
As we celebrate Lunar New Year, we delved in the archives to see what previous Year of the Snake vintages were like. There is a bit of a mixed bag, but you can find joy and fortune in each and every one of them, and we’ll tell you why. But first let’s take a look at the qualities of the Year of the Snake.
Year of the Snake
Lunar New Year falls on 29 January in 2025, with celebrations spanning 16 days, commencing with the joyous New Year’s Eve on 28 January. The traditional Chinese calendar, used for religious ceremonies, festivals, and farming activities, considers both the Moon’s phases and the Sun’s position in the sky. Using this approach, Chinese New Year generally coincides with the new moon closest to the onset of spring.
The Snake is the sixth animal in the zodiac, and it has a complex and mysterious nature. Snakes are associated with good luck, prosperity, fertility and longevity and are also revered for their ability to shed their skin and renew themselves, symbolising transformation and rebirth. If you are lucky enough to be born in the Year of the Snake, you are said to be wise, intuitive, mysterious, charming, and decisive. Snakes are known for their analytical minds and their ability to handle complex situations.
Snake vintages
If you read our article last year about dragon vintages, you’ll know that there are 12 Chinese Zodiac symbols and this new year will bring in the Year of the Wood Snake. And when were previous Years of the Snake we hear you ask? Well, they would be 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, and 2013. We’ll take you through each one, mentioning wines and regions of note.
1929
The 1929 vintage is widely acknowledged as one of the best vintages of the 20th century. Not only is it the only one snake vintage to make it to the legendary vintages of the century, but it is one that is now rare to come by. 1929 showed exceptional climatic conditions benefitting the notable wine growing regions of Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Rhone: red wines from these regions show intense colours, are rich and fruity. In Bordeaux, 1929 was a record hot and dry year, but with enough rainfall at the right time, allowing the Cabernets and Merlots to reach full ripeness. The story goes that despite its quality, 1929 was a much-disregarded vintage as it was released right at the beginning of the great depression. Many years later, the wines would sell at a premium due to their exceptional quality. The most successful wines from this vintage in Bordeaux are Chateau Petrus in Pomerol, Chateau Haut Brion in Pessac, Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, and Chateau Cheval Blanc in Saint Emilion. 1929 proved to be an amazing vintage for Sauternes: Chateau Climens received a 100 score by experts such as Robert Parker and Jean-Marc Quarin. The region of Champagne also made some amazing wines in 1929, both in terms of quality and quantity.
1941
For 1941, we leave the old continent in the midst of conflict and we’re crossing the pond to the USA. Here, wines from California and more precisely from Napa Valley shone. Despite heavy rain in the spring, summer was warm and followed by a dry autumn, allowing great conditions for the harvest. The Cabernet Sauvignon from Inglenook and Beaulieu Vinyards have been described as deeply coloured, showing richness on the palate and extended finish.
1953
German wines had an excellent year in 1953 with sunshine across the growing period in every region. The vintage produced ripe fruity wines with those from Nahe and Rheingau standing out. A Riesling Trockenauslese from the Rheingau was described as having a “an exquisite bouquet and flavour” with “marvellous balance, acidity. With a grace and delicacy that makes even the finest Sauternes look clumsy” by Michael Broadbent.
1953 was also a brilliant year for white and red Burgundy. A wet winter and spring were broken up by a promising April, but the sun returned when it mattered most – in August and September. The white wines were lovely and soft with a Meursault Charmes from Louis Latour standing out. The red wines from the region oozed elegance and ripeness. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s wines from this vintage shone brightly, unsurprising given the estate’s reputation. Two other star wines from this year were Musigny Vieilles Vignes from Vogüé and Clos de la Roche from Armand Rousseau.
1965
This was not a fabulous vintage in many regions. You probably wouldn’t want to drink most wines produced in France from 1965 as the regions were battered by poor weather, but if you are creating a vertical collection, you won’t want to overlook this vintage. You can find this vintage at iDealwine auctions from time to time. For example, a 1965 Château Mouton-Rothschild sold for €527 in 2024 and holds a current price estimate of €422. If ever you’re what a wine is worth, you can look it up on our price estimate page.
1977
1977 was a fantastic year for Port with many producers declaring a vintage. As port is usually produced by blending wines from several different vintages and only the very best years are considered to produce wines worthy of being made into a vintage as was the case in 1977. Spring and summer were cool, but it was a heatwave in early September that changed the vintage’s fortunes as the grapes were perfectly ripe when harvested at the end of the month. Taylor’s was one of the leading producers who declared a vintage that year. The Wine Enthusiast awarded it 95/100, saying “delicacy is amply backed by plush chocolate and dried fruit flavours. The finish is deceptively soft and welcoming, but still shows great backbone”. It can sometimes be found on iDealwine, so keep an eye out in our auction catalogues.
1989
There are so many reasons to rejoice about 1989. It’s an excellent vintage for Bordeaux as well as being the birth year of some of iDealwine’s team, not to mention a certain Taylor Swift! Will we finally see the release of the snake themed Reputation (Taylor’s Version) album this year?? It seems too good an opportunity for this deep-thinking mega-star to miss. Talking about reputation, the 1989 Château Haut Biron was awarded 100 points by many wine critics, including Robert Parker who described this Bordeaux wine as “a seamless, majestic classic, and a tribute to this phenomenal terroir and its singular characteristics” in 2003. More recently, William Kelley for Robert Parker said the wine has “a rich bouquet of blackberries, blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffle, burning embers and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s sumptuous and dramatic, with huge reserves of fruit that are complemented by carnal, savoury nuances and framed by melting tannins and ripe acids.”
And here’s a bonus tip for you – 1989 was also a wonderful vintage in Alsace and you’ll certainly be able to find bottles of Sélection de Grains Nobles from this year at auction from time to time.
1989 was also an impressive vintage for Rhone Valley and Burgundy wines. In the northern Rhone, the very dry weather made for rich and opulent red wines in Hermitage and Cote Rotie, and white wines from Condrieu were excellent. In Burgundy, the vines had exceptionally sunny weather but did not suffer from the summer drought thanks to the storms in mid-July. The red wines have a good level of intensity and are today characterised by their very soft tannins. They are also delightfully soft and elegant. Chardonnay produced generous and extremely ample white wines.
2001
We’re staying in Bordeaux for 2001 because it was an absolutely fabulous year for the sweet Sauternes wines. Made from grapes affected by noble rot, these wines have amazing ageing power, and their sweetness is balanced by incredible acidity. Winemakers are at the mercy of the weather when it comes to making Sauternes as they need misty September mornings for botrytis to develop on the grapes and sunny afternoons to slow down the fungus. And in 2001, they couldn’t have wished for better conditions. We can’t talk about this Bordeaux appellation without mentioning the almighty Château d’Yquem. Its wine from the vintage possesses fine tropical fruit, pineapple and yellow peach on the nose along with crème brulée, honey and brioche according to Falstaff who awarded it 100/100 when they tasted it in 2016.
2013
Red and white wines from Languedoc enjoyed a great year in 2013. The weather was very wet during spring, delaying the warmth of summer. A wet June disrupted flowering which reduced yields. September that year was sunny, helping the grapes reach ripeness and the rain that did fall during this month did not impact the quality of the grapes. This created wines that have lower alcohol levels than other good vintages and boast mature, deep structures enhanced by a superb delicate quality and a near-perfect balance. Red wines from Faugères and Saint-Chinian were particularly successful, and a special mention goes to Clos Fantine whose Courtiol reveals notes of black olives, tobacco, and very ripe blackberries now that it’s had time to rest in the cellar.
Italy produced some great red wines in 2013, namely in Tuscany and Piedmont. As written by Wine Spectator, Piedmont’s 2013 vintage benefitted from a “cooler growing season and late harvest resulted in wines of purity and finesse, with fine acidity; [producing the] best Barolos since 2010”. If you find a bottle of 2013 Super Tuscans, Barbaresco or Barolo, snap it up without hesitating. The top wines of the vintage, including the Antinori family’s Tignanello or Solaia, and Frescobaldi’s Masseto, are only just starting to reach their full potential and can be enjoyed over the next ten years, at the very minimum. So you can either keep the bottles for the future, open them or do both.