The vintage

2004

Cool, classic and underpriced

Delivery in 7–10 working days, tracked · transit cover optional at checkout

The 2004 vintage, rated

Cool, classic and underpriced

In 2026 a bottle from 2004 marks a 22nd birthday or anniversary

The vintage

Excellent · 4/5

A large, healthy, cool-ish crop that produced fresh, well-proportioned wines rather than powerful ones - Bordeaux 2004 is proper claret at sane money and is drinking beautifully right now. Piedmont had an excellent, structured year for Barolo and Tuscany a very good one for Brunello, while Champagne made a generous, widely declared vintage. The weak point is red Burgundy, a good deal of which carries an off, green character.

What we would buy, and why

This is the best value in the whole 2000-2005 stretch: €80-160 buys a classified Bordeaux that is ready to pour on the night, with no decanting drama and no gamble. Spend up into Barolo or Brunello if the recipient likes older, savoury reds, since 2004 is a benchmark year in both. The one thing to sidestep is red Burgundy from 2004 unless your merchant knows the specific bottle - the taint problem is real and it does not blow off.

2004 in the world

The rover Opportunity touched down on Mars in January 2004 with a planned working life of ninety days. It kept going for fourteen years.

Best bets for 2004

  • Barolo 2004 from Giacomo Conterno, Vietti, Massolino or Oddero, €150-400 - one of the finest Piedmont years of the decade
  • Brunello di Montalcino 2004 from Il Poggione, Costanti or Biondi-Santi, €90-300 - excellent and consistently overlooked
  • Champagne 2004 from Louis Roederer, Pol Roger or Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, €150-350
  • Léoville-Barton, Langoa-Barton or Batailley 2004, €80-170 - fresh, classical claret with nothing to prove

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.