easy," "perfect," and "classic" at every turn—often from growers who are more likely to hedge when it comes to making early judgments of vintage quality. Comparisons to the very good 2001 vintage came up with regularity.