2004 Wine

2004 Wine

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The 2004 vintage marks Bordeaux’s return to a classic style after the sun-drenched year of 2003. One of the largest harvests ever recorded in the region rewarded growers who controlled their yields: the best reds are fresh and precise, with moderate alcohol, ripe Cabernets and acidity that supports ageing. Dry whites shine, Barsac and Sauternes sweet wines regain their freshness, Champagne enjoys a great vintage, and the southern Rhône reaches one of its high points of the decade. In Saint-Julien, Château Léoville Poyferré 2004 confirms the year’s finesse, while in Pessac-Léognan, Château Pape Clément 2004 exemplifies its refined elegance. To see how 2004 compares with other years, consult the SoDivin Vintage Guide.

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Our article on the 2004 vintage

Our article on the 2004 vintage
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Vintage guide

Vintage guide

Bordeaux Classified Growths

Bordeaux Classified Growths

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The F.A.Q

Is the 2004 vintage worth buying today?

Yes, provided you focus on the best terroirs and on winemakers who selected their grapes and limited yields. In contrast to the heat of 2003, 2004 was a classic, cool year: the reds combine clear fruit, fine tannins and lively acidity. They are balanced wines, approachable now yet still capable of ageing. Bordeaux’s Right Bank benefited from a harvest brought in before the October rains, while the Médoc produced ripe Cabernets with restrained alcohol; in Pauillac, Château Grand Puy Lacoste offers an elegant, precise expression of the vintage. Long overshadowed by 2003 and 2005, it offers an appealing way into mature grands crus.

Which 2004 wines should you choose, and how?

The 2004 vintage rewards careful selection. In Bordeaux, the Bordeaux classified growths and the best wines of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol account for the finest successes, offering freshness, precision and moderate alcohol. Among the whites, dry Pessac-Léognan is a reliable choice, while the sweet wines of Barsac and Sauternes impress with their freshness. In the Rhône Valley, favour the South, which excelled that year, and the best estates of the North. In Burgundy, look first to the whites and to reds from the most highly regarded terroirs, which rose above a challenging year.

Which 2004 wine makes a good birth-year gift?

A wine from 2004 is an ideal way to mark a birth, birthday or other event from that year. For a gift, Champagne is a particularly good choice: 2004 was an excellent vintage there, renowned for its finesse and freshness, with bubbles that remain lively today. For a red, a classic Left Bank Bordeaux or a fine Rhône wine offers reassuring ageing potential and immediate drinking pleasure. Browse our selection by birth year to find a bottle that will mark the occasion. The key is to choose a wine whose 2004 balance promises many more good years.

The 2004 vintage: a return to classicism, from Bordeaux to Champagne

After the heatwave year of 2003, 2004 brought French wine back to a classic, fresh style. Above all, the year was notable for its abundance: the harvest was among the largest in recent decades, and quality depended on growers’ ability to control yields through green harvesting and rigorous sorting. Where this work was done, the wines combine clear fruit, lively acidity and moderate alcohol. This is a vintage defined by precision rather than power, whose best cuvées are ageing gracefully, and one that was long underestimated between two more celebrated years.

Bordeaux 2004 — A return to classicism after the heatwave

In Bordeaux, 2004 marked a return to classic Atlantic conditions after the exuberance of 2003. The harvest was one of the largest in the region’s recent history: controlling yields was key, as otherwise the wines could lack concentration or show vegetal notes. Rain in early October gave the Right Bank a slight advantage, as its Pomerol and Saint-Émilion Merlot had already been harvested, but the Médoc produced fine Cabernets, ripe and moderate in alcohol. The result: focused reds with fine tannins and pronounced freshness, in the vein of 1996. Dry whites from Pessac-Léognan rank among the year’s successes, while the Barsac and Sauternes sweet wines, shaped by botrytis — the noble rot that concentrates the grapes — appeal for their unusual freshness.

In Haut-Médoc, Château Sociando Mallet embodies the appellation’s robust, age-worthy classicism. In Saint-Julien, Clos du Marquis, the second wine of Château Léoville Las Cases, carries the estate’s refined style into a more accessible wine. And in Barsac, Château Climens showcases the purity and tension of the year’s sweet wines, with elegant rather than showy richness.

Ageing potential: the second wines and Right Bank wines are ready to enjoy now; the Médoc classified growths and Barsac sweet wines can wait longer — check the fill level and label condition of older bottles.

Rhône Valley 2004 — The south takes centre stage, the north stays classic

The Rhône Valley is one of the big winners of 2004, particularly in the south. Châteauneuf-du-Pape produced one of its best vintages of the decade, with balanced reds that are ripe yet fresh and have genuine ageing potential. The north, more understated, produced a classic vintage: Syrahs with pronounced acidity, precise fruit and characteristic pepper notes, elegant rather than powerful. As elsewhere in 2004, the abundant crop made careful selection essential, and the best estates were those that kept yields in check.

In Côte-Rôtie, Guigal represents the northern vintage with remarkably fine hillside cuvées, deep in colour and silky in texture. In the south, Chapoutier draws on old Grenache vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a dense, sun-drenched cuvée worthy of one of the region’s finest vintages of the year.

Ageing potential: Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the best Côte-Rôtie wines will hold for a few more years; reds from the north, apart from those of the finest estates, are ready to drink now.

Champagne 2004 — A great vintage from a generous harvest

For Champagne, 2004 was one of the finest modern vintages, a rare case where abundance went hand in hand with quality. The grapes’ excellent health and rigorous sorting allowed most of the leading houses to make vintage cuvées. Chardonnay, particularly from the Côte des Blancs, excelled, producing wines of great purity, mineral tension and fine ageing potential. The year’s style is one of finesse, elegance and airy freshness, coming into its own after long ageing.

This is a vintage for cellaring: the 2004 vintage cuvées, led by the blancs de blancs, reveal their full character with age and remain sought after by enthusiasts. Explore the leading houses in our selection of Champagne for a bottle to cellar or an exceptional gift.

Ageing potential: the 2004 vintage cuvées are at their peak or still developing; collectible bottles of Champagne to open for a special occasion.

Burgundy 2004 — Whites outshine the more demanding reds

In Burgundy, 2004 was a cool, varied year, with a plentiful harvest after the tiny crop of 2003. The whites were the most consistently successful: lively, clean and well-defined, they shine in Chablis and the best climats of the Côte de Beaune. The reds require more careful selection; some developed pronounced herbaceous notes after bottling. The finest wines come from the renowned terroirs of the Côte de Nuits and the most meticulous producers, who made fine, pure and balanced reds.

In Morey-Saint-Denis, the Clos de Tart of Mommessin shows how a great terroir can transcend a difficult year, producing a beautifully defined red. Also in the Côte de Nuits, Bouchard Père et Fils produced outstanding cuvées, proving that Burgundy’s finest vineyards remained a reliable choice in 2004.

Ageing potential: drink the whites sooner rather than later; for reds, stick to grands crus and premiers crus from reliable producers, to open now or monitor closely.

Loire 2004 — Saumur-Champigny Cabernet Franc built to age

In the Loire Valley, 2004 was a cool, classic year that favoured Cabernet Franc. In Saumur-Champigny, the best wines combine crisp fruit, fine structure and the freshness of their terroir, with an ability to age that often surprises lovers of Loire reds. It is a focused, easy-drinking style, the opposite of sun-drenched vintages.

A benchmark for the appellation, Clos Rougeard represents this vintage through single-vineyard cuvées of rare depth, now sought after by collectors for their patient maturation and ageing potential.

Ageing potential: Saumur-Champigny’s single-vineyard cuvées continue to develop and can be cellared; simpler cuvées are already ready to drink.

Buy a 2004 wine from SoDivin

A classic, underrated vintage, 2004 now offers a rare balance of quality and drinking pleasure: mature, fresh and focused Bordeaux, southern Rhône at its best, a great Champagne vintage and fine Barsac sweet wines. Every bottle is inspected by experts and stored in optimal conditions before dispatch. To compare 2004 with other years and refine your choice by region and style, consult our Vintage Guide.

 

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