Rant: Is it just me?

[JohnWalsh]

Maybe it is just me, and maybe just bad luck but...Has anyone else found many wines made in 1999 to be BAD!?!?!?! I bought a bottle of Merlot last week, granted it was only a $15 bottle but, it was from a well-known Australian winery that, in the past, has made some of the best $15-$30 bottles of Merlot and Shiraz I've ever had. Anyway...this was the first time I bought a wine bottled in 1999. It was absolutely awful!!! Not only did it have a heavy oak flavor but it was also down right bitter!! So, I tried another bottle of Merlot form another of my favorite Aussie wineries and…SAME THING!!! Bitter and very woody tasting. It was also 1999!!!! So, I looked around and found a bottle of 1997, same bottle of wine, same winery but, the bottle made in 1997 was great. I still just thought it was coincidence: until tonight. I paid close to $50 for a Napa Valley Pinot Noir and it tasted just like the Aussie Merlot and Shiraz!! And, wouldn't you know, it was 1999!!!
I just wanted to know if anyone else has had a similar experience and/or if anyone has an explanation for why I'm finding all these wines bottled in 1999 to be horrible.