How are the wines of the 1995 vintage?

• The 1995 vintage in BORDEAUX

1995 will be the year of the Merlot! Wines from the Right Bank will be in the limelight in the early years.

> Find our great wines from the 1995 vintage in stock

 

From a climatic point of view, the year was rather "simple" to manage. A mild winter with a little rain naturally triggered an early, even budburst. Flowering began in the first week of May, with only a few drops of water, which did not jeopardize the vine's development. The months of June to August were very hot and dry, with conditions even pointing to a hydric drought that would have halted the development and ripening of the grapes. Phew, none of that happened, and the vine's precocious cycle enabled the winemakers to launch the harvest soon enough. Well done to them, some precipitation will show its face and those winegrowers who didn't harvest early enough will rush to harvest. The harvest will be slightly less good, but a good sorting of the grapes on the sorting table will correct this. The wines of the 1995 vintage are of very high quality, especially on the right bank with Merlot harvested earlier, being an early variety. On the right bank, wines with more Cabernet Sauvignon will take longer to open up, but are now good table partners. For a long time, the wines remained closed, with too much acidity and tannin. Now, however, they've become more rounded and supple, giving way to the fruit and texture of the vintage.

White wines will be of excellent quality in this 1995 vintage. The Sauvignon grapes will take advantage of this good vintage to produce powerful, mineral wines. Nowadays, they must be appreciated. The same is true of sweet wines, which will benefit from a very good after-season to produce sweet, deep wines with good ageing potential. The best of them can still be kept.

We still have some very fine bottles of the 1995 vintage.

Petrus 1995rated 95/100 by Parker opens the ball of very fine bottles. With just as much finesse, we still have bottles of Château Cheval Blanc 1995. And for those who love power, Château Lafite Rothschild 1995 will delight you with its long finish driven by spices and notes of terroir. We also have some more affordable Pomerols, such as Château de Sale 1995 or even Château Taillefer 1995 to help you understand the vintage.

 

• The 1995 vintage in BOURGOGNE

Burgundy wines were also of very high quality in this 1995 vintage.

We're not going to go through the region's entire vegetative cycle again (phew!), but it's important to know that, as in Bordeaux, the grapes will benefit from fine, warm, dry sunshine without too much rain, which will be perfect for good grape development. As a general rule, all the wines in the region are very good, but it's true that in red wines, the Côte de Nuits wines fare a little better, with greater depth and more pronounced acidity, giving them better ageing potential. For the red wines of Beaune, the key word is "finesse". They are delicate, supple and fruity. The Grands Crus, on the other hand, are highly complex and have just begun to drink well. The white wines, too, are concentrated and will open up over time.

So you can go for this 1995 vintage with your eyes closed.

Unfortunately, we no longer have any bottles of this fine vintage.

 

• The 1995 VALLÉE DU RHÔNE Vintage

The 1995 vintage was more mixed for Rhône Valley wines. Climatic conditions were perfect for grape development, and by the end of August winegrowers were already looking forward to an anthology year. Indeed, the summer had just been hot, even torrid, with no rain but no shortage of water thanks to well-filled water tables. The earliest-ripening appellations saw their grapes reach maturity very quickly and began harvesting in the first weeks of September. Unfortunately for the others, heavy rains began to fall from September 10 onwards, putting a heavy strain on the grapes. Fortunately, the cold, windy days that followed gave the vines no chance to develop rot. This is where the winegrower's card comes into play. Let's just say that the most fearful will harvest quickly, seeing the rains coming and harvesting grapes with a lack of maturity. For the more courageous, those who decide to wait, the after-season will help them to harvest grapes that are ripe, but still slightly waterlogged. On the other side of the river, in Hermitage, the wines are surely the most successful of the 1995 vintage. Their exposure and geographical situation mean they can take full advantage of the sunshine and avoid water damage. Almost all the winegrowers began harvesting before the September rains, ensuring a crop of very healthy grapes. In the northern Rhône Valley, the wines are good and complex, but you have to choose your winegrowers carefully. For wines further south, such as Châteauneuf-du-PapeOn the contrary, the vintage is exceptional! Once again, for those winegrowers who will wait a little longer. They, too, will experience rain in early September, but will benefit from a particularly good after-season. The grapes will be concentrated and ripe, with good acidity and good ageing potential. 

We have two magnificent references for this 1995 vintage. Un Hermitage 1995 by Jean-Louis Chaverated 95/100 by Parker, followed by a fabulous Ermitage, Le Pavillon de Mr Chapoutierwhich will receive the ultimate score of 100/100 from Parker.

 

• Vintage 1995 in the REST OF FRANCE

1995 was a difficult year to pin down. Some regions will not produce great wines, but will have a few appellations that stand out from the crowd, and vice versa. Regions reputed to be perfect will see some of their wines achieve average quality.

Visit Champagne, the example is obvious. With the harvest taking place under cloudy skies, the quality of the Pinot Noir grapes was average, if not disappointing. The Chardonnays, on the other hand, have produced some fine cuvées with floral notes, sometimes with candied fruit.

Visit Loire, the vintage is magnificent! The whites, reds and rosés are all top-notch. The wines are balanced, structured and concentrated. The wines are balanced, structured and concentrated. At the time, some of the bubbles were even compared to those of Champagne, such was the success of the juices.

Visit AlsaceIn 1995, Riesling wines emerged with their heads held high. With their good acidity and body, the whites will keep for a long time. In this vintage, Gewurztraminer wines fared less well in dry conditions. On the other hand, botrytis has developed very well in the vineyards, so the sweet wines will be complex and rich.