The vintage

2002

Rescued by a fine October

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The 2002 vintage, rated

Rescued by a fine October

In 2026 a bottle from 2002 marks a 24th birthday or anniversary

The vintage

Good · 3/5

A difficult, cool Bordeaux year saved late by a dry autumn: the Cabernet of Pauillac and St-Estèphe ripened respectably, the Merlot of the Right Bank largely did not, and the wines are medium-weight and best drunk now. Piedmont was hit by hail and rain so badly that serious Barolo houses declassified their entire crop, and floods wrecked much of the Rhône. Champagne, however, had one of its best years since the war, and red Burgundy was excellent.

What we would buy, and why

Buy sideways for 2002 - the honest answer is Champagne, where the year is outstanding and widely declared, and a bottle at €200-350 will be far better than a Bordeaux at the same price. Red Burgundy is the other good route. Politely refuse any 2002 Barolo or Châteauneuf-du-Pape you are offered: the decent producers made none, so what remains on the market is what the careful ones threw away.

2002 in the world

Euro notes and coins landed in twelve countries on 1 January 2002, and by the end of that month the francs, lire, marks and pesetas in everyone's pockets were history.

Best bets for 2002

  • Champagne 2002 - Dom Pérignon, Pol Roger or Bollinger La Grande Année, €200-350, one of the great modern Champagne years
  • Cos d'Estournel, Lafon-Rochet or Pontet-Canet 2002, €90-250 - the northern Médoc coped where the Right Bank did not
  • Red Burgundy 2002 from a reliable grower such as Chandon de Briailles, Faiveley or Méo-Camuzet, €90-250
  • Sauternes 2002 from Doisy-Daëne or Coutet, €60-100 - dependable when the reds of the year are not

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine

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Ask a person about this year

The people who answer are the same people who check and pack the bottles. Ask for photographs, a condition report or advice on a year and you get a straight answer from the ANNO team, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 CET.