Best Vintages: Napa Valley Red Wines
Today we are going to look at the previous 10 vintages in Napa Valley to determine which years produced the highest scoring wines.
In order to determine the best vintages, we averaged the Global Wine Scores of all Napa Valley red wines from the vintages 2006–2015. Here are the results.
As you can see, the recent 2015 vintage scored the highest, with an average Global Wine Score of 94.07. The second and third best vintages are 2014 and 2013 respectively. The top 3 vintages in the last 10 years were the three most recent vintages, so these represent great opportunities for wine consumers and investors. The lowest rated vintages, 2006 and 2011, both have average Global Wine Scores near 91, which is lower than the best years but is certainly far from a “bad” vintage.
Overall, the vintage performance is relatively consistent year over year, making Napa Valley an attractive region for wine consumers and investors. This is partly due to the weather in this part of California which is more consistent than the weather in other premium wine regions like Bordeaux. Additionally, the AVA (American Viticultural Area) system in the United States is less restrictive than similar systems in Europe and allows for more intervention in the vineyard, including irrigation. This can help minimize the impact of bad weather during the growing season.
You can find our top rated Napa Valley wines from these vintages on our website!
