Vintage Weather
2004 across the wine world
Every region on record for 2004, read the same way: temperature, rain, harvest timing, and the events that shaped the season.
Northern hemisphere
A wet August, then a sunny September saved a big, late crop of classic Bordeaux.
Cool, hail-hit summer saved by a clear September; high acidity, whites ahead.
A cool August rescued by an Indian summer built rare elegance and purity.
A normal year after 2003: August rain, then a dry, windy September.
A warm-enough season and a sunny golden October gave fresh, aromatic whites.
Wet spring, mild summer and a sunny, dry September gave a long, late, healthy harvest.
Cold winter, rainy spring, warm summer, hot October; harvest 15 to 20 days late.
A very dry start, then the wettest August in 104 years and sunshine for picking.
A cool, late year with hail and September rain, saved by a long, fine harvest.
An early spring and hot dry September gave a small, concentrated crop.
Rain delayed a short crop, and the wait gave crisp, bright, classic wines.
An early, short Sonoma harvest with a small crop, wrapped up by early October.
A January freeze hit Walla Walla hardest, then a hot season gave dense fruit.
Southern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere: the vintage year is the harvest year, so the growing season began in the previous calendar year (spring in September to October, harvest in February to April of the vintage year).
Dry springs and Zonda wind in Mendoza; light mid-March rain helped grapes ripen fully.
Good winter rains, a dry, warm, stable season and a record 1.86 million tonne crush.