Napa Vintage Chart: Navigating Quality and Drinkability
Updated
A Napa vintage chart helps you understand the quality and drinkability of wines from a specific year. It guides your decision to open a bottle now or hold it longer. A vintage wine is made from grapes primarily grown and harvested in a single specified year. Growing seasons in regions like Napa Valley can be uniform due to controlled irrigation. Consumer demand still ensures wines are regularly labeled by vintage. However, the importance of vintage is varied and disputed. Roman L. Weil is co-chairman of the Oenonomy Society of the US. He found that experienced wine drinkers could not distinguish between wines of good and bad vintages in blind tastings, except for Bordeaux wines. Weil suggests using a vintage chart to "find good buys in wine" rather than as a definitive quality ranking. So a Napa vintage chart serves as a guide. It combines general vintage quality assessments with specific drinking window recommendations to inform your cellar management.
What defines a vintage wine?
A vintage wine is made from grapes grown and harvested in a single specified year. That covers all, or primarily all, of the fruit, as we define it. Most countries allow a vintage wine to include a portion of wine not from the year denoted on the label. The minimum percentage of same-year content required for vintage-dated wine varies by region.
| Region/Country | Minimum Same-Year Content for Vintage Wine |
|---|---|
| Chile | 75% |
| South Africa | 75% |
| Australia | 85% |
| New Zealand | 85% |
| European Union member states | 85% |
| United States (general) | 85% |
| United States (with AVA, e.g., Napa Valley) | 95% |
The 85% rule in the United States applies equally to imports. Enforcing this regulation presents difficulties. The opposite of a vintage wine is a nonvintage wine, often labeled 'NV'. It is typically a blend from the produce of two or more years. Winemakers commonly use nonvintage blends to achieve a consistent style of wine year on year.
How important is a vintage rating for Napa Valley wines?
The importance assigned to vintage is both varied and disputed, even for wines from regions like Napa Valley. Some wines are only labeled with a vintage in better-than-average years, to maintain their quality and reputation. The vast majority are produced to be drunk young and fresh, where vintage is usually considered less important. New York Times wine columnist Frank J. Prial declared the vintage chart to be dead. He wrote that "winemakers of the world have rendered the vintage chart obsolete." Bill Marsano wrote that "winemakers now have the technology and skills to make good and even very good wines in undistinguished years." James Laube of Wine Spectator asserted that "even an average vintage can yield some grand wines."
Roman L. Weil, co-chairman of the Oenonomy Society of the US, tested the hypothesis that experienced wine drinkers "cannot distinguish in blind tastings the wine of years rated high from those of years rated low, or, if they can, they do not agree with the vintage chart's preferences." Weil used wines ranging from four to 17 years beyond their vintage with 240 wine drinkers. He found that tasters could not distinguish between wines of good and bad vintages except for Bordeaux wines. Sometimes a distinction could be made. Even then, the match between tasters' individual assessments and the charts' rankings was little better than tossing a coin. The tests were replicated with wine experts, including French wine academics. The results were again the same as chance, according to Roman L. Weil, 5/25/2001, cited.
Weil does not consider a vintage chart useless. He suggests using one to help "find good buys in wine," as wine made in years considered worse than average for vintages may be priced far below its actual quality. This perspective is particularly useful for those who buy wine at auction and seek value. You can monitor the live fine wine market index to understand broader trends. Individual vintage assessments can highlight specific opportunities.
What factors influence a vintage's quality?
Climatic conditions during the growing season significantly influence a vintage's quality. That is particularly true in regions at the colder climatic limits of wine production. Gregory Jones explains this in GuildSomm, cited. Some seasons will be much warmer and produce riper grapes and better wine. Conversely, a poor growing season can lead to grapes failing to reach optimal ripeness. That produces grape juice higher in acid and lower in sugar, which affects the quality of the resulting wine. In many wine regions, especially in the New World, growing seasons are much more uniform. In dry regions, the systematic and controlled use of irrigation also contributes to uniform vintages. For example, the Bordeaux region benefits from an Atlantic climate, irrigated by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. That leads to a soil structure heavy in calcium, gravel, sandy stone, and clay. These environmental factors are key to understanding the potential of any given vintage, including those from Napa Valley.
How does storage impact your vintage wines?
Proper storage conditions are crucial for maintaining the quality of your vintage wines. Excessive temperatures and light exposure can have marked effects on shelf life, according to AWRI Technical Note TN09. Marais (1986) observed the development of faulty flavors and decreasing overall quality after 12 months' storage of wine at 30°C. Temperatures exceeding 40°C will induce visual and sensory changes to a wine in only a matter of days, as noted by Ough (1986). In general, storage temperature matters, states Ough (1992). Any place where the temperature exceeds 25°C for long periods and 40°C for short periods can affect wine quality. Amon and Simpson (1986) recommend storing bottled wine with the cork in contact with the wine. The location should be cool (15-20°C) and dry. Leakage of wine or movement of cork stoppers may result from thermal expansion due to significantly greater than ambient temperatures. That affects appearance and marketability, even if quality is not necessarily affected.
Light exposure also poses a risk. Maujean and Seguin (1983) demonstrated that 'lightstruck' flavor (goûts de lumière) is due to the formation of volatile sulfur compounds. Riboflavin is present in low levels in musts and wines. It undergoes photo-activation when exposed to light at wavelengths of 370 nm and 440 nm. Dozon and Noble (1989) found that still and sparkling white wines in green glass developed lightstruck flavor after 31.1 hours and 18 hours of exposure to fluorescent lamps, respectively. The same wines in clear glass developed a statistically significant level of off flavor after only 3.3 hours and 3.4 hours of exposure, respectively. Sensory assessment indicated a decrease in 'citrus' aromas and an increase in 'cooked cabbage', 'corn', 'wet wool/wet dog', and 'soy/marmite' aromas. Direct sunlight provides 4286 times the amount of UV-A radiation as fluorescent lamps. Exposure to sunlight is therefore potentially more deleterious to wine quality than electric lighting systems. That comparison comes from Gordon Watson, cited by AWRI Technical Note TN09.
The Institute recommends insulated and/or temperature-controlled storage conditions. Those minimize fluctuations in both temperature and humidity. The careful selection of glass color can help prevent problems from light exposure. Rankine (1989) indicates that amber glass is most effective in excluding wavelengths below about 450 nm. Copper instability causes haze in white wines. A disproportionately high number of those cases involved wines in clear glass bottles, as the Institute observed. Ensuring proper wine storage is a fundamental aspect of preserving your collection's value and enjoyment. Understanding wine ullage levels is also part of assessing a bottle's condition after storage.
When should you open or hold your Napa Valley wines?
Deciding whether to open or hold your Napa Valley wines depends on several things. Vintage characteristics, the producer's style, and your personal preferences all count. While some wines are produced to be drunk young and fresh, others are made to improve with age in the bottle. These often command higher prices, especially from prestigious producers and superior vintages.
Take a specific Napa Valley vintage, such as Napa Valley 2018. You would typically consult a vintage chart for its general quality rating and recommended drinking window. Take a wine like Opus One. Understanding its specific vintage characteristics is key to maximizing your enjoyment or making informed decisions about its market value. The decision to open or hold also relates to your strategy as a collector. If you are considering selling, understanding the optimal drinking window can influence the timing to sell fine wine. For those focused on fine wine investment, the longevity and potential for appreciation are critical considerations. You might also use an all-in cost calculator to understand the full financial picture of your holdings.
Make informed decisions about your fine wine collection with confidence. Our 40/60 score on every wine provides a clear, data-driven assessment, helping you understand when to drink, hold, or consider selling.