1990 Rhone

A superlative vintage throughout the Rhône Valley. In the Northern Rhône the summer was long and hot and growers welcomed the patches of rain that fell in August. The harvest began in mid-September and took place in perfect weather. In Hermitage the wines are the finest produced since the legendary 1961s - the finest examples are deeply coloured and very concentrated, yet are extraordinarily well balanced. Côte-Rôtie is more inconsistent, although Guigal produced very high quality wines.

In the Southern Rhône the summer was very hot and the harvest began very early on 5th September. The wines are high in alcohol and are rich in fruit as well as displaying considerable length and much complexity.