Vintage Chart – Vintages Classics Collection

The Classics Collection
Spring/Summer 2006

Vintage Chart

This Vintage Chart is provided as a guide for you. Vintage charts are always approximations. First, the regions invite the broadest of generalizations. Second, the best wine growers can often deliver little gems when the majority are reduced to lumps of coal. As with vintage charts, the Maturity Advisor is only a guide. We are making the broadest generalizations. Different wine lovers have different expectations: some want more fruit, some more complexity. Also, bottles from older VINTAGES can be highly variable due to cellaring differences and other circumstances. As always, we urge you to taste for yourself, keep an open mind and trust your own palate.

We hope you enjoy this new Vintage Chart.

The following keys are used to evaluate the VINTAGES and their maturity:

10
Exceptional
A
Should be aged more

9-8
Excellent
B
Already good, better examples can improve further

7
Very Good
C
Ready to drink

6-5
Good
D
Danger that many wines are becoming too old

4-0
Fair to Poor

	FRANCE
	Bordeaux Red	Sauternes	Burgundy Red	Burgundy White	Alsace	Northern Rhône	Southern Rhône	Loire	Champagne
1970	9 C	8 C	7 D	8 D	8 D	9 D	9 D	7 D	8 C
1971	7 D	6 D	7 D	7 D	9 C	7 D	7 D	9 C	8 D
1972	3 D	3 D	8 D	7 D	6 D	7 D	7 D	2 D	4 D
1973	5 D	6 D	6 D	8 D	8 D	7 D	7 D	6 D	8 D
1974	4 D	4 D	7 D	7 D	6 D	7 D	7 D	5 D	5 D
1975	9 D	9 C	5 D	6 D	8 D	6 D	6 D	7 D	9 C
1976	7 D	7 C	9 D	8 D	10 C	8 D	8 D	8 C	8 C
1977	4 D	3 D	5 D	6 D	7 D	5 D	5 D	2 D	3 D
1978	7 C	7 D	9 C	8 D	9 D	8 C	8 C	8 D	7 D
1979	7 C	6 C	7 D	7 D	8 D	6 D	6 D	6 D	8 C
1980	5 D	7 C	6 D	6 D	7 D	8 D	8 D	5 D	7 D
1981	7 C	7 C	7 D	7 D	7 D	7 C	7 C	6 D	8 D
1982	10 B	6 C	5 D	7 D	8 D	7 C	7 C	8 D	9 C
1983	8 B	9 B	8 C	7 C	10 C	8 B	8 B	9 C	7 C
1984	4 D	4 C	6 D	6 D	6 D	7 D	7 D	7 D	4 D
1985	9 B	7 B	6 C	9 C	9 B	9 B	7 C	7 B	9 B
1986	9 B	9 B	6 C	8 C	7 C	7 C	7 C	7 C	7 C
1987	6 C	6 C	7 C	6 D	7 C	7 C	6 C	7 C	5 D
1988	8 B	10 B	9 B	7 B	10 B	9 B	9 B	8 B	9 B
1989	9 B	10 B	9 C	9 B	10 B	10 B	10 B	9 B	8 B
1990	10 B	10 B	10 B	9 C	10 B	10 B	10 B	10 B	10 B
1991	5 C	6 B	7 C	6 C	6 D	9 B	5 C	5 D	6 C
1992	5 C	6 B	6 C	8 B	7 C	5 C	4 C	6 C	7 B
1993	6 B	6 B	9 B	6 C	8 B	4 C	4 C	7 C	8 B
1994	7 B	6 B	7 C	8 C	9 B	8 B	7 B	8 C	7 B
1995	9 A	7 B	8 B	10 B	9 B	9 B	9 B	9 B	9 A
1996	8 B	8 B	9 B	9 B	9 B	8 B	7 B	10 B	10 A
1997	7 B	9 B	8 B	9 B	9 B	7 B	8 B	10 B	7 B
1998	8 A	7 A	8 B	9 B	9 B	9 B	10 B	8 B	7 B
1999	7 A	7 A	9 B	9 B	8 B	10 A	9 B	7 B	8 A
2000	10 A	6 A	7 B	8 A	8 B	9 A	9 A	8 B	8 A
2001	8 A	10 A	7 B	6 B	9 B	9 A	9 A	8 B	6 B
2002	8 A	9 A	9 A	9 A	8 A	6 B	4 B	9 B	9 A
2003	9 A	9 A	8 A	7 A	6 A	8 A	8 A	9 A
2004	8 A	7 A			8 A	8 A	9 A	8 B

GERMANY

ITALY

PORTUGAL

SPAIN

Rhine

Mosel

Piedmont

Tuscany

Veneto

Friuli

Port

Rioja

Ribera del Duero

1970

6 D

8 D

9 C

8 D

5 D

9 B

9 C

1971

10 C

10 D

10 C

9 C

8 D

4 D

1972

5 D

6 D

2 D

5 D

8 D

7 D

4 D

1973

6 D

5 D

8 C

7 D

7 C

1974

6 D

9 C

9 D

7 D

6 D

7 C

1975

8 D

9 C

5 D

9 C

8 D

5 D

7 C

9 C

1976

9 C

5 D

6 D

8 D

7 C

1977

4 D

5 D

6 D

9 C

8 C

6 D

10 B

5 D

1978

6 D

9 C

10 C

6 C

8 D

7 C

9 B

1979

7 D

8 C

9 C

6 C

1980

6 D

7 D

5 D

7 C

5 D

6 B

7 C

1981

7 D

6 D

7 C

9 C

1982

6 D

7 D

9 B

7 C

8 B

9 B

7 B

10B

1983

9 B

5 D

7 C

7 B

8 C

7 B

7 C

1984

6 D

6 C

1985

7 B

9 B

9 C

8 B

9 B

7 C

1986

6 C

8 C

9 B

7 C

1987

6 C

7 C

8 C

7 C

8 B

9 B

1988

9 B

8 B

10 B

9 B

7 C

7 B

1989

9 B

10 B

6 C

8 B

9 B

7 B

1990

10 B

9 A

9 B

8 B

1991

6 C

5 C

6 C

6 B

9 A

5 C

1992

7 B

5 C

6 C

6 B

9 A

6 C

1993

6 B

8 B

7 B

8 B

5 B

6 C

8 B

1994

6 B

8 B

7 B

8 B

6 B

10 A

8 B

9 B

1995

7 B

9 B

8 B

7 B

9 A

9 B

1996

8 B

10 A

8 B

7 B

9 B

1997

8 B

10 A

9 B

10 A

8 B

1998

9 B

9 A

9 B

9 A

9 B

8 B

1999

9 B

10 B

9 A

9 B

8 A

8 B

2000

9 A

8 A

8 B

10 A

7 B

2001

9 A

9 B

8 A

7 B

9 B

2002

8 A

7 B

6 B

2003

8 A

9 A

2004

9 A

CANADA

AUSTRALIA

UNITED STATES

CHILE

ARGENTINA

SOUTH AFRICA

Niagara Peninsula

South Australia

Western Australia

California Cabernet

California Chardonnay

Red

Mendoza Red

Red

1970

10 C

9 C

8 D

1971

5 D

8 D

7 D

1972

7 D

6 D

1973

10 C

7 D

1974

3 D

9 C

8 D

1975

7 D

9 D

1976

10 C

8 D

1977

7 D

8 D

1978

7 D

9 C

8 D

1979

8 D

7 D

1980

8 D

7 C

7 D

1981

3 D

4 D

8 C

7 D

1982

6 D

8 C

6 D

7 D

1983

7 D

4 D

7 C

8 D

1984

4 D

10 B

9 B

8 D

1985

9 C

9 B

10 B

9 D

1986

4 D

7 C

10 B

8 D

1987

7 C

8 C

10 B

7 D

1988

9 C

9 B

6 C

7 D

1989

6 C

9 B

6 C

6 D

1990

8 B

9 B

10 B

8 C

1991

9 B

8 C

1992

5 B

7 C

8 B

9 C

1993

8 B

8 C

8 B

9 B

8 B

1994

8 B

9 B

10 B

7 B

7 C

8 C

1995

10 B

7 B

9 B

10 B

9 B

7 C

1996

7 B

9 B

8 B

9 B

8 B

1997

8 B

10 B

9 B

8 B

9 B

1998

9 B

10 B

9 B

7 B

8 B

9 B

1999

8 B

9 A

9 B

9 A

8 B

2000

8 B

7 B

8 B

7 B

8 A

9 A

2001

7 B

9 A

7 B

9 A

8 A

2002

8 A

9 A

9 B

2003

8 A

9 A

2004

9 A

8 A