FYI, Wine Advocate's vintage chart for Washington Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah was 87 for 2011 and 95 for 2012; Wine Spectator was 89 and 95. I do think the main effect of these regional/year scores is to drive up prices for the "superb" years. I'm almost to the point of focusing on lower scoring years, because that is where value might be.
Thanks Bruce. I didn't have a chance to check on those two charts but they line up pretty well. Often the lower scoring years will produce better values and sometimes longer lived wines. But you have to follow the producers. The winemaker makes the wine. Trust the best winemakers to put out a good wine in every vintage. If they can't make a good wine, they will skip the vintage (as many did do to smoke in 2020).
2011 is one of my very favorite vintages in Willamette Valley (along with 2007). I tasted some incredible Shea Vineyard wines from 2011 last summer. I was also able to purchase a couple of 2011 Brick House and Bergstrom in the last year and had a Domaine Drouhin Louise from 2011. Chef's kiss.
Excellent examples. I've tasted hundreds of Shea vineyard wines and have yet to find a single one that wasn't very good. And DDO, Brick House and Bergström do not release sub-par wines from any vintage.
FYI, Wine Advocate's vintage chart for Washington Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah was 87 for 2011 and 95 for 2012; Wine Spectator was 89 and 95. I do think the main effect of these regional/year scores is to drive up prices for the "superb" years. I'm almost to the point of focusing on lower scoring years, because that is where value might be.
Thanks Bruce. I didn't have a chance to check on those two charts but they line up pretty well. Often the lower scoring years will produce better values and sometimes longer lived wines. But you have to follow the producers. The winemaker makes the wine. Trust the best winemakers to put out a good wine in every vintage. If they can't make a good wine, they will skip the vintage (as many did do to smoke in 2020).
2011 is one of my very favorite vintages in Willamette Valley (along with 2007). I tasted some incredible Shea Vineyard wines from 2011 last summer. I was also able to purchase a couple of 2011 Brick House and Bergstrom in the last year and had a Domaine Drouhin Louise from 2011. Chef's kiss.
Excellent examples. I've tasted hundreds of Shea vineyard wines and have yet to find a single one that wasn't very good. And DDO, Brick House and Bergström do not release sub-par wines from any vintage.