1961 Bordeaux: Vintage, Storage, and Value

For collectors considering a 1961 Bordeaux, the most critical factor is the condition of the individual bottle. The concept of a vintage denotes wine made from grapes harvested in a single specified year. It can indicate quality for certain wines like Port. Even so, the importance assigned to vintage is varied and disputed. For regions at colder climatic limits of wine production, vintage can be very important due to seasonal variations. In many New World regions, growing seasons are more uniform. Roman Weil's blind tastings, described, found that experienced wine drinkers could not distinguish wines of good and bad vintages except for Bordeaux wines. Even then, their assessments matched charts little better than chance. Weil suggests vintage charts can help "find good buys in wine" by identifying wines from 'worse' years that may be underpriced relative to their actual quality.

What defines a wine vintage and its importance?

A vintage wine, is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. This term can denote quality, particularly for wines like Port, where producers declare vintage Port only in their best years. However, the importance of vintage is varied and disputed. Most countries allow a portion of wine not from the denoted year. Chile and South Africa require 75% same-year content. Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and the United States require 85%. For wines designated with an AVA in the United States, the requirement is 95% same-year content.

Vintage can be very important for wine produced in regions at the colder climatic limits of wine production. There, warmer seasons produce riper grapes and better wine. Conversely, a poor growing season can lead to grapes with higher acid and lower sugar, affecting wine quality. In regions with more uniform growing seasons, such as many New World areas, the importance of vintage may be less pronounced. Wines are still regularly labeled by vintage due to consumer demand.

Roman Weil is co-chairman of the Oenonomy Society of the US and a professor at the University of Chicago. He tested the hypothesis that experienced wine drinkers "cannot distinguish in blind tastings the wine of years rated high from those of years rated low". Weil's study used wines four to 17 years beyond their vintage with 240 wine drinkers. It found that tasters could not distinguish between wines of good and bad vintages except for Bordeaux wines. Even when a distinction was made, the match between individual assessments and chart rankings was little better than tossing a coin. Replicated tests with wine experts, including French wine academics, yielded the same chance results. Weil does not consider a vintage chart useless. He suggests it can help "find good buys in wine" by identifying wines from years considered worse than average that may be priced below their actual quality. As a common Bordelais saying puts it: "The best vintage is the vintage we have to sell,". For a broader view of market trends, you can consult our live fine wine market index.

What are the general characteristics of Bordeaux wine?

Bordeaux wine is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, centered around the city of Bordeaux on the Garonne River. The Dordogne River joins the Garonne to form the Gironde estuary. The estuary and its tributaries irrigate the land and provide an Atlantic, or oceanic, climate for the region. The Gironde department, with 110,800 hectares, is the second largest wine-growing area in France. The geological foundation is limestone, resulting in calcium-heavy soil. The concept of terroir is pivotal, with top estates aiming for terroir-driven wines, often from single vineyards. The best vineyards are typically on well-drained gravel soils near the Gironde. That siting leads to the adage that the best estates can "see the river" from their vineyards.

The vast majority of Bordeaux wine is red, often called "claret" in Britain. Red wine production outnumbers white six to one. Permitted red grapes include Merlot (62% by area), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Cabernet Franc (12%), and smaller amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carménère (1% in total). White grapes are Sémillon (54%), Sauvignon blanc (36%), Muscadelle (7%), and small amounts of Ugni blanc, Colombard, and Folle blanche (3% in total). Red wines are generally blends. Left Bank wines (Médoc and Graves) are typically Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant. Right Bank wines (Saint-Émilion and Pomerol) are Merlot-dominant. For example, top-quality Left Bank blends are often 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Merlot. Right Bank blends are typically 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaking involves sorting, destemming, and mechanical crushing of grapes. Chaptalization is permitted and common. Fermentation usually occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Pressing and aging in 225-litre oak barriques follow, commonly for a year. Blending is an integral part of the process. It mixes wines from different grape varieties and vineyard parts to achieve the château's preferred style. The wine is then bottled and typically undergoes further aging before release.

Bordeaux has four different classifications. They are the 1855 Classification (Médoc reds and Sauternes-Barsac sweet wines), the 1955 Official Classification of St.-Émilion (updated approximately every ten years), the 1959 Official Classification of Graves (revised 1959), and the Cru Bourgeois Classification (annulled in 2007, revived in 2010 as a recognition of quality with yearly reappraisal, but no longer an official classification). The 1855 classification includes five First Growths, among them Château Latour in Pauillac. Pomerol has no official classification. Wines like Pétrus are often considered equivalent to the 1855 First Growths. To explore the region's producers, visit our Bordeaux producer atlas. For more on specific vintages, see our guide on the 1961 Bordeaux vintage.

How do storage conditions impact wine quality?

AWRI Technical Note TN09 states that excessive storage temperatures can significantly affect the shelf life of bottled wine. The result is the development of faulty flavors and a decrease in overall quality. Marais (1986) observed these issues after 12 months of wine storage at 30°C. Temperatures exceeding 40°C can induce visual and sensory changes in wine within a matter of days, according to Ough (1986). Ough (1992) states that "In general, any storage place where the temperature exceeds 25°C for long periods and 40°C for short periods can affect wine quality." Exposure to temperatures significantly greater than ambient can also cause leakage of wine or movement of cork stoppers due to thermal expansion. Such physical damage does not necessarily imply that the wine's quality has suffered. It will impact its appearance and marketability, as noted in AWRI Technical Note TN09.

Light exposure can also lead to deleterious effects, causing wines to develop off-flavors known as ‘lightstruck’ flavor (goûts de lumière). Maujean and Seguin (1983) demonstrated that this flavor results from the formation of volatile sulfur compounds. Those compounds are believed to derive from sulfur-containing amino acids like methionine and cysteine. Riboflavin (vitamin B2), present in musts and wines, undergoes photo-activation when exposed to light at wavelengths of 370 nm and 440 nm. That reaction drives the oxidation of these amino acids and the formation of the responsible sulfur compounds.

Dozon and Noble (1989) exposed still and sparkling white wines to fluorescent lamps. Bottles in green glass developed a statistically significant lightstruck flavor after 31.1 hours and 18 hours, respectively. The same wines stored in clear glass developed this off-flavor much faster, after only 3.3 hours and 3.4 hours. Sensory assessments revealed a decrease in ‘citrus’ aromas. They also showed an increase in ‘cooked cabbage’, ‘corn’, ‘wet wool/wet dog’, and ‘soy/marmite’ aromas. Direct sunlight is considerably more potent. A 36 W fluorescent lamp with 400 lux provides approximately 14 mW/m2 of UV-A radiation. Full sunlight provides 60,000 mW/m2 UV-A, making direct sunlight 4286 times more damaging, as per Gordon Watson (pers. comm. in AWRI Technical Note TN09). Light exposure can also exacerbate copper instability in susceptible white wines, leading to haze. The AWRI reports that white wines with a copper concentration greater than approximately 0.5 mg/L are susceptible. Light protection will only delay the inevitable haze. Understanding wine ullage levels is also key to assessing potential heat damage.

What are the recommended storage conditions for bottled wine?

To preserve wine quality, AWRI Technical Note TN09 recommends insulated and/or temperature-controlled storage. Those conditions minimize fluctuations in both temperature and humidity. Amon and Simpson (1986) specifically recommend storing bottled wine with the cork in contact with the wine in a cool (15-20°C), dry location. The use of miniature temperature logging devices is suggested for monitoring temperature fluctuations during storage and transport.

The color of the glass bottle also plays a role in protecting wine from light. Rankine (1989) indicates that amber glass is most effective in excluding wavelengths below about 450 nm. However, marketing concerns often dictate glass color over technical considerations. The AWRI has observed a disproportionately high number of copper instability cases, leading to haze in white wines, in clear glass bottles.

Minimizing lightstruck flavor can involve manipulating wine composition. Pichler (1997) suggests selecting yeast strains with decreased ability to biosynthesize riboflavin or adsorbing riboflavin using bentonite. Maujean and Seguin (1983) described trials using copper ions to treat sulfur compounds. Other trials used dithionate ions to reduce riboflavin and prevent photoactivation, and tannins to reduce the speed of sulfur compound formation. Some wines are more susceptible to lightstruck flavor. For example, the liberation of amino acids from yeast cells during autolysis, as occurs in methode champenoise wines, can increase the concentration of sulfur-containing amino acids. For comprehensive advice on protecting your collection, consult our guide on how to store wine.

To understand the long-term value and drinking windows for your collection, explore our per-vintage price history feature.