Our opinion on the wines of the 1962 vintage

It’s hard to shine when its elder 1961 is in the discussion among the greatest vintages ever released! Vintage 1962 is doing very well, and for good reason, it was an excellent vintage.

The 1962 vintage in Bordeaux

1962 began with a rather cold and rainy winter until the end of May. Fine conditions at the beginning of June announced a beautiful and warm summer with just enough rain to avoid drought. The harvest began quite late with the first grapes entering the cellar on October 9 and the good weather accompanied the winegrowers until the end of it.

In the glasses, the 1962 wines very quickly had the arguments to please the greatest number. The wines are supple and fruity, gourmet and fleshy, with just the right amount of tannins. Their only “fault”? Moving on from 1961, one of the vintages of the century. Indeed, the 1962 wines are more affordable in their youth because experts do not believe that these wines can hold up over time. Moderately structured but sufficiently acidic, the wines have held up well. In Sauternes, the wines offer a beautiful concentration thanks to the Indian summer favoring noble rot until the end of October. Pomerols such as Petrus 1962, Château Lafleur 1962 or the Vieux Château Certan 1962 are favored by critics, but some other châteaux on the left bank are doing well, such as Palmer or Mouton-Rothschild.

1962 Burgundy wines

For Burgundy, the 1962 wines are wonderful in both white and red. 1962s are in their little shoes! This year is clearly superior to its predecessor. The Pinot Noirs of the Côte de Nuits often show themselves gloriously in Chambertin, Musigny, Richebourg, and also in appellations such as Fixin or Lados. The Corton-Charlemagne from Louis Latour: one of the wonders of the world. Superb everywhere, a wine brought here to its rightful place, the first.

The year 1962 in Champagne, Rhône, …

In Champagne, it was more complicated for some than elsewhere. It was necessary to carry out rigorous sorting in the vineyard to see beautiful vintages come out later. Some houses were able to pull out all the stops, like Dom Pérignon, which took advantage of the vintage to market a rosé champagne for the first time! Some tasting comments on the Dom Pérignon Brut 1962 evoke great similarities with a great Montrachet.

The 1962 wines are superb in the North as well as in the South. A special mention for Hermitage, in white as in red. Finally, elsewhere in France, the wines were of very good quality with beautiful harvests both in quality and quantity for most regions such as Alsace and Loire.