1979 Wine Reviews: The Complete Guide

Find our complete guide to the year 1979 written by our cellarman. Discover details by wine region and our wines in stock on our online store.

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• Vintage 1979 in BORDEAUX

Let it be said that 1979 is one of the great forgotten vintages of the 70's. It must be said that it was not an easy vintage, coming on the heels of the miracle year of 1978. Many critics described it as a "classic" vintage. It's true that the year will not be remembered by winemakers as a difficult one to work with in the vineyard. The vegetative cycle was classic, with a slight lack of homogeneity here and there. During the summer, some good rains appeared but did not damage the vines too much, although they did not help them to reach a very good level of ripeness. When there's a lot of water, a number of problems can arise. Firstly, disease and rot, which means that the grapes won't be healthy. Then there's the lack of concentration in the grapes. Grapes will resist water by building up a thick skin that won't let anything through. Neither the water, nor the sugar... This means that the grapes entering the winery are relatively thin in flavor. Their thick skins give them good tannin, complemented by a good acidity. With all the rain, the grapes were slightly swollen by the water, and the Bordeaux châteaux recorded a record harvest. 

For red Bordeaux, the 1979 vintage will be overlooked by wine-lovers, who will prefer the 1978s. One thing is certain: 1979 wines are wines for laying down. Nevertheless, there are some fine successes to be noted. The wines of Graves and Margaux, benefiting from a more filtering soil, will offer wines less marked by the summer rains. In this line of fine bottles, we still have a bottle of Château Pape Clément 1979 which may yet surprise you. To this bottle we'd gladly add the Château Latour 1979 on Pauillac, which will be more powerful than the previous wine. 

For white wines, it's the same story, if not worse... Let's just say that for white wines, acidity is important, and we've got some here. But on the other hand, it's important that the wine's maturity comes in association with the acidity. If acidity is lacking, as is the case with white Bordeaux, the wine will be too fresh and thin on the palate. The same is true of sweet wines, where botrytis has not been able to establish itself in the vines. 

 

• Vintage 1979 in BOURGOGNE

1979 will not be remembered by Burgundy winegrowers. And yet, things didn't get off to a bad start in Burgundy, at least the worst was avoided... Spring and summer were not great all over France. In fact, the opposite is true: little sunshine, no heat, but in Burgundy the rain has passed, giving way to a severe drought. So far, so good, which will enable the flowering period to develop well and offer good prospects for our winegrower friends. A few showers did fall in the vineyards, but without too much damage to the vines. On the other hand, heavy hail attacked the southern part of the Côte de Nuits, causing irreversible damage to the wines of Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne Romanée. After all this, the grapes returned to the winery will be fairly clean, but as the harvest was very abundant, the juices will be light, lacking nerve and tannin. We still have wines in the appellation Gevrey-ChambertinThese powerful, robust wines could still offer aromatic Pinot Noirs, with notes of evolution and mushrooms. 

As for the white wines, it's hard to understand what's going on. Contrary to what one might expect, the wines turned out to be tender, generous in aroma and very rich. Acidity, the backbone of the wines, was present, but lacked a little pep. This will result in wines to be drunk relatively quickly. The whites are no longer debatable these days, but are of very good quality when young.

• Vintage 1979 in VALLÉE DU RHÔNE

It's hard to live with a vintage that follows a great one. Critics often use the previous vintage as a comparison. And that's exactly the case with this poor 1979 vintage. It comes after the magnificent 1978, the mythical year after the glorious 1961. As it happens, 1979 will be a very good vintage for the Rhône Valley, offering opulent, rich, fleshy wines. Wines from Côte-Rôtie are both delicate and powerful, while those from Cornas are much more straightforward and robust. It's a similar story in the southern Rhône. In the main appellation, Châteauneuf du Pape, the vines will undergo the same treatment as the rest of the region. The relatively cool summer will not produce very aromatic red wines. Like all the others, they will be tight, powerful, but lacking in volume. Only a few estates will manage to stay the course and produce complex wines. Such is the case of Château Cabrières, still deep black in color, with a very complex nose of spices and roasted notes. Quite interesting even today. 

 

• Vintage 1979 in the REST OF FRANCE

The weather will not be kind to any particular region in this 1979 vintage. Spring and summer were dry and cool almost everywhere. Apart from part of Burgundy, no weather worries were to be deplored. In Loire1979 was a good vintage. The Cabernet Franc is quite opulent and rich. But it's good in Alsace where this weather will have been the most pleasing. Much like the previous vintage, the Riesling wines will be magnificent, rich, intense and fruity.