Full review of the 1963 vintage

by SoDivin
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Millésime 1963

Are you looking for a 1963 wine for a tasting, to celebrate a birthday or to build up your old wine cellar? Discover our complete opinion on the 1963 vintage in the most important wine regions of France.

The 1963 vintage in the Bordeaux region

The work of the winegrowers was difficult given the weather conditions of 1963. A capricious and unstable weather in the vineyards of the Bordeaux region. The result was a mediocre 1963 vintage. The 1963 wines in Bordeaux lack character.

Only the great châteaux such as Petrus, Mouton Rothschild or Latour have managed to hold their own thanks to their know-how, their terroir and their requirements, rather than less popular domains. Grape for which we underline the magnificent success of Château Latour in this particularly complicated vintage.

Regarding the 1963 Sauternes, the yields were abundant, but not of great quality. This is not an exceptional year for the sweet wines of Sauternes.

Burgundy wines of 1963

A surprising vintage from Burgundy. The quality of Burgundy wines from 1963 is clearly superior to that of Bordeaux. Even if the year was marked by a late flowering and rains during the summer. These climatic events did not impact the vine. Finally, the autumn sunshine saved the ripeness of the berries and therefore the harvests. The 1963 red wines are elegant and fine. The white wines are also of good quality.

Rhône wines of 1963

Disaster in the Rhône region. Both in the North and South Rhône, the quality of the 1963 wines is not a great example. The weather conditions of 1963 gave the vineyards a hard time and did not favor good ripening of the grapes. Therefore, the 1963 vintage does not offer very great wines.

Our opinion on the 1963 vintage in Champagne

Along with the Burgundy wine region, Champagne is one of the only regions to have been able to produce a satisfactory vintage. And for good reason, the particularity of the Champagne Houses is that they are entitled to blend the vintages. Unsurprisingly, to save this vintage which was complicated throughout France, many Champagne Houses have resorted to this alternative. The 1963 Champagnes are of good quality, fresh and elegant.

Our selection of 1963 wines

Petrus 1963

Petrus 1963

Rated 89/100 by Acker Merrall & Condit, (renowned wine merchant at New York and Hong Kong) in november 2012

“Our second flight continued with the tasting of the 1963 Petrus. Its nose was mint in an almost red way. There was some curd and whey there, with more red spice. The palate is round and rich, but with ripe metallic tannins. There were some nice violet flavors.”

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