1968 Vintage Guide for French Wines

?  Visit vintage 1968 is a vintage that's close to your heart? 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, so you can buy the bottle that best suits your needs.

> Our 1968 wines in stock

• Vintage 1968 in BORDEAUX

Arf! Another complicated year for Bordeaux winegrowers. The '60s ended badly with a difficult 1968 vintage. It was difficult in every way. Difficult as far as the weather was concerned, difficult as far as the ripening of the grapes was concerned, and difficult as far as enjoying the wines was concerned. And we can reassure you, or not... but 1968 was a mediocre year almost everywhere in France. In Bordeaux, 1968 was one of the most mediocre vintages of the 1960s, and for once, this was due to the rain, which made itself felt far too strongly in August and September. This excessive rainfall tended to swell the grapes and prevented them from ripening properly. As a result, the quality of both white and red wines failed to live up to expectations. The quality of the Sauternes was catastrophic. Botrytis set in before the grapes reached maturity. For the reds, if we had to choose one appellation, it would be the Pessac-Léognan reds, which were able to produce wines that were a little fuller and, above all, without that taste of rot due to too much rain. In this 1968 vintage, we have a last bottle of Léoville Las CasesThis is undoubtedly one of the Saint-Julien wines that can lay claim to the rank of 1er Grand Cru Classé (even if the classification is no longer subject to review).

You'll need to be vigilant when tasting this bottle, whose quality is quite good, and above all to prepare it well.

 

• Vintage 1968 in BOURGOGNE

The same is true of Burgundy wines for the 1968 vintage.

The inclement weather has compromised any possibility of producing quality wine. And this bad year is just as bad for white wines as it is for reds. It all started in June, with freezing temperatures that were already compromising the vines' growth cycle. Then, as if that weren't enough, rain, cold and rot made their appearance in the vineyard and finished off the dirty work of this unfortunate 1968.

It should be noted that there were no sales at Hospices de Beaune for this vintage, which is extremely rare, just as there were no bottlings at Domaine de La Romanée-Conti for this vintage.

We no longer have any bottles of this vintage for sale. However, if you do come across a bottle of this 1968 vintage, pay close attention to how the bottle has been stored, and to the wine inside. If the wine seems right, give it a try.

Assuming that this is a very difficult vintage of mediocre quality, you can't help but be surprised by the results.

 

• Vintage 1968 in the rest of France

As mentioned above, 1968 was a very difficult vintage for the French vineyards, whereas in other countries, the outlook was more flattering.

Visit ChampagneThe summer rains produced wines that were flat and lacked structure, with the exception of acidity, which was unfortunately overly present. It should be noted that Chardonnay fared slightly better than Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

In the Rhône Valley, it was the same catastrophe. A lot of rain and a timid sun will produce light wines of mediocre quality. A vintage to be avoided.

☀  The small victory will go to the vineyards of Loire which offered superb Crémants and very interesting dry white wines.

 

> The best wines from 1968 in stock!