1998 Wine

1998 Wine

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Few vintages have hinged so much on just a few days of harvesting as 1998. A cool and wet spring delayed the vineyard, before a scorching August — the hottest in thirty years, with peaks beyond 38 °C — concentrated the grapes. Then torrential rains flooded the Médoc between 26 September and 1 October. The right bank Merlots, brought in just before, yielded ample and voluptuous wines in Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, while the later-ripening Médoc Cabernets had to contend with dilution. Château Le Bon Pasteur 1998 and Château Troplong Mondot 1998 rank among the finest successes of the right bank. The Rhône represents the other summit of the year, from Châteauneuf-du-Pape to the Syrahs of the north. To place 1998 among the great years, rely on our Vintage Guide.

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The F.A.Q

Le millésime 1998 est-il considéré comme une grande année pour le vin ?

Le millésime 1998 n’est pas une année homogène à l’échelle nationale, mais il a donné naissance à de très grands vins dans plusieurs régions clés. Certaines appellations ont particulièrement bien tiré parti des conditions climatiques, produisant des vins équilibrés, profonds et dotés d’un excellent potentiel de garde, aujourd’hui pleinement à maturité.

Comment conserver un vin de 1998 avant dégustation ?

Un vin de 1998 doit être conservé à l’abri de la lumière, dans une cave à température stable autour de 12 °C, avec une hygrométrie contrôlée. Une conservation soignée est essentielle pour préserver l’équilibre et la complexité acquise au fil des années.

Le millésime 1998 est-il adapté aux vins de garde ?

Oui, de nombreux vins du millésime 1998 disposent d’un potentiel de garde remarquable. Les meilleurs rouges de Bordeaux et du Rhône, ainsi que certains champagnes et vins blancs de Loire, ont démontré une capacité d’évolution sur plusieurs décennies lorsqu’ils ont été conservés dans de bonnes conditions.

The 1998 vintage region by region: the triumph of Merlots and the Rhône

1998 will remain the year when a matter of days in the calendar made all the difference. The August heatwave brought ripeness, but the late September rains divided the vineyard between those who had already brought in their grapes and those who had not. In Bordeaux, it was the early-ripening Merlots of the right bank that prevailed; in the Rhône, a hot and dry season produced one of the great vintages of the end of the century; in Burgundy and Champagne, success exists but had to be earned through selection. It is therefore a vintage to read by its terroirs, where the best is rarely found where one first expects it.

Bordeaux 1998: the right bank rewarded, the Médoc requiring careful selection

After a wet spring and a dull July, the summer turned to intense heat, with one of the hottest Augusts ever recorded and a hailstorm over the Pomerol plateau that necessitated green harvesting to concentrate the juice. The result is rich, ripe and voluptuous Pomerol and Saint-Émilion wines, a brilliant success in Pessac-Léognan across both colours, and fine sweet wines in Sauternes and Barsac.

The hierarchy of the year follows this dividing line. On the right bank, Château Gazin and Château Palmer reflect the fullness of the Pomerol Merlots, while in Pessac-Léognan Château Malartic-Lagravière confirms the fine form of the Graves. In Barsac, Château Climens produces a distinguished sweet wine carried by a botrytised autumn. On the left bank, success is more selective, but the finest terroirs held firm: Château Léoville Las Cases offers one of the most accomplished expressions, dense and built for ageing.

Rhône Valley 1998: the pinnacle of the year, from south to north

It is in the Rhône that 1998 reaches its full measure. A hot and dry season, without the rains that disrupted Bordeaux at the same time, brought Grenache and Syrah to complete ripeness. In the south, Châteauneuf-du-Pape yields powerful and generous wines, the finest of which can still be kept today, more than twenty-five years after the harvest. In the north, Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Cornas produce deep and spiced Syrahs, built on a tight frame.

Long judged austere in their youth, these wines have confirmed their stature with time: the great cuvées of the south as well as the exceptional hillside wines of the north rank among the most sought-after bottles of the decade. Among these references one finds Auguste Clape in Cornas and the Domaine de Pégau from Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Burgundy 1998: a year of selection, the Côte de Nuits leading the way

In Burgundy, the year demanded rigour. The August heat sometimes marked the grapes, and it was necessary to wait for around ten days of fine weather, between 16 and 26 September, to harvest in good conditions; sorting was essential in the face of downy mildew and powdery mildew. Initially judged harshly, the reds revealed in bottle a deep colour and genuine structure. The Côte de Nuits produced the most profound wines, while the Côte de Beaune proved more consistent.

On the great terroirs of the Côte de Nuits, Drouhin-Laroze illustrates this ageing potential with a dense and structured grand cru, now fully open. This is a Burgundy to choose estate by estate, targeting the cuvées that have retained freshness.

Champagne 1998: a widely declared and vinous vintage

Champagne experienced an eventful season: a very hot August, followed by September rains that swelled the berries before sunshine returned from 14 September. The abundant harvest reached a fine potential alcohol level of around 9.8% vol. while retaining a lively acidity, leading the vast majority of houses to declare the vintage. The 1998s are vinous and well-balanced Champagnes, now at full maturity.

This is a year to choose for vintage cuvées ready to drink, where the acid tension still supports the richness of the fruit. The finest bottles, well kept, retain a lovely vivacity after more than two decades. Among the reference bottles of the 1998 vintage one finds: Dom Perignon and also Deutz

Alsace 1998: rare wines built for ageing and great late harvest wines

In Alsace, 1998 is best appreciated bottle by bottle rather than at the regional level. The dry and luminous autumn favoured terroir Rieslings and, above all, remarkable late harvest wines and selections of noble grapes, characterised by rare concentration. It is these exceptional cuvées that make the vintage of interest to the lover of rare bottles.

The Cuvée Frédéric Émile from Maison Trimbach embodies the ageing Riesling, straight and mineral, while the Clos Saint Urbain from Zind-Humbrecht, in a selection of noble grapes from the Rangen de Thann, achieves a liquorous density of great longevity. Two contrasting styles that sum up the hidden richness of Alsace in 1998.

Buy a 1998 wine from SoDivin

Choosing 1998 means first targeting the right bank of Bordeaux and the Graves, now in their finest period, without overlooking the great Rhône wines built for ageing nor the Alsatian rarities that give the year its singularity. Every bottle is expertly assessed, verified and stored under optimal conditions, then dispatched the same day before 2 pm for express delivery. A wooden gift box, personalised message and scheduled dispatch are available to help you prepare your birth year gifts with peace of mind. To compare 1998 with neighbouring vintages and identify the right bottle, rely on the SoDivin Vintage Guide.

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