The 2000 Vintage Report

Dana Nigro
Posted: January 2, 2001

		France
		Germany & Austria
		Italy
		Portugal
		Spain
		United States
		Harvest Diaries

The 2000 Vintage Report

By Dana Nigro

---

Winemakers had high hopes for the first vintage of the new millennium. Expecting the "2000" on the label to bring a boost in sales, they were keeping their fingers crossed for great crops from which they could produce memorable wines. Not everyone got their wish, of course, as the weather was its usual fickle self, granting perfect conditions to one region and rain to another.

France, for example, was a mixed bag, with Bordeaux expecting one of the best vintages in years for reds, while Burgundy's Pinot Noirs aren't likely to live up to those from the '99 vintage.

Harvest kicked off much earlier than last year in several regions, including California's North and Central Coasts and Italy, where an extremely, hot dry summer challenged winemakers. But in some cases, October rains delayed the ripening of the last red grapes on the vines, dragging out the harvest longer than expected.

Following are full reports of what to expect from the 2000 vintage in major wine regions throughout the United States and Europe.

---

France

Alsace
Winemakers expect a memorable year for their white wines, as the grapes showed good levels of ripeness and acidity.

Bordeaux
Vintners were celebrating what many believe to be the best harvest for red wines since the legendary 1990 vintage.

Burgundy
With a huge crop, rain and rot made for fragile Pinot Noirs, though quality was promising for Côte de Beaune whites.

Champagne
A difficult year weatherwise was saved by a sunny September, but the houses are still out on whether they will declare a vintage year.

Languedoc-Roussillon
Dry weather from June into October led to a later-than-usual harvest, but winemakers were pleased with this year's reds.

The Loire
In appellations such as Vouvray, whites are showing more character and elegance than in '99.

The Rhône
In the south, 2000 is being compared to the classic '98 vintage. In the north, the vintage, though good, is expected to come up short of the impressive quality of '99.

---

Germany & Austria

Despite a rainy summer, German Rieslings fared well, showing good acidity and concentration. Austria's hot, dry summer resulted in concentrated whites and reds of surprisingly high quality.

---

Italy

Piedmont
Producers hailed 2000 as the sixth consecutive excellent vintage, despite October deluges that affected some late-hanging Nebbiolo.

Tuscany
Top producers expected to make good wines, despite extreme heat in August that raised fears of overly high sugar and alcohol levels.

Other Italy
Vintners from the Veneto to Sicily were challenged by a summer heat wave and fall rains.

---

Portugal

Port producers celebrated one of the highest-quality vintages in recent years, but yields were down by as much as 40 percent.

---

Spain

Hot, dry weather in Rioja and other northern appellations lowered yields, but producers had high hopes for the quality of their reds.

---

United States

California
Harvest started early for most varieties, and quality looked good overall, but a cold, rainy October held up ripening for some Cabernet.

New York
Whites looked very good, but Finger Lakes reds didn't fare as well as in '99, though Long Island benefited from a drier fall.

Washington/Oregon
Both states expect high wine quality and record levels of production, boosted by the addition of new vineyards.