2002 Argentina (Mendoza) Vintage

The 2002 season in Mendoza began with an unusual spring: in October, days of high humidity and heavy dew set up attacks of downy mildew (peronospora) while the bunches were in flower or just set, in late October and early November, and rain made spraying difficult, so the disease spread. Damage was heaviest on the Criolla varieties, while the fine varieties, above all the reds, resisted better. After fruit set the adverse conditions faded and, with spraying, the disease stopped, leaving very healthy foliage for the rest of the cycle but a smaller crop from the Criollas. Spring temperatures were moderate, with good budbreak and even shoot growth. Some November rain hampered earlier-flowering varieties such as Criolla, and the summer was dry and moderately warm. Brief, light rains in February hindered the start of the white harvest, then a long stretch of cool, dry weather through March and early April slowed ripening and let acidity rise. Many sunny days at ripening gave full, even maturity of sugars, tannins and polyphenols, and a wide day-night temperature range brought high quality in the reds. In Mendoza the destructive hail that is fairly common at harvest time did not occur, and the area's crop was larger than average. Rain returned in the second week of April, dampening late-ripening Cabernet, by which point most growers had already harvested their Malbec, Bonarda, Syrah and Tempranillo. Nationally, the crop was 22,443,687 quintals of grapes, down 8.76% on 2001.

Mendoza harvested 14,072,128 quintals in 2002, 62.70% of the national total, with San Juan at 31.13% and the other provinces at 6.17%. In Mendoza, higher-quality red grape production rose to 5,137,633 quintals, up 14.65% on 2001, while higher-quality whites fell 21.05% to 3,001,361 quintals. San Juan had a normal cycle without Mendoza's spring fungal problems, although rain toward the end of the cycle caused some losses to rot, especially in the province's East and South departments; quality and ripeness there were very good. Among the other provinces, La Rioja led with 934,993 quintals, followed by Salta, Rio Negro and Catamarca.

• Mendoza: 14,072,128 quintals, 62.70% of the national crop
• Mendoza higher-quality reds up 14.65% on 2001; higher-quality whites down 21.05%
• San Juan: a normal cycle, with some late rot losses in the East and South departments
• Nationally, 96.13% of the grapes went to wine and must

The INV concluded that 2002 was a harvest of very good quality in agronomic and bioclimatic terms, though smaller in quantity because of the problems early in the season. Its EVICO tasting of 2002 wines from all of the country's wine zones found high quality in both reds and whites. The reds were a magnificent vintage, with intense color and violet tints, defined fruit aromas, soft palates, good structure and ripe tannins; Bonarda, Tempranillo and Sangiovese stood out, as did Malbec, which showed notable intensity of color. The whites, led by Sauvignon Blanc, Torrontes, Chardonnay, Chenin and Semillon, were young, fresh and fruity wines for drinking within the year. Pedro Marchevsky, vineyard manager for Bodegas Esmeralda and several other wineries, called 2002 the "most exciting vintage in at least 15 years," and Alberto Antonini, winemaker for Altos Las Hormigas, said: "For the reds, [2002] has been an extraordinary vintage."

• Reds: intense color with violet tints, defined fruit aromas, soft palate, good structure and ripe tannins
• Malbec: notable intensity of color with violet tints
• Whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Torrontes, Chardonnay, Chenin and Semillon stood out; fresh, fruity, for drinking within the year
• Wines for aging: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Bonarda were evaluated with excellent characteristics