1985 Napa Valley

1985 was the second in a quartet of very good to great Napa Valley growing seasons in the mid-1980s: 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987. This vintage was relatively moderate, bereft of heat spikes, beautifully sunny and dry. The harvest season remained picture-perfect. Therefore, growers could take their time waiting for ideal ripeness. Alcohols were moderate, and the wines are of an elegant style. 1985 was lauded as an outstanding Napa Valley vintage upon release; however, few ‘85s have truly withstood the test of time, mainly because the wines just didn’t have the necessary structure and stuffing. Why? Throughout this period of the mid-1980s, many vineyards around the valley had been recently planted using the doomed AXR1 rootstock that was being recommended by UC Davis and were succumbing to phylloxera. By 1985, the problem was painfully obvious—Napa Valley vineyards during this period weren’t at their fittest and struggled to fully ripen crops even in great vintages. Replanting in the late 1980s and early 1990s would eventually rectify this problem.