How good is the 1997 vintage? Wine reviews

Here's the complete guide to French wines of the 1997 vintage. Find our advice, and also our bottles in stock on the site.

> Our great 1997 wines in stock

The 1997 vintage in BORDEAUX

 

The 1997 vintage is another difficult one for winegrowers. It was a stressful vintage. This time, not so much because of the rain, as precipitation was classic, but rather because of too much sun in some places, and the development of botrytis or millerandage is not going to make things easy for wine producers. However, everything was off to a good start, and the vines were even ahead of schedule, with an early spring and excellent weather conditions. Sunshine and warmth were more than present, allowing vegetation to get a head start. Flowering ended in early June, allowing the grapes to ripen for a very long time. All earliness records were broken, but at what price? Millerandage was everywhere, to the extent that no two bunches were the same shape, ripeness or size.

Véraison, then ripening of the grapes, took their time, under a blazing sun, but with some humidity. It was in these conditions that botrytis quickly made its appearance. This posed a dilemma for red wine growers. Should they wait until all the grapes were ripe, at the risk of being attacked everywhere by rot, and thus be certain of having to make a very severe selection in the cellars, or should they harvest earlier, at the risk of bringing in grapes that were less ripe, but with no defects? Each winemaker will have to decide for himself, but one thing is almost certain today: it was preferable to wait, to have quality grapes, even if it meant losing a little volume by doing a major sorting.

It was a good year for white wines. The grapes ripened very quickly, so all was well. Their only fault was that they were too good too fast. Although they all held up well, their character and fruitiness were pleasant to taste when young.

For sweet wines, on the other hand, it was a wonderful vintage. Botrytis appeared in the vines very quickly with the heat and humidity, and the Semillon grapes are going to love it. This will also enable the winegrowers to go through the vines several times to harvest grape by grape more precisely.

We still have many fine bottles of the 1997 vintage for you to discover.

Château Pichon Longueville Baron 1997 for example, which is one of the great wines of this vintage. It imposes its aromatic richness and complexity.

Château Brane Cantenac 1997 also in the Margaux appellation. One of the best in its appellation, it will display all its finesse and delicacy.

For enthusiasts who want more power and terroir, comes Domaine de Chevalier 1997. Earthy, robust, with mellow tannins. Perfect for game in sauce.

We could talk about so many bottles: La Violette, L'enclos, ..... Don't hesitate to take a look at our website.

 

The 1997 vintage in BOURGOGNE

Burgundy will experience much the same weather conditions as Bordeaux and the rest of France. The vegetative cycle is ahead of schedule, but is slowly being overtaken by average, wet weather. Fortunately, cool, windy weather during the rainy period prevented any diseases from setting in on the grapes. As a result, the harvest was carried out in good sanitary conditions. For red wines, it was a good year. The Côte de Nuits wines are very successful, with supple, delicious, smooth juices. Their good concentration will enable them to last a little longer. However, the 1997 vintage did very well for white wines. All regions produced very good wines. With depth and density.

Wines from the Côte de Beaune are going to be a cut above the rest of Burgundy, and appellations such as Meursault, Puligny Montrachet and many others are going to be outstanding. That's why we've concentrated on whites from this part of Burgundy. We're fortunate to still have Meursault-Genevrières premier cru 1997 Hospices de Beaune- Louis Latour or even Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 1997 - Louis Latour.

The capon will be delighted with such creamy, round wines with truffle nuances.

 

Vintage 1997 in the VALLÉE DU RHÔNE

It's another year to choose your wines carefully!

The Rhone Valley is not going to be spared the torrential rains of September, and the grapes that were ripe at the time are going to fear for their skins! It's going to take a lot of courage for winegrowers to let the September rains pass and harvest a little later to allow the storm to pass. And those winegrowers who have done so will be rewarded. The off-season will be very good, allowing the last logs of unripe grapes to continue their work. Winegrowers in the southern part of the region will harvest heavily before the September rains. They won't be bringing in bad juice, as the very early cycle will already have left its mark on the grapes. The wines are delicious, gourmet and very accessible. For those winegrowers who have been patient, they will be rewarded. The wines are much riper, fleshier, with thicker skins and more tannin. Today, in 2021, the great Châteauneuf du Pape wines are still impeccable and still have a few years ahead of them. The same is true of the Côte Rôtie and Hermitage wines in the north, where the vast majority of growers are opting for patience and will be thanked by Mother Nature. The Syrahs are remarkably powerful, with very interesting precision and intensity.

For Rhône lovers, we have some very fine bottles. Starting with Château Beaucastel white 1997. Aromas of white peaches, dried fruit and spices emerge from this little jewel.

In red, we have Hermitage by Jean Louis Chave, but we can only recommend the Côte Rôtie La Mouline 1997 by E.Guigal.

 

Vintage 1997 in the REST OF FRANCE

The 1997 vintage shows once again that it's not easy to produce wine in France. Each region has its own particularities, exposures and terroirs. The 1997 vintage is a complicated one, in which the less greedy will be rewarded.

Visit Champagne for example, Pinot Meunier fared best. The very cold winter, the hail and all the other diseases that hit the vineyards forced the winegrowers to sort their grapes carefully. The 1997 vintage was a little less successful than the previous two, but still managed to do well.

Visit LoireIt's the sweet wines that get all the praise. Highly concentrated, combining botrytis, passerillage and sorting.

Ditto in AlsaceThe 1997 vintage is considered to be the sweetest ever. And even for fans of dry wines, the vintage will offer great depth and excellent ageing potential.

To finish with the SouthwestThe wines fared well, with Madirans and Cahors rich and powerful. As for sweet wines, such as Jurançon and Monbazillac, we're talking about the vintage of the century, with a remarkable natural sugar content in the bottle.