The guide to the best wines of the 1979 vintage
If you want to find a wine from 1979 to mark an important date or celebrate an anniversary, La Bouteille Dorée invites you to browse the best appellations and regions of France and elsewhere of the 1979 vintage thanks to a small practical guide.
Bordeaux 1979
The summer of 1979 was dry, although quite cool in the Bordeaux vineyards, after a late but good quality flowering. The absence of sun and heat was the cause of an abundant harvest, but with grapes, mainly Cabernets, with imperfect ripeness and therefore wines lacking the structure to allow a long ageing. The great wines of the Médoc with a significant proportion of Merlot, the Graves and the wines of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion were more successful in doing better. 1979 was a small vintage for Sauternes sweet wines.
Burgundy 1979
A cold and wet winter and a not much better spring led to a late flowering in Burgundy in this year 1979, the Côte de Nuits unfortunately suffered from hail in July while the vineyards of the Côte de Beaune were able to escape it. We will therefore rather remember the wines of the Côte de Beaune and especially the whites, from Corton and Beaune to Santenay, the Chardonnays having resisted better than the Pinot Noirs.
Rhône 1979
The Rhône Valley produced excellent wines from Hermitage and to a lesser extent from Côte-Rôtie in 1979 while Châteauneuf-du-Pape had an abundant harvest with, for the best estates, wines of very good ageing.
Champagne 1979
As elsewhere in the northern vineyards, the climate was cold and humid but with summer weather dry and sunny enough to reach a good maturity of the grapes and more particularly the Chardonnays. 1979 was a good vintage in Champagne.
Other successes of 1979
Among the great successes of the 1979 wines, we can note:
- In Alsace, 1979 was a fine vintage thanks to a beautiful summer until September, which allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly, with a good sugar content and controlled acidity. Harmonious Alsace wines, and the great Rieslings and Gewurztraminers in late harvest and selections of noble grains still offer beautiful sensations.
- Italy had a good vintage in Piedmont and Tuscany, unfortunately spoiled by heavy rains in October during the harvest. Some beautiful Barolos are still worth tasting.
Few successes elsewhere, either in Spain or in the new world.