2017 Vintage — A Year of Finesse, Freshness and Selective Buying

Buying a 2017 wine means choosing a contrasting vintage, sometimes demanding, yet capable of very fine successes across several major wine regions. The best wines stand out less for power than for finesse, balance, freshness and precision of expression.

The most convincing buying priorities are found in Burgundy, the Rhône Valley and among selected great wines of Bordeaux. Napa Valley also produced fine bottles, while Piedmont requires careful selection and Champagne should be approached with considerable caution.

What is the style of 2017 wines?

2017 is a vintage of contrast, in which the finest wines shine more through balance than sheer scale. In several regions, yields were low and selection essential, but the most successful bottles offer aromatic purity, freshness, fine tannins and a highly readable expression of terroir. It is a year that will particularly appeal to lovers of precise, digestible and elegant wines.

Burgundy 2017: purity, freshness and a very fine success

In Burgundy, 2017 is a very fine vintage, especially convincing for whites and highly attractive from the best red-wine producers. The Pinot Noir stand out for their purity, precise fruit and finesse, while the Chardonnay offer tension, freshness and fine minerality.

The vintage is less massive than some warmer years, but it charms through its balance, delicacy and capacity to express terroir clearly.

Rhône Valley 2017: generosity, balance and very fine successes

In the Rhône Valley, 2017 is a very fine vintage. The wines combine ripeness, good acidity and balance, with genuine ageing potential from the best producers. The northern Rhône produced aromatic, spicy and well-structured Syrahs, while the southern Rhône stood out for generous and expressive reds.

Bordeaux 2017: classicism, freshness and targeted successes

In Bordeaux, 2017 was marked by frost, but the finest terroirs produced wines of great elegance. The style is often more classical than in the most sun-filled vintages, with moderate alcohol, fine tannins, attractive freshness and precise aromatic expression.

The best results are found above all among estates spared by frost and in appellations particularly suited to the year. The finest wines can be highly refined, more approachable than 2016 or 2018, yet still capable of rewarding evolution.

Napa Valley 2017: fine successes, with careful selection

In Napa Valley, 2017 was a particular year, marked by the October wildfires. Much of the crop had already been harvested before the fires, however, and some producers made very fine Cabernet Sauvignon, sometimes in a fresher, more restrained and more classical style than expected.

The vintage can offer very fine bottles, but estate selection and traceability remain essential.

Piedmont 2017: warmth, structure and selection

In Piedmont, 2017 was a warm and dry year, producing Barolo and Barbaresco that are often richer, fleshier and more accessible than in the most classical vintages. The best wines nevertheless retain the structure typical of Nebbiolo, with fine results from the most exacting producers.

Champagne 2017: a difficult year requiring rigorous selection

In Champagne, 2017 was a difficult vintage, marked by frost, rain and strong disease pressure. Results are highly heterogeneous and the year should not be presented as a broadly great success.

The best bottles may nevertheless offer freshness, precision and tension, especially from the most rigorous producers and in certain Blancs de Blancs cuvées.

Buying a 2017 wine

Buying a 2017 wine requires more selection than in the most homogeneous vintages. The most compelling purchases concern great Burgundies, the finest wines of the Rhône Valley, selected highly successful Bordeaux and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the most reliable estates.

The vintage will particularly appeal to lovers of fine, fresh and nuanced wines. In Piedmont and Champagne, producer quality remains the decisive criterion.