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by Fred McMillin
for March 2003
Should you buy...
1998 or 2000 California Reds?
Prologue
Vintage 1998—"It's California's weakest vintage of the decade."
—James Laube
Wine Spectator
Vintage 2000—"The wines are going to be dynamite. The 2000 vintage could be one of California' s best ever."
—Glenn Proctor
BV Vice President
The Rest of the Story
But the California climate is so grape-friendly, is there really much difference between vintages? To get an idea, we selected ten 1998s and paired each with a vintage 2000, same varietal, same price. Here's the winner of each match. The best wine is listed last. That is, the further you read, the better the wine.
My Panel's Picks
| Rank | Winning Vintage | Winery, Etc. | |
| 10th | - | 2000 | $8, Merlot, Stone Creek, California |
| 9th | - | 2000 | $15, Pinot Noir, Fetzer, Sonoma County |
| 8th | - | 2000 | $24, Pinot Noir Reserve, Frei Brothers, Russian River Valley |
| 7th | - | 2000 | $15, Zinfandel, Sobon, Cougar Hill, Shenandoah Valley |
| 6th | - | 2000 | $10, Syrah, Chateau Julien, Monterey County |
| 5th | - | 2000 | $17, Cabernet Sauvignon, Foppiano, Russian River Valley |
| 4th | - | 2000 | $27, Zinfandel, Sattui, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley |
| 3rd | - | 2000 | $17, Zinfandel, Geyser Peak, Sonoma County |
| 2nd | - | 2000 | $26, Pinot Noir, Sanford, Santa Barbara County |
| 1st | - | 2000 | $23, Syrah, Silkwood, California |
Comments
* Incredible. 1998 was blanked. Tonight I'm taking home a 2000.
* Verification. I keep a permanent, hard copy of every vote...in this case, 230 of them...so any doubter of the results may check the tabulation.
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About the Writer
Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. For information about the wine courses he teaches every month at either San Francisco State University or San Francisco City College (Fort Mason Division), please fax him at (415) 567-4468. |
This page created March 2003