VINTAGE CHARTS & BUY WINE ONLINE

Helping you understand vintages (Past & Present)
Vintage charts are a good way in searching for wines when you buy wine online to source for laying-down and investment, as well as understanding unfamiliar wines to drink in the now. Most charts presented by wine merchants can be very vague in understanding it properly, so we help you explain it in must better detail. 

The charts help wine enthusiasts determine when their wines will be drinking well, and which vintages (years) would be suitable for laying-down long-term. Some fine wines only benefit with ageing (laying-down in cellar) for some years before they are actually ready to drink (for example the famous and highly collectable Chateau Musar from Lebanon, which takes some years to mature before it is ready for drinking, like their 2008 vintage, which should show glorious drinking form from 2020 onwards). The majority of wines are being made ready for immediate drinking (vineyards are proving this all the time), due to the impact of the Asian market, and the demand for mid to top-end wine selections. If you want to buy wines immediately, for a special occasion, use this guide to buy a wine from an exquisite vintage. 

The most famous and gifted growers such as a few named; Vega Sicilia, Terre Brune, Chave Hermitage, Niepoort, Navajas, Mouton Rothschild, Cheval Blanc, Le Pin, Lafite, Pio Cesare often make wine in lesser vintages, therefore, not all their vintages will be sky-high in market value to buy. The best produced, most productive harvests, are vintages that need a lot of time to sleep (laying-down in cellar), whereas, some vintages are drinkable in the shorter terms. The beauty of wine is that it is a living organism, and waiting for the right time, could be the most enjoyable drinking experience one has yet to sample. Tread carefully also when buying at auction, as provenance (the way in which the wine has been stored) is imperative to your purchase. Although one can grab a good deal, make sure that any seller has a good track record. We offer such auction deals, but more for wines that can guarantee satisfying drinking with immediate purchase, which is proving more popular, enabling friends to come together to secure the best deals in the UK. 

We are continually in touch with customers, and often get very good feedback to advise on drinking patterns for certain well-known vineyards (be it French, Italian or Spanish), as well as sampling wines ourselves. This is a common practice for many collectors to use the guidelines and then open their wines month by month or even year by year to see how their wines are developing against these charts. The perfect way to test those taste buds, but just be sure your mood is positive, because it does have an effect! Since 2019, we have noticed that some imbibers in age groups over 65 tend to have damaged and less expressive palates, so think carefully about the budget you want to be spending. There are some ridiculously priced wines out there!
With the help of top wine journals and magazines such as Wine Spectator, and over 300 Wine Masters worldwide (since 1953) and increasing, we are able to provide you with vintage guidelines, though generalized, but from the best in the trade. We wouldn’t expect anything less! 

Highlighted in bold are the best ever vintages produced, with ageing potential for 2-3 decades. 

Bordeaux Red

Outstanding vintages from: 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020

Very good vintages from: 1986, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2019

Good vintages from: 1988, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2017

Burgundy White

(Including these greats - Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Chablis Grand Cru, Meursault)

Outstanding vintages from: 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020

Very Good vintages from: 1990, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2019

Good vintages from: 2003, 2018

Burgundy Red

(Including these greats - La Tache, Pommard, Nuits St Georges, Vosne Romanee, Chambolle Musigny, Bonnes Bares)

Outstanding vintages from: 1990, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019

Very Good vintages from: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018

Good vintages from: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2016

Northern Rhone

(Including these greats - Hermitage, Crozes Hermitage, Cornas, Condrieu)

Outstanding vintages from: 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019

Very Good vintages from: 1995, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018

Good vintages from: 1996, 1997, 2014

Champagne

Outstanding vintages from: 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016

Very Good vintages from: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015

Good vintages from: 2007, 2010, 2011

Spain

(Including these greats - Vega Sicilia, Chafandin, Rioja Gran Reserva)

Outstanding vintages from: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

Very Good vintages from: 2000, 2013, 2018

Italy Veneto

(Amarone della Valpolicella)

Outstanding vintages from: 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016

Very Good vintages from: 2001, 2005, 2006

Italy Piedmont

(Barolo)

Outstanding vintages from: 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016

Very Good vintages from: 1999, 2004, 2011, 2012

Italy Tuscany

(Brunello di Montalcino, Sassicaia)

Outstanding vintages from: 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016

Very Good vintages from: 2000, 2008, 2009, 2012

Vintage Port

Outstanding vintages from: 1970, 1977, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2016, 2017

Very Good vintages from: 1983, 1985, 1991, 1992 1994, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2015