What are the wines of the 1961 vintage like?

Visit 1961 vintage is an important vintage for you or someone you know? Is it a year of birth, a year of marriage or any other symbol that makes you want to offer or drink a wine from that year? We'll help you decipher this vintage and find the right bottle to suit your needs.

> Our 1961 wines in stock!

 

Vintage 1961 in BORDEAUX

Visit 1961 vintage is one of those rare vintages which, even after many years in the cellar, does not lose its value. It's a vintage of very high quality, but produced in very small quantities. Hence the interest shown by wine lovers.

The weather was almost perfect for this 1961 vintage. Only a little frost in March gave our winegrowers a few difficulties, and this is the reason for the low production of this vintage. By contrast, the rest of the summer was perfect. Plenty of rain in July allowed the grapes to swell, then a drought in August allowed them to reach perfect ripeness. September was a sunny month, allowing us to bring in grapes in the best possible conditions, under a blazing sun. Despite this, grapes that were a little earlier in the season sometimes lacked balance. This is the case with Saint-EmilionA second appellation that failed to produce a great vintage was Sauternes and its sweet wines in general. A second appellation that failed to produce a great vintage was Sauternes, and sweet wines in general. The lack of humidity prevented the development of noble rot, so important for the production of sweet nectar.

But if we forget these two appellations (some Saint-Emilions are nonetheless magnificent), the rest of the vineyard will have produced wines of similar quality to the 1959 or 1982 vintages.

To come back to the small quantities produced during the vintage, part of the wine sales were made on the vine, before the wine was produced. This sale was the first of what are now known as primeurs. If you manage to get your hands on wines from the 1961 vintage, don't hesitate. If only for the curiosity of tasting a great vintage. Then, if you have to choose, we'd recommend red wines from the Left Bank. You can really go there with your eyes closed. The vintages are so good in each appellation, so taste the one that suits you best. Saint-Estèphe or Pauillac for lovers of powerful wines. Saint-Julien or Margaux for fans of finer wines.

 

Vintage 1961 in BOURGOGNE

1961 was a rather special year in Burgundy. Sometimes vintages or regions are subjected to the rule of comparisons between wine-growing regions or the next or previous vintage. This time, the comparison is to Burgundy's advantage. It's not a question of comparison after all, but rather of reputation. The 1961 vintage was of such high quality in Bordeaux, and with very low quantities, that Burgundy wines were snapped up at golden prices, even though the quality was not there. This is in contrast to Bordeaux wines, which, even though they are very old, can still be enjoyed. Burgundy wines are best left to vintage and label collectors. Overall, Burgundy wines were released in good conditions. Fairly similar throughout France, the summer was hot and dry and produced rich, opulent wines, but some lacked the acidity needed to give Burgundy wines depth. If there's one region of Burgundy to focus on, it's the Chablisien. This region produces very mineral wines. And the hydric stress suffered by the vines in August will have required them to dig deep into the soil to feed themselves and load up on minerals and freshness.

 

Vintage 1961 in VALLEE DU RHÔNE

While in some regions, the hot, dry summer made it difficult for winemakers to produce well-balanced wines, in the Rhône Valley, on the contrary, the wines were remarkably velvety and refined.

It's a well-known fact that the southern sun beats down so hard on the vines that they can quickly become overloaded with sugar and alcohol, producing wines that are too heavy and heady. Generally speaking, good years in Bordeaux are signs of good years in the south, without being grandiose. But this was not the case with the 1961 vintage. Heavy rainfall in July helped the vines to gorge themselves on more than just sugar. Rain is good for you... The result was very complex, powerful wines, both in the Northern and Southern Rhône Valleys. It is said that the 1961 Côtes-Rôtie wines bore a striking resemblance to the great Pauillacs, so powerful yet supple and harmonious were they. The two great successes of the 1961 vintage were Jaboulet's Hermitage "La Chapelle" and the legendary Château Rayas, both of which produced fantastic wines. Each note is delicate, precise and very long on the palate. Surely one of the best vintages produced by these two properties.

 

Vintage 1961 in the rest of France

All the French vineyards produced wines of the highest quality in the 1961 vintage.

Visit ChampagneThe vintage is perfect in every way. It produces wines that are rich in flavor and well-balanced. The best cellar masters will easily be able to play with the ageing to offer delicate bubbles to this marvellous juice.

Visit Loire The 1961 vintage was also top-notch, even better than the 1959 vintage. The Pinot Noir age very well, they are fleshy, powerful and very long on the palate (the best Pinot in France for this vintage...).

Sweet wines are very good when young, but lack balance after a few years. The reason for this? Unlike Sauternes, chaptalization is permitted in the vineyards. Chaptalization means adding sugar to the wine, in more or less reasonable quantities. So when the youth of the fruit is present, it's very greedy and good, but once it disappears, the imbalance appears.

Finally, the 1961 vintage was surely one of the most great vintages in Alsace. On the Grands Crus, the wines benefit from great depth. They can be kept for a very long time.

 

 The greatest wines of the 1961 vintage

Here is the list of the best-rated wines of 1961. These have been awarded the perfect score of 100/100 by Parker and the Wine Advocate! Of course, these are now very rare wines. The lucky ones will be those who manage to get their hands on them:

• Haut-Brion 1961
• La Mission Haut-Brion 1961
• Château Latour 1961z
• Latour in Pomerol 1961
• Palmer 1961
• Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle 1961

 

> The best 1961 wines in stock on our site