Shocking weather conditions in spring and summer meant that, come September, growers` expectations were low, to say the least. The vintage was rescued from the jaws of disaster by a period of exceptionally hot weather in September, with the harvest commencing at the beginning of October. Yields were 20% down on 1986 and the quality of the wines was surprisingly high. In their youth the wines were deeply coloured, noticeably tannic, and displayed good levels of concentrated fruit.

Most of the wines are fully mature and require drinking up. The best are still fresh and packed with succulent, ripe fruit and will continue to drink well for another 5 years or so.