2003 vs. 2004 in Tuscany (and Valpolicella)

I've drunk my last 2003 Tuscan wine. I've concluded that this vintage is a loser.

If you recall the news reports, this was the year that Europe sweltered under unprecedented, record-breaking heat. I've read some reports about how this affected the grapes' ripening, but the main thing I've noticed about every single bottle I've had from anywhere in Central Italy -- regardless of producer or appellation -- is the short, lean, drying and astringent finish. Some of the wines actually had nice noses; the noses of others were astringent and lacking fruit. Regardless of how they smelled and how they tasted on entry, however, they all finished lean and mean.

I had the same observations about several Valpolicellas (and other wines from the Veneto region ) I've had from that vintage too.

Now 2004, at least in Tuscany (I haven't had enough '04 Valpos to draw any tentative conclusions), seems to be a whole 'nuther story. Every '04 I've tasted has been bursting with fruit, concentrated and ripe from entry through the finish. But they've also had superb balance. They've not been New World fruit bombs, but quintessential, European-styled dinner wines. I've got a bunch more in the closet and I am looking forward to trying them.