1999 Wine

The 1999 vintage, region by region: the northern terroirs come into their own

1999 is a vintage of contrasts, with its finest bottles found away from Bordeaux, where attention usually centres. The year's high points are in the northern Rhône Valley and Burgundy, two regions that ended the 1990s on a high. Bordeaux produced a more uneven vintage, redeemed by the Left Bank and some fine sweet wines. Champagne, the Loire and Alsace round out the picture with a handful of notable successes. This is a vintage to explore terroir by terroir, rewarding careful selection rather than buying at random.

Rhône Valley 1999 — Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, a great vintage for Syrah

It is in the northern Rhône that 1999 truly comes into its own. A hot, dry summer followed by a northerly wind in September concentrated the grapes and brought Syrah to full ripeness without heaviness. Côte-Rôtie leads the year's hierarchy, with deep, spicy wines built on a fine tannic structure; Hermitage and Cornas follow closely, combining power with freshness. The most experienced growers compare these Côte-Rôtie wines to the legendary 1947. In the south, the year was good but a notch below the north, with fine Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines ready to drink now.

The northern estates brought the vintage to its peak. In Côte-Rôtie, Domaine Jamet produced a wine of great purity, while René Rostaing crafted an elegant, distinguished red from the Côte Blonde. In Cornas, Auguste Clape produced one of the appellation's most complete expressions, dense and deep. In Hermitage, the great cuvées combine fleshy fruit with a structure built for long ageing. These are wines to select from estates that harvested before the rains and kept their yields under control.

Ageing potential: Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage from the best estates are still vibrant and have further ageing potential; decant the most structured cuvées.

Burgundy 1999 — a rare combination of quantity and quality in the reds

Burgundy ended the decade in style, especially for reds. The abundant harvest came with slow ripening and healthy grapes, a balance the region had not seen for decades. Pinot Noirs from the Côte de Nuits in particular produced fleshy, deep wines with lovely freshness, now recognised among the great Burgundy reds of the late century. The whites are consistently good but softer in style. This is first and foremost a red-wine vintage, best approached through terroirs that retained their tension.

At the top of the hierarchy, the grands crus of the Côte de Nuits stand apart. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti produces reds of remarkable purity here, while Domaine Armand Rousseau remains a benchmark for the great terroirs of Gevrey-Chambertin. The best climats, patiently matured, have entered their drinking window. These are Burgundy wines to choose estate by estate, favouring bottles that have been well stored.

Ageing potential: the great reds of the Côte de Nuits are in their drinking window; choose well-stored bottles. The most structured still have further ageing potential.

Bordeaux 1999 — an uneven year, with greater consistency on the Left Bank

In Bordeaux, 1999 calls for careful selection. An early spring, followed by a hailstorm across part of Saint-Émilion in early September and rain during the harvest, made the year uneven and swelled yields. The Left Bank, less affected by the weather, fared more consistently: the Médoc and Graves benefited from free-draining soils and Cabernet grapes picked after conditions improved. The reds are supple, fragrant wines for medium-term ageing, enjoyable today. The sweet wines of Sauternes, helped by botrytis, are one of the year's pleasant surprises.

The hierarchy reflects this divide. In Pauillac, Château Latour illustrates the consistency of the great terroirs with deep gravel soils, while in Saint-Julien, Château Léoville Poyferré 1999 has produced a dense, accomplished wine for the vintage. The best estates of Margaux, with their well-drained soils, are also among the Left Bank's successes. On the Right Bank, success is more selective, favouring properties with the most free-draining soils. This is a Bordeaux vintage best approached through its finest classified growths, now at their peak.

Ageing potential: Left Bank wines are ready to drink now; favour well-stored bottles. The sweet wines have the most ageing potential left.

Champagne 1999 — a sunny year, generous cuvées ready to drink

Champagne enjoyed a warm, sunny growing season in 1999, one of the sunniest of the decade, followed by an abundant harvest. Ripe grapes yielded rounded, rich wines with moderate acidity and generous fruit. Many of the major houses declared a vintage, and their vintage cuvées are now fully mature. Their broad, open style makes these Champagnes a pleasure to drink now rather than wines for very long ageing.

The best cuvées combine the richness of the vintage with excellent persistence. Bollinger offers a firmer, more vinous expression, true to the house style, that ages remarkably well. This is a year to choose for vintage cuvées ready to drink, focusing on the best-preserved bottles.

Ageing potential: the cuvées are mature and ready to open now, while the most structured still retain some vibrancy.

Loire and Alsace 1999 — rare terroir-driven wines offer a contrast

Beyond the major wine regions, 1999 holds a few rarities for lovers of distinctive bottles. In the Loire, the dry autumn favoured Savennières whites: precise, mineral wines capable of long ageing. In Alsace, terroir-driven Rieslings and the finest late-autumn harvests benefited from a sunny end to the season. These are wines to appreciate bottle by bottle rather than judge at a regional level.

These exceptional cuvées are what make this side of the vintage so interesting. In Savennières, Clos de la Coulée de Serrant epitomises age-worthy Chenin Blanc: dense and saline, ideal for a fine meal. Alsace's terroir-driven Rieslings, precise and deep, complete this small, distinctive selection. Two contrasting expressions that sum up the hidden richness of 1999.

Ageing potential: Savennières whites and terroir-driven Rieslings still going strong; open them for a fine meal, or keep the most concentrated wines a little longer.

Buy a 1999 wine from SoDivin

Choosing a 1999 wine means looking first to the northern Rhône and Burgundy's great reds, two late-decade high points, without overlooking Left Bank Bordeaux wines now in their prime or the rarities from the Loire and Alsace that make the year distinctive. Every bottle is expertly assessed, checked and stored in optimal conditions, then dispatched the same day for express delivery if ordered before 2 pm. Wooden presentation boxes, personalised messages and scheduled dispatch are available to help you plan birth-year gifts with ease. To compare 1999 with neighbouring vintages and find the right bottle, consult the SoDivin Vintage Guide.