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Ten Years On: The 1994 Vintage

And so to 1994. These Ten Year On tastings are probably my favourite event of the year; a chance to reflect on a past vintage and to think of wines in a different context. Here we consider wines not by producer or region, but by vintage. So the wines could just as much be from Maipo as from Margaux.

The 1994 vintage was a step up in quality for Bordeaux, which had seen three less than exciting vintages in a row. Nevertheless our tasting group had already visited the region twice this year for a 1994 Bordeaux tasting (I missed one tasting - I was visiting vignerons in the Loire), and so it was not likely that it would feature heavily in this tasting. Other European regions that enjoyed a good vintage included Iberia (great for Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Port) and Germany (very few German vintages of the 1990s are actually poor). In the New World there were some great successes in Australia and California.

This was a challenging tasting, where I happily eschewed the primary objective of blind tasting - assessment of the wine unbiased by the label - in favour of a 'spot the wine' approach. It wasn't easy though - how many ten year old Chilean wines have you tasted?

Sadly this year, because of lack of time, I was unable to squeeze in a ten year on tasting dinner as I did for the 1993 vintage, and so many of my other 94s - featuring wines from Bonnezeaux to Rioja, Châteauneuf to Pessac-Léognan, go unopened. Ah well...something to drink over the festive season, I suppose. (30/12/04)

The 1994 Vintage - Tasting Notes

Tasted in December 2004. Click to locate stockists.

Bordeaux

Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac) 1994: A moderate depth of colour. Fairly closed nose, showing some dark fruit, a few nutty notes. Otherwise reserved. Dry, lean, reserved palate. Lots of structure beneath, tannic finish. Decent texture at best. Would be better with food, and doesn't show well in this sort of tasting. Certainly doesn't show as well as my last tasting of it, either. Merely good. 15.5+/20

Provence

Domaine Tempier Bandol La Tourtine 1994: Age evident here. Very, err, distinctive nose. Sewage. Reminds me of crab hunting as a kid - you always threw back the green ones. Smouldering embers too. Some meaty notes. Some Mourvèdre character here, for sure. Creamy palate; lovely, despite the nose, with just warm ember notes. Alcohol showing a little, but integrated tannins. Incredible development since last tasted in 2002, so some bottle variation perhaps? Ready now. 16/20

Spain

La Granja de Monasterio Ribera del Duero Tinto 1994: Showing some age. Fairly reserved nose at first, opening to reveal mature fruit and meaty notes. Integrated tannins, good acidity, nice mature fruit. Lean midpalate, but a touch of creaminess on the finish. Great length though. Pretty good. 15/20

Pajo de Carraovejas Ribera del Duero Tinto 1994: A little darker. Stale coffee nose, and a little oak still, then rose petals and creamy red fruit. Very, very strong rasping acidity on the palate which dominates and spoils this wine. Firm structure, red fruits and more stale coffee flavour too. No real weight or richness other than a little showiness on the finish. Hard work indeed. 13.5/20

Pesquera Ribera del Duero Tinto 1994: Denser colour. A euphemistically interesting nose; meaty, blackberry fruit, with American-style oak. But plenty of acetate and turpentine as well. Integrated palate, but firm tannins still showing. Nice creamy edge, and very tannic finish. Good, but the nose was off-putting. 14/20

Campo Viejo Domainio de Montalvo Rioja Gran Reserva 1994: This giant co-operative does turn out some decent wines - I'm told - such as this single vineyard wine. I'll have to reserve judgement as this is corked. No score.

Australia

St Hallett Old Block Shiraz (Barossa Valley, South Australia) 1994: Not showing much age here. Eucalyptus nose, dark but maturing fruit. An Australian classic. Full palate, moderate weight, rounded, integrated tannins, decent texture. Dark fruit flavour. The complete package! Ready now. 16.5/20

Lindemans Limestone Ridge (Coonawarra, South Australia) 1994: Dark, dense wine. Lovely nose, intense, with a sweet, smoky, black fruit gum character. Big, full, structured palate, but with an elegance to it as well. Rounded, yet firm, with sweet fruit as found on the nose. Lovely finish. Good length too. This has the combination of substance, texture and even a little finesse, and is showing very well tonight indeed. 17.5/20

Lindemans Pyrus (Coonawarra, South Australia) 1994: Dark, glossy wine. Just early maturity it seems. Dark red and black fruit nose, a touch earthy, slightly metallic, dense. Sweet, ripe palate. Very firm structure, grippy, with good length. Still on the way up - should be fine for at least five years yet. 16+/20

Lindemans St George (Coonawarra, South Australia) 1994: Another youthful hue. Dense, mature fruit, notes of coffee. Showing a greater depth than the preceding two Lindeman's wines, which were also all featured in our 1993 vintage tasting. Full, creamy palate. Firm acidity though. Lovely balance overall. Fresh, with loads of character. Very good. Another wine still on the way up and which may well surpass the Limestone Ridge in time. 16.5+/20

New Zealand

Cloudy Bay Pelorus (Marlborough) 1994: A fairly pale hue, but with a good tight bead. Very cheesy, developed nose, meaty, green vegetables. Too far into secondary development really. Firm palate, sharp, flavours as on the nose. Plenty of fresh acidity, and a creamy edge though. Long but sharp finish. Drink up. 14.5/20

Chile

Santa Rita Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon (Maipo) 1994: A fairly dark wine. Lovely nose, with intense raspberry fruit although edged with a little green. Similar super-ripe fruit on the palate, but overall rather one-dimensional. And I don't really expect raspberries with this variety. Nicely integrated and ready though. 15.5/20

Cousino Macul Finis Terrae (Maipo) 1994: Another Chilean classic, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Less density here. Pale orange rim. Dark, maturing nose. Just a little tannin in the palate, meaty fruit, decent weight. A little extract sensible as well. Decent wine. 15/20