Vintage Retrospective: The 1999 Napa Valley Cabernets

BY STEPHEN TANZER | MAY 9, 2019 

Nineteen ninety-nine was the middle year of a trio of cooler Napa Valley vintages, but from the start this vintage struck me as superior to both 1998 and 2000, with the wines showing greater density and structure, not to mention ripeness. There have been a few truly cool vintages on California’s North Coast since then, but these are now rare events. In fact, some growers insist that global warming first made itself felt in California in 2001—and unless you’re still in denial, there’s no reason to believe that temperatures are going to moderate any decade soon.

The Philip Togni vineyard, perched atop Spring Mountain

Another Cool Growing Season, But Not a Repeat of ’98