Are “Legendary Vintages” Becoming the Pumpkin Spice Latte of Wine Talk?

By Vio’s Food & Wine, based on an article by VinePair

You know how every autumn, every café swears this pumpkin spice latte is the best ever?

Well… the wine world is kind of doing the same thing with vintages lately. Everyone's shouting “Vintage of a Lifetime!” year after year — and frankly, it's getting a little loud (and confusing).

In Napa, the 2023 vintage actually had near-perfect growing conditions — like nature just handed them a dream harvest on a silver platter!

So yes, that vintage might deserve the fireworks. But here's the rub: when every region starts calling every year “legendary,” we lose the magic of what those words are supposed to mean.

Even wine critics are raising eyebrows — including wine queen Jancis Robinson, who says it’s getting ridiculous to see 100-point scores flying around like confetti. Vintage charts are also part of the problem. Meant to help us decide what to buy, they’re now so inflated that everything seems amazing… even when it’s not.

🍇 But here's the juicy core:
Modern winemaking is so good now that even "bad" vintages can produce delicious wines — especially from skilled producers who know how to turn lemons into liquid gold. So if you only chase perfect vintages and high scores, you might miss out on real hidden gems (and some great deals!).