I work in the middle of a broccoli field. I call the winegrape a chameleon because no other fruit has the capability to take on the character of other fruits, berries and herbs like vitis vinifera. The French have an axiom that the wine is made in the vineyard. The most influential California winemaker of the last century, the late Andre Tchelistcheff told me once that wine makes itself and that the winemaker is basically the midwife in the process. So the elements are important.
Weather is perhaps the most important variable along with farming practices.
Vintage charts, therefore, attempt to categorize, systematize and quantify the variables for each harvest in a convenient manner for wine lovers and connoisseurs alike to be able to use and make sense out of. And even at this early stage, veteran winemaker, Richard Sanford, tells me the 1998 vintage ranks number one for pinot noir in his estimation. Across the board, Ken believes we had much better vintages in the 90s than the 80s and that the reason for this is primarily weather related. He told me three additional factors make the 90s a better space in time than the 80s. Second, higher density vineyard planting based more on how they plant in Europe produces more intense fruit.