The guide to the best wines of the 1990 vintage
Are you looking for a wine from 1990 to mark an important date or celebrate a birthday? 1990 is the vintage of superlatives as the excellent wines produced that year are numerous in France, Italy, Germany and California. Then there are the prices, which have also soared... La Bouteille Dorée offers you this short guide to help you find the 1990 bottle that will really please its recipient.
Bordeaux 1990
What can we say about the 1990 vintage in Bordeaux, as the ripening conditions of the grapes were perfect? A very hot summer, the driest since 1961, followed by small regenerative rains in September, and the Cabernet and Merlot grapes were perfectly ripe and the harvest abundant for a vintage of this quality. All the Grands Crus of the Médoc, perhaps even more so in the north (Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe) and Pomerol and Saint-Emilion are destined to be kept for several decades, so there is no urgency to drink them even if of course they can be very appreciated today... The same superlatives apply to the great sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac which, for the most patient, can be left in the cellar for many years to come.
Burgundy 1990
The 1990 vintage in Burgundy is simply remarkable. Flowering was difficult due to a rather cool month of June, but the superb summer that followed, with high temperatures and some refreshing rains in September, brought ideal conditions for the ripening of the grapes with a perfect balance between richness of fruit and acidity. Both the reds and whites are excellent throughout the Chablis vineyard in Mâcon and the greatest vintages of the Côte-de-Nuits and Côte-de-Beaune are magnificent and can still be kept in the cellar.
Rhône 1990
Very large 1990 vintage in the Rhône Valley even if the drought was more present than in the other regions of France, forcing many winegrowers in the north (Côte-Rôtie) to harvest late to reach a good maturity of the grapes. The south, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape in particular, benefited from some life-saving rains during the summer. The overall result was excellent and the great vineyards of Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape offer exceptional red wines made for long ageing.
Champagne 1990
Excellent weather conditions in 1990, as in nearby Burgundy, allowed winemakers to produce very large vintage Champagne vintages, which are unfortunately quite difficult to find today.
Alsace 1990
1990 was also an exceptional vintage in Alsace: a very mild weather from January to May, with an early flowering, and a very sunny, hot and dry summer gave a harvest of very good quality for all the grape varieties. These perfect conditions, with a richness in the sugar of the grapes rarely equalled, gave birth to very great wines, very balanced, rich and of exceptional length, comparable to the previous vintages of 1989 and 1988, and to the very great vintages of the seventies, 1976 and 1971.
Other successes of 1990
Among the great successes of the 1990 wines, we can note:
- Elsewhere in France: the great sweet and sweet wines of the Loire (Coteaux du Layon, Quarts-de-Chaume)
- In Italy: very good climatic conditions in the north of Italy, apart from a few points of drought, made it possible to obtain magnificent grapes at perfect ripeness. 1990 is undoubtedly an exceptional vintage for Sangiovese and the great Tuscan wines are superb. Brunello wines can easily wait in the cellar. And what about the great wines of Piedmont: 1990 is also an exceptional vintage for Barolo and Barbaresco wines. A 1990 vintage to be placed among the best of the last 50 years with 1978, 1982, 1989, 1996, 2001 and 2007.
- In Spain: the weather conditions in Spain were much more disturbed in 1990 and not all Rioja wines came out unscathed. However, there were great successes in Rioja Alavesa, which escaped frost and hail, while it was more complicated in Rioja Alta, for example.
- In Germany: the best vintage of the last 50 years in Germany with 1971: excellent climatic conditions that gave a small harvest but sublimely balanced wines between high concentration of fruit and perfect acidity, especially in the Moselle and Saar valleys.
- In the USA: very good ripening of the grapes in California. Of particular note are the excellent Cabernets, Chardonnays and Zinfandels from Napa and Sonoma in California and the beautiful Pinot Noirs from Oregon.
- In Australia: very good 1990 vintage in the vineyards of southern and south-eastern Australia thanks to sunny, dry weather and low humidity. The red wines are concentrated and powerful with very good shelf life, especially in the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Eden Valley.
Find all the bottles of 1990 currently on sale
Find all the bottles from 1990 currently on sale at La Bouteille Dorée. All these wines from 1990 are in stock in our cellars and can be delivered in 24 hours throughout France and even within the day in Paris and 48 to 72 hours in most european countries. If you are looking for a particular bottle in the 1990 vintage, do not hesitate to contact us at info@labouteilledoree.com or at 01.46.22.29.79.