Vintage Weather

1986 across the wine world

Every region on record for 1986, read the same way: temperature, rain, harvest timing, and the events that shaped the season.

Temperature
Cold → Hot
Bordeaux

Warm · Drought, Harvest rain

A long hot drought built huge tannin; Cabernet on the Left Bank triumphed.

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Burgundy

Cool · Botrytis

A rainy, rot-plagued season made soft, easy-drinking reds and fast-maturing whites.

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Rhône Valley

Average · Harvest rain

Warm summer promise was undercut by September rain and rot.

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Barolo

Cool · Hail

A devastating spring hailstorm halved yields but spared elegant wine.

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Napa Valley

Average

Cool start, warm September; mild, easy-drinking Cabernets.

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