“What’s the vintage?”
It’s common to inquire about the year that the grapes were harvested for a particular wine. It’s a reflection of the sun, rain, heat, hail, sweat, and joys of that particular season.
It’s one of the oldest expressions of agricultural honesty. Yet increasingly, winemakers are asking: What happens when you blend some years together into a single bottle?
The concept isn’t new. Winemakers have long made multiyear masterpieces to maintain quality and house style. Champagne has blended across years for more than a century. Sherry, Madeira, and some Marsala lean on fractional blending for complexity and continuity.
Multivintage (MV) still wines blend harmonies and house styles while they emphasize specific years to add nuance and texture. The choice of vintages and ratios is up to the winemaker.
Often marked by terms like MV, assemblage, or edition numbers, they can promote transparency through vintage listings on technical sheets. This approach maintains a respect for terroir and also fosters creativity, adaptation, and innovation.
That philosophy shows up in some pretty established bottles like Spain’s Vega Sicilia, with its historic Único Reserva Especial. Napa’s Cain Cuvée is a 50-50 blend of two vintages. They blend across harvests sometimes in response to climate anxiety, but also because they believe it’s a tool of precision that can create wines that are more expressive and faithful to terroir.
Blending to perfection
Think of MV wines as a music remix. Each vintage acts like a different track, reflective of its specific year. Brought together with intention, they reveal a more multidimensional view than can any single harvest.
A great remix retains the original tracks while it brings out layers you didn’t know were there. MV wines can do the same.
“Over the years, I have learned that a multiyear blend shows more of its character,” says Czech Republic winemaker Milan Nestarec, whose bottles have become cult objects far beyond his native Moravia.
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