Late bloomers

Not every vintage reaches its peak right away. Some, like certain pieces of art or music, need time to mature, developing finer qualities that weren’t initially apparent. This is an exploration of those slow-burn, delayed masterpieces that deserve a second look.

When a song is released into the world, its destiny is determined pretty quickly. It’s either an overnight sensation, a moderate success, or a total flop. There are, however, some tracks that are considered to be ‘ahead of their time’. They take years to find their audience. In wine, certain vintages follow a similar pattern. Torn apart by critics, forgotten by connoisseurs, these wines wait patiently in the cellars while others bask in the spotlight. Then, without warning, years later, they reveal a balance, a finesse, a longevity that no one had previously anticipated. Late bloomers, delayed masterpieces. Here, we take a look at some of our (unjustly) forgotten, underappreciated, or misunderstood vintages. Wines that deserve to be brought out of the cellar and given a second look (or should we say taste?).

Château L’Évangile: trends are temporary, class is permanent

At L’Évangile, it is often outsiders that provide true revelations. 2008 and 2011 are good examples. Two vintages which, upon release, were spurned by critics obsessed with density and solar maturity, overlooking the fact that the estate excels during cooler years.

2011, marked by a dry spring and September rains, seemed like an easy target for critics. ‘Too unpredictable, too irregular’. And yet, today, its complexity, freshness, and balance burst forth during tasting. It’s a wine that has learned to express itself over time.

2008, understated on release, has always held a special place in Pomerol. A vintage considered ‘middling’ in Bordeaux at the time, it now reveals an unexpected brilliance.

2017 follows a similar path: initially dismissed in Bordeaux, yet at Château L’Évangile, it stands out with its juicy fruit and finely balanced tension. Great wines aren’t influenced by trends.

Domaine William Fèvre: what doesn’t kill a wine makes it finer

In Chablis, time is even more unforgiving. Here, a weak vintage must wait patiently for the mineral truth of the terroir to reveal itself. The 2001 vintage from Domaine William Fèvre stands as a late-blooming masterpiece. At the time of its creation, everything seemed to conspire against it: a tense flowering, fragile vine health, and the treacherous rains of September. It was believed to be too weak a vintage to go the distance. Of course these judgments ignored the magic of the Kimmeridgian soil.

During those early years, the wine was reserved, almost mute. But as the primary aromas faded, the purity of the terroir imposed itself. And now, more than twenty years later, it radiates with incredible precision, with a freshness that defies expectations.

Conversely, 2003, scorched by a heatwave, seemed condemned to rapid ageing. Nobody bet on it…until twenty years later, when its structure had frozen in an unanticipated freshness. In Chablis, wine does not reveal itself, it finds itself.

Rieussec: the last shall be the first

Some vintages are born under bad omens, marked by indifference even before they are given a chance. The 2013 from Château Rieussec is one such wine.

After a 2012 so disastrous that the estate had not even attempted to produce its grand vin, 2013 arrived with a certain apathy. A wet year, irregular botrytis, a chaotic climate: one might say no miracle was expected. Nobody fought hard to get their hands on it, and few tasted it.

But this is the nature of great sweet wines, to mock short-term judgments. Ten years later, during a vertical tasting, the verdict was in: 2013 turns out to be one of the finest Sauternes in recent years. Where one feared a soft and tired wine, it revealed itself to be vibrant, with an unexpected elegance. Its botrytis, first thought to be rough, has refined over time. Its structure, once believed to be loose, has tightened like a wire. Far from demonstrative vintages, it deploys its finesse with disarming evidence. Memorable Sauternes do not age, they metamorphose.

Great Sauternes wines don’t age, they metamorphose. Château Rieussec is proof of this: a 1929 tasted recently still shone with an undampened light. 2013 follows this trajectory, thwarting preconceptions and claiming its place among the estate’s success stories. A wine that nobody saw coming, but which – with hindsight – seems to have always been there, patient and ready to surprise.

Château Lafite Rothschild: patience is a wine best drunk old

At Lafite, a great wine can be eclipsed by reasons beyond the vineyard. And this is especially true in the case of the 2002 vintage. Sacrificed on the altar of geopolitics, it arrived during the Iraq War, when France opposed the American intervention. The result: shunned by buyers across the Atlantic and snubbed by an absent critic, it was underrated and sold at a low price. 

Conversely, 1997 is that prodigy child placed too early on a pedestal, at a time when customers fought for Château Lafite Rothschild. Expectations were immense, and enthusiasts, in search of power and extravagance, found it to be too restrained. But today, those who had the patience to wait will discover a wine of remarkable finesse, carried by a perfectly placed structure and a freshness that contrasts with solar years.

Mention should also be made of the astonishing 1994, a vintage that never sought unanimity. In a lacklustre year, it could have followed the destiny that had been laid out for it and its companions born at the wrong time: polite oblivion. However, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon has held its ground, revealing an unexpected singularity. A curious wine to drink, quite unique for this strange wine-growing year.

Musical parallels: art takes time

There are many artists who never achieved recognition during their lifetime. Van Gogh barely sold a canvas. Kafka was an obscure insurance clerk. Today, it is impossible to imagine literature and art without them.

Now back to music. Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was initially considered too long and atypical for radio. Kavinsky’s ‘Nightcall’ was ignored upon release in 2010, only to become a global phenomenon after being featured in the film Drive and used as one of the tracks during the opening ceremony at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Keeping a bottle means giving it a second chance

These slow-burning destinies exist in wine too. Château L’Evangile 2011, Château Lafite Rothschild 2002, William Fèvre’s 2001s, Château Rieussec 2013…there are so many vintages that, at birth, seem destined for oblivion and, over time, found their place.

Wine is not an exact science. It is also something that can defy all logic. It has the power to surprise, to escape hasty classification and to rewrite its history over the years. An immediate masterpiece is exhilarating. But a delayed masterpiece is a victory over time.