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2014 Vintage — A Year of Freshness, Precision and Classical Elegance
Buying a 2014 wine means choosing a vintage of finesse, freshness and definition, less spectacular than the great sun-filled years but often highly appealing in the regions that performed best. The finest wines stand out for their balance, aromatic purity and ability to evolve gracefully.
The most convincing buying priorities are found in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa Valley and Champagne. The Rhône Valley offers fine successes, especially from the most precise producers, while Piedmont appeals more through freshness, transparency and elegance than through sheer power.
For the most secure purchases, favour a great 2014 white Burgundy, a 2014 Bordeaux from a great terroir, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or a 2014 vintage Champagne from a benchmark producer. In the Rhône Valley and Piedmont, estate selection remains essential: look above all for precision and balance rather than power alone.
The strongest choices: great white Burgundies, the finest Bordeaux, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage Champagne.
Best for lovers of finesse: Burgundy 2014, classical Bordeaux, tense Champagnes, the most precise Barolo and Barbaresco.
Best for long-term cellaring: great white Burgundies, benchmark Bordeaux, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, top Champagne cuvées.
To buy with greater discernment: Rhône 2014 and Piedmont 2014, where producer selection matters more than ever.
What is the style of 2014 wines?
2014 is a vintage of freshness, precision and clear terroir expression. The finest wines show less breadth than in the warmest years, but more tension, elegance and aromatic definition. It is a particularly interesting year for lovers of classical, balanced wines that are already highly enjoyable, without sacrificing genuine ageing potential.
Burgundy 2014: a very great year for white wines
In Burgundy, 2014 is an excellent vintage, particularly remarkable for white wines. The Chardonnay offer purity, tension, freshness and fine mineral definition, with major successes in Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
The reds are more delicate than powerful, often fine, charming and highly pleasurable, with attractive fruit and clear terroir expression from the best producers.
To favour: Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, selected Côte de Nuits.
Best for: lovers of precise great whites and fine, elegant, digestible reds.
Buying priority: very high for whites, high and selective for reds.
Bordeaux 2014: classicism, freshness and very fine poise
In Bordeaux, 2014 is now recognised as a very fine classical vintage. The best wines combine freshness, fine tannins, structure and excellent drinkability, in a more traditional style than the more sun-filled years that followed.
Successes are numerous on the Left Bank, notably in Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Margaux, while the finest terroirs of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion also produced very fine bottles.
To favour: Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Margaux, Pomerol, Saint-Émilion.
Best for: lovers of classical, fresh and structured Bordeaux that are already highly enjoyable today.
Buying priority: very high for great châteaux and admirers of traditional style.
Napa Valley 2014: purity, balance and great charm
In Napa Valley, 2014 is a very fine year for Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines stand out for aromatic purity, balance, polished tannins and an expression often more accessible than that of the powerful 2013s, while still retaining genuine depth.
To favour: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, great Bordeaux-style blends.
Best for: lovers of harmonious, expressive and cellar-worthy Californian reds.
Buying priority: very high for benchmark estates.
Champagne 2014: freshness, energy and very attractive accessibility
In Champagne, 2014 has gradually established itself as a highly appealing vintage. The style is fresher and more classical than 2015, with wines that are often precise, linear, fruit-driven and already very pleasurable to drink.
The best cuvées possess enough structure to evolve, yet many already show great harmony and attractive accessibility today.
To favour: leading houses, prestige cuvées, Blancs de Blancs, Blancs de Noirs.
Best for: lovers of fresh, precise and already expressive Champagne.
Buying priority: high for the finest cuvées.
Rhône Valley 2014: freshness, selection and fine successes
In the Rhône Valley, 2014 is a more contrasting vintage. The northern Rhône produced fresh, elegant and often very interesting wines, while the southern Rhône requires more selection according to terroir and producer.
The finest Syrahs stand out for finesse, energy and aromatic character, with attractive successes in Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Saint-Joseph.
To favour: Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Cornas, highly consistent producers in the southern Rhône.
Best for: lovers of fresher, more lifted and aromatic Rhône wines.
Buying priority: selective, with particular interest in the northern Rhône.
Piedmont 2014: purity, freshness and finesse
In Piedmont, 2014 was a difficult vintage, marked by rain and low yields. Yet the best producers crafted Barolo and Barbaresco of fine purity, driven by freshness, perfume and a transparent expression of terroir.
This is not a year of power, but one of elegance, particularly interesting for lovers of fine and classical Nebbiolo.
To favour: Barolo, Barbaresco, the most exacting producers, precise terroir-driven cuvées.
Best for: lovers of fresh, pure and elegant Nebbiolo.
Buying priority: selective, but highly interesting from the finest estates.
Buying a 2014 wine
Buying a 2014 wine is an excellent idea for lovers of freshness, precision and elegance. The most compelling choices concern great white Burgundies, the finest Bordeaux, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the best cuvées of Champagne.
The Rhône Valley and Piedmont can also offer very fine bottles, provided the most precise producers are favoured. 2014 is less a vintage of display than a year of finesse and discernment.
2014: a fresh, precise and deeply elegant vintage
The 2014 vintage shines especially in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa Valley and Champagne. It will appeal to lovers of balanced, transparent and less demonstrative wines, often highly accomplished in the finest cuvées.
To enrich a cellar with fresh, precise and elegant bottles, discover our selection of 2014 wines and choose the cuvées best suited to your taste, your cellar and your drinking horizon.
